READ AND TRANSLATE Astana is the capital of the Republic of Kazakhstan. It is the third largest city in the country with population over 800 000. In 1999 Astana was awarded the title of the City of Peace by UNESCO.
Geographical position and climate
Astana is the northernmost capital of Asia. The city is situated in the central Kazakhstan on the banks of the Ishim River. It is located in steppe and has an extreme continental climate – summers here are hot, while winters are very dry and cold. Astana is the second coldest capital city in the world.
History of the city
The city was founded in 1830 and its first name was Akmolinsk, then in 1961 it was renamed Tselinograd. In 1992 the city’s name was changed to Akmola. Akmola became the capital of Kazakhstan in 1997 and in 1998 the city received its present name Astana.
Economy of Astana
The economy of the city is based on trade, transport and construction. It is a special economic zone. Astana is an important centre for business and trade. The most important branches of industry are food processing industry, mechanical engineering and production of construction materials. The city is a centre for culture, sport, healthcare and education.
Architecture and sights
Astana is a beautiful modern city. The author of the Master Plan of Astana is the famous Japanese architect Kisho Kurokawa. There are a lot of modern futuristic buildings, skyscrapers and monuments. “Baiterek” memorial is the symbol of Astana; it is also the geographical centre of all Eurasia.
There are a lot of beautiful parks and fountains in Astana, the most famous of which is “Tree of Life” fountain. In the city there are also some theatres and museums, concert halls and trading and entertainment centres. As Astana is the capital of the country there are government buildings and the residence of the president.
1. Read and translate the text
2. To make 5 questions (жазбаша)
3. To learn the rules (конспект)
4. Find 6 plural nouns in the text (жазбаша

My weekends are very busy days. On Saturday I usually get up early and do my chores. Then I go for a walk. I usually do my homework in the evening. I like to sleep longer on Sunday. I play computer games in the morning. In the evening I usually go shopping with my parents. Sometimes we go to the country. Weekends for me are just a change of activity. It's not rest.

Перевод

Мои выходные - очень напряжённые дни. В субботу я обычно встаю рано и делаю свою работу по дому. Потом я иду гулять. Я обычно делаю домашнее задание вечером. В воскресенье я люблю поспать подольше. Утром я играю в компьютерные игры. Вечером я обычно хожу по магазинам с родителями. Иногда мы едем на дачу. Выходные для меня-это просто смена деятельности. Это не отдых.

My school is new and modern and I like it very much. It has three floors. The classrooms are light and spacious. There are classrooms for different subjects, such as English, History, Physics, Mathematics, Chemistry, Geography, Biology Literature etc.There is a computer class in our school. We study computer science here. The computer class has the most modern equipment and the Internet access.We’ve also an assembly hall, which is situated on the second floor. Meetings, conferences, concerts and all the celebrations take place here. We prepare different performances for all holidays. We sing songs, recite poetry, dance, and participate in theatre performances.There are many opportunities to go in for sports in our school. Our school has a gym, a sports ground, a football field, a swimming pool, and other sports facilities. There are many different sports groups: table tennis, swimming, athletics, football, volleyball, wrestling, and rhythmic gymnastics. Many pupils of our school attend these sports groups.In our school we have also painting group, dance group, theatre group and rock group. All these groups are very popular and many pupils attend them.The teachers in our school are very skilled. They try to give us all their knowledge and awake our interest to their subjects and to self study. Besides the school subjects, our teachers tell us about everything, about different problems of our world, such as ecology, nature protection, climat changes etc.There is a good tradition in our school. Every year people who graduated our school come here to meet their teachers and classmates. These meetings take place every first Saturday of February.I think that school years are very important for every person. It’s a period of becoming adult, achieving knowledges, and choosing your way in life. Often school friends remain your friends for all your life. So I’ll never forget my school, my teachers, and my classmates.