Pushkin in Saint Petersburg Tasks

I.     Прочитайте текст и заполните пропуски A–F частями предложений, обозначенными цифрами 1–7. Одна из частей в списке 1–7 — лишняя. Занесите цифры, обозначающие соответствующие части предложений, в таблицу.  

Catherine Palace          

The Catherine Palace is the former royal palace, one of the largest in the area of St. Petersburg. The palace is located in the town of Pushkin (formerly Tsarskoye Selo), 25 km south of St. Petersburg. The palace was built in 1717 under the direction of the German architect J. F. Braunstein A ______________________. 

During the reign of Empress Elizabeth the palace acquired its present form and style. In May 1752 she asked the architect B. F. Rastrelli to rebuild the palace, B ____________________ and small. After the great reconstruction, C _________________, the modern palace was completely built in the Russian  Baroque style. The first presentation of the huge 325-metre palace shocked the Russian elite and foreign guests. The final touch in the decoration of the Catherine Palace was the main staircase in the Rococo style, D______________________ in 1863. After the October Revolution the Catherine Palace was turned into a museum.

Today, the exhibition of the Catherine Palace is opened in 32 rooms. The most interesting place of the palace for tourists is the famous Amber Room, E _______________________. The main decoration of the Amber Room was made at the beginning of the 18th century in Prussia, F________________________. During the Great Patriotic War the decoration of the Amber Room was removed by the German occupiers to Koenigsberg. The further fate of the original exhibits of the room is still under a veil of legends and myths.

1. which lasted almost four years

2. which had been restored by 2003

3. which was created by the Russian architect

4. because she considered it too old-fashioned

5. and then it was presented to Emperor Peter I

6. because the museum exhibits need much care

7. as the summer residence of Empress Catherine I

II.  Сomplete these sentences

Alexander Pushkin is the greatest Russian writer and poet. Alexander Pushkin (1)____________ on June 6, 1799 in Moscow. In 1811–1817 he was a (2) ____________at the Lyceum in Tsarskoe Selo near Saint Petersburg. He (3)___________________ in literature and he published his first poem at the age of 15. His most (4_________________) works are “Eugene Onegin” and “Ruslan and Lyudmila”. For many people Pushkin is their (5)_____________________ writer.

III.   Read the text about Alexander Pushkin and say what events took place in different years

Pushkin is the most important Russian writer of all time, like Shakespeare in England or Dante in Italy. Pushkin provided the standards for Russian arts and literature in the 19th century.

Pushkin was born in Moscow in 1799 into an upper-class family. In 1811 he entered a lyceum at Tsarskoye Selo. The education offered at the lyceum shaped Pushkin's life.

He graduated from the lyceum in 1817 and began to work in the foreign office in St. Petersburg.

In 1820 the foreign office transferred Pushkin to Ekaterinoslav, and later to Odessa for writing anti-tsarist poetry. In 1824, for his letter against the tsar, he was exiled to Mikhailovskoye. In 1824, Tsar Nicholas I allowed Pushkin to return to Moscow.

Pushkin felt in love with Natalya Goncharova, who was 16 then, and in 1830 they got married. His wife was suspected of an affair with Baron Georges d'Antes; this became the subject of gossip. In 1837   Pushkin challenged d'Antes to a duel. Pushkin was wounded and died two days later.

Pushkin was the Russia's greatest poet. In his works he was first influenced by 18th century poets, and then by Lord Byron. Finally he developed his own style, which was realistic but classical in form.

His earliest long poem was romantic "Ruslan and Lyudmila" (1818-1820). A series of verse tales followed "The Prisoner of the Caucasus", "The Robber Brothers", "The Fountain of Bakhchisarai", and "The Gypsies". They were inspired by Byron's poetry.

In 1823 Pushkin began writing his masterpiece "Eugene Onegin", a novel in verse. "Eugene Onegin" became the linguistic and literary standard. It is a commentary on the life of the early 19th century Russia. It is noted for brilliant verse.

He also wrote other long poems, including "Bronze Horseman" (1833), the finest collection of  lyrics in Russian literature.

Pushkin created also a number of masterpieces in drama and prose. "Little Tragedies" and "The Stone Guest" are among the best works in the world history of drama. Pushkin's love to Russia's past resulted in his historical drama, "Boris Godunov" (1825). "Tales of the Late I.P.Belkin", "Dubrovsky", "The Captain's Daughter" are the most important of his prose works. Pushkin's use of Russian influenced the great Russian writers Turgenev, Goncharov, Tolstoy.

Pushkin's early death shocked the country. Pushkin, called by many "the sun of Russian literature", belongs among the foremost poets and writers of the world.

What happened in 1799, 1811, 1817, 1820, 1823, 1824, 1825, 1830, 1833, 1837?

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IV.   Match the sights of Saint Petersburg with the literary works of A.Pushkin

1.      The Summer Garden	A.    The Stationmaster
2.      The Winter Canal
3.      The Demutov Inn
4.      The ‘Talon’ Restaurant	B.      Eugene Onegin
5.      The House of the Queen of Spades
6.      The House of Lobanov-Rostovsky
7.      The Admiralty Park	C.     The Queen of Spades
8.      The Bronze Horseman
9.      The House of Laval
10.  The Bolshoi Theatre	D.    The Bronze Horseman
11.   Kolomna
12.  The Austrian Embassy