2. Read and translate the following text: Kyiv

Kyiv is the capital of Ukraine. It is one of the oldest cities of Eastern Europe. It is situated on the picturesque banks of the Dnipro River. It is one of the greenest cities in the world; it has 18 square meters of greenery for a person. Kyiv today is a large industrial scientific and cultural centre, the home of the nation’s commerce and finance, the main centre of its legal system and the press, it is the seat of the government and the Verkhovna Rada. The population of Kyiv is more than 3 million people.

Kyiv is an ancient city. Its history goes back to the 5^th century A.D. But it is not only its old age and long history that draw crowds of tourists. Kyiv includes a unique and extreme combination of historic values and traditions with modern styles and ways of life. The capital of Ukraine is a huge monument itself, which has been erected by the collective wisdom and creative efforts of many generations. There are a lot of sights in Kyiv. One should not fail to see St. Sophia Cathedral, the monument to Bogdan Khmelnytskyi, St. Andrew Church, the Golden Gate, the monument to Prince Volodymyr, Maryinskyi Palace, the National University, the monument to Taras Shevchenko, Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, etc.

The cultural achievements of Kyiv’s inhabitants are considerable. The city is often the site of art festivals and exhibitions, a lot of films are shot there, and a large number of books is published. The performances staged at the Taras Shevchenko Opera and Ballet Theatre, and the Lesya Ukrainka Russian Drama Theatre enjoy invariable success. There are also lots of other theatres in Kyiv. One can visit numerous museums such as the State Museum of Ukrainian Arts, the State Historical Museum, the State Museum of Western and Eastern Arts, the Museum of Folk Architecture and ethnography, etc.

Kyiv is a well known industrial and scientific centre. Its industries manufacture complex automatic lathes, excavators, sea and river ships, motorcycles, electric measuring instruments, planes, machine tools, artificial fibres and diamonds, hundreds of types of consumer goods.

There are a lot of institutes in Kyiv. They number a lot of outstanding scientists and research workers who made outstanding progress in nuclear physics, chemistry and other branches of science.

No wonder that Kyiv is called the city of students. The Kyiv National University, Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, the Kyiv National University of Technologies and Design and many other institutions of higher education train specialists in various fields.