I. Read the text for detail and match the words in bold with

a) their Russian equivalents given below:

1) поправляться, приходить в себя от (болезни, удивления, испуга и т. п.)

2) властелин, правитель

3) захватчик, оккупант

4) одержать победу (над кем-л.), наносить поражение (кому-л.), завоёвывать (что-л.)

5) знак; символ

6) низложить, свергнуть; сместить (с должности)

7) поддерживать, сохранять (в состоянии, которое имеется на данный момент, особенно в хорошем)

8) сильное воздействие; влияние

9) дань; подать

10) церковный; духовный (имеющий отношение к религии, к церкви)

b) the following definitions:

1) an occasion when one country’s army enters another country by force, in order to take control of it –

2) variable, not equal, not regular –

3) the state of being damaged or destroyed –

4) domination of one power or state within a league, confederation, country, etc., or of one social class over others –

5) the office, province, or residence of a patriarch –

6) action against someone who has done something bad to you –

7) the period during which a person is the official ruler of a country –

Kievan Russia struggled on into the 13^th century, but was decisively destroyed by the arrival of a new invader – the Mongols. In 1237 Batu Khan, a grandson of Jenghiz Khan, launched an invasion into Kievan Russia from his capital on the lower Volga (at present-day Kazan). Over the next three years the Mongols (or Tatars) destroyed all of the major cities of Kievan Russia with the exceptions of Novgorod and Pskov. The regional princes were not deposed, but they were forced to send regular tribute to the Tatar state, which became known as the Empire of the Golden Horde. Invasions of Russia were attempted during this period from the west as well, first by the Swedes (1240) and then by the Livonian Brothers of the Sword (1242), a regional branch of the fearsome Teutonic Knights. In the best news of the era for Russia, both were decisively defeated by the great warrior Alexander Nevsky, a prince of Novgorod who earned his surname from his victory over the Swedes on the Neva River.

For the next century or so, very little seems to have happened in Russia. In fact, given the tribute demanded by the Tatars, there wasn’t much money available for building, campaigns, or anything else of that sort. The impact of the Mongol invasion on the territories of Kievan Russia was uneven. The advanced city culture was almost completely destroyed. As older centers such as Kiev and Vladimir never recovered from the devastation of the initial attack, the new cities of Moscow, Tver and Nizhny Novgorod began to compete for hegemony in the Mongol-dominated Russia. With the Tatars off to the southwest, the northeastern cities gradually gained more influence – first Tver, and then, around the turn of the 14^th century, Moscow. As a sign of the city’s importance, the patriarchate of the Russian Orthodox Church was transferred to the city, making it the spiritual capital of Russia. By the latter part of the century, Moscow felt strong enough to challenge the Tatars directly, and in 1380 a Muscovite prince named Dmitri Donskoy had the audacity to attack them. His decisive victory at Kulikovo Field immediately made him a popular hero, though the Tatar retaliation two years later maintained their rule over the city. It wasn’t until 1480, after another century had passed, that Moscow was strong enough to throw off Tatar rule for good. Its ruler at that time was Grand Duke Ivan III, better known as Ivan the Great. Ivan began by subjugating most of Moscow’s rival cities, and by the time he tore up the charter binding it to Tatar tribute he was effectively in control of the entire country. However, it wasn’t until the reign of his grandson, Ivan IV (the Terrible), that Russia became a unified state.

[http://www.geographia.com/russia/rushis03.htm]