Read some facts about the National Library and

group them according to the plan in ex. 2b.

1. It is one of the most

famous sights in Minsk.

2. It has a rich collection of

books. 3. It combines high

technologies, modem design

and unusual architecture.

4. It looks like a gigantic

diamond, which symbolises the value of knowledge.

5. In 1989 two architects (Viktor Kramarenko and Mikhail

Vinogradov) with the idea of a diamond design won the

design competition. 6. The construction began in 2002.

7. The library was opened in 2006. 8. It’s located in the

green area and surrounded by a park. 9. Now it is an

information, cultural and social centre. 10. It is a 23-storey

building. 11. It’s worth visiting for at least two reasons:

it has a museum of rare books, e.g. original books of

Francysk Skaryna, and the observation deck where you

can get a great view of Minsk. 12. You can go on a guided

tour of the library if you want to get more information.

13. A lot of political, cultural and educational events are held

here. 14. The old library was too small to hold everything.
Вот план:
b. Read the advice below. Think how you write letters.

Are any of your ideas mentioned there?

When we write a letter about a famous sight, we can

divide it into four parts (in addition to the opening and

closing).

The first part includes the name of the place, where it

is located and what it looks like.

In the second part, we write about the history of this

place.

In the third part, we describe what visitors can see

and do there.

In the last part, we recommend a visit to this place.

Present tenses are usually used to describe this sight

and past tenses are used to write about historical facts.

The passive voice is also often used in this type of

descriptions.