This document contains a reading practice lesson in Russian with 14 passages. Each passage is followed by comprehension questions about grammatical concepts in Russian like cases, prepositions, conjugation and expressions of necessity, possibility and impossibility. The passages cover topics like Soviet-era phrases, public service announcements, advertisements, political protests and sayings on tombstones.

1. Lesson 5 Reading
Practice for
Первый Круг
Russian Full Circle
by
Donna Oliver and
Edie Furniss
Copyright © 2013 by Yale University.
All rights reserved.

2. Урок 5: Практика
чтения
No. 1
This is a popular phrase
from the Soviet era playing
on the homonym мир.
• So, what does it mean?

3. Урок 5: Практика
чтения
No. 2
The word слава means
“glory,” and you will often
encounter it in contexts like
this, where glory “to”
something is being
expressed (which means
it’s followed by the dative).
• To whom is praise being
offered here? (note the use
of the genitive in the other
two nouns)

4. Урок 5: Практика
чтения
No. 3
• What is this sign telling
you not to do?
• Which meaning of the
dative preposition по is
appropriate here?

5. Урок 5: Практика
чтения
No. 4
Here’s another example of
the dative preposition по
used in the same way.
• What does this kiosk
offer?

6. Урок 5: Практика
чтения
No. 5
This is a public service ad.
How would you answer
(по-русски!) the following
questions?
• What is the girl’s name?
• How old is she?
• What does she like to do?
• What vice doesn’t she
have?

7. Урок 5: Практика
чтения
No. 6
Remember that the verb
писать does not conjugate
like читать, and if you do
conjugate it that way, you
get a different verb with a
different meaning.
• What does Яша do here?

8. Урок 5: Практика
чтения
No. 7
There’s no dative here, but
we do have an expression
of necessity.
• How would you translate
this phrase?

9. Урок 5: Практика
чтения
No. 8
This metro advertisement
provides another
expression of necessity.
• What does this store
offer us?

10. Урок 5: Практика
чтения
No. 9
Here’s another ad using an
expression of possibility.
• What distinction is being
drawn here?

11. Урок 5: Практика
чтения
No. 10
This poster is from one of
the street demonstrations
that occurred in protest
against elections results.
• What does it say?

12. Урок 5: Практика
чтения
No. 11
This tombstone in
Samarkand, Uzbekistan,
has a nice message
engraved on it.
• Can you decipher it?
(hint: begin with the
expression of impossibility)

13. Урок 5: Практика
чтения
No. 12
Here’s another tombstone
with a different sentiment
expressed.
• How would you explain
the use of the dative here?

14. Урок 5: Практика
чтения
No. 13
This Dewar’s ad is telling you to
try (попробуй) something by
ordering (закажи) something. We
can see the dative case after по
on both sides of the ad.
• What do you have to try and
how?
• What should you order and
what will happen as a result?
Note the use of the dative after
the verb in the bottom line.
Вредить means “to harm” or “be
harmful to.” You can also form an
adjective from it—вредный.
• How would you say, “This is
harmful for you”?

15. Урок 5: Практика
чтения
No. 14
This newspaper montage from the late
1990s juxtaposes Russian political
leaders with President Clinton during
the Monica Lewinsky scandal,
substituting «американец» for
«немец» in a well-known Russian
proverb.
• How would you translate this
phrase?
• How does the photo of Clinton
convey some Russian stereotypes
about Americans?
If you want to see how a German
reacts to some things that are “good”
for Russians, watch actor Til Schweiger
in this clip from the late-night show
Вечерний Ургант, with Иван Ургант,
Russia’s version of David Letterman.