Listen to the text, read, translate and retell it. Leaving St. Sophia’s Cathedral, one comes out into Bohdan Khmelnytskyi Square

Leaving St. Sophia’s Cathedral, one comes out into Bohdan Khmelnytskyi Square. It is bordered to the right by strip of trees and shrubs while in the centre of the square there is the monument to Bohdan Khmelnytskyi, the 17^th century outstanding Ukrainian statesman and military leader. Being a far-sighted statesman, Bohdan Khmelnytskyi sought reunification with the Russian state, which was the Ukraine’s only ally at that time. At the end of 1653 the Zemskyi Sobor adopted a decision to reunite the two countries. This decision was ratified in 1654 at the historical Pereyaslav Rada. That’s why Bohdan Khmelnytskyi is considered to be a national hero of the Ukrainian people. The monument to Bohdan Khmelnytskyi was built in 1888 by sculptor Mukhailo Mikeshyn. It shows the eminent statesman and soldier on horseback pointing his mace towards Moscow.

This is one of the most famous monuments in the city – a distinctive emblem of Kyiv. The artist and sculptor planned to embody in his creation the idea of the “sole and indivisible” Russian Empire, and proposed to decorate the pedestal of the monument with the figures of the triumphant Slavs united with Russia and the bodies of their prostrate enemies. The latter were to be represented by a Jesuit, a polish noble and a Jew who were trampled under the horse’s hoofs. Although the local authorities were opposed to this design, fearing that such a monument would spark ethnic conflicts, it was approved by the Tsar. But the grand idea was blocked by a prosaic obstacle: the construction of the monument was to be financed from public donations, and the amount collected was three times less than was needed for the design according to Mykeshyn’s estimate.

The affair drew out for another seven years, until eventually the architect Volodymyr Nickolaev designed a modest but expressive-looking mount-shaped pedestal. The treasury provided the money required. The ceremonial unveiling of the monument took place in June 1888, during the festivities dedicated to the celebration of the 900^th anniversary of the Christening of Rus.

Choose the best variant to complete each sentence.

1. Leaving St. Sophia’s Cathedral, one comes out into Bohdan Khmelnytskyi _______________.

2.... in the center of the square there is the ___________ to Bohdan Khmelnytskyi...

3. Being a _____________ statesman, Bohdan Khmelnytskyi sought reunification with the Russian state...