III.Study the vocabulary and read the text.

immense — огромный

bog — болото

pine grove — сосновый бор

petty rivers — мелкие речушки

springs — родники, источники

tireless — неутомимый

to mow — косить

processing — переработка

particularly — особенно

parcel of land — надел земли

TRANSFORMATION OF THE COUNTRYSIDE

Most Belarusians, because of the natural formation of the urban infrastructure, are more at home in the countryside than in the city. Though 64 per cent of the population live in towns and cities, nearly half of them have moved there only recently. Their hearts and roots are still at the place where they were born.

Belarus is the land of pine groves and immense fields and meadows. The beauty of our land is unique. You can find here numerous lakes and rivers and even huge bogs around the river Pripyat. This part of natural landscape is called Belarusian Polesse.

Among the bogs, sandy islands are located, on which pine forests grow. In spring numerous petty rivers which flow into Pripyat flood the area and comprise one huge water mass.

One of the finest Belarusian lakes, Svityaz, is located close to Novogrudock. The water is crystal clear, as no springs flow into the lake. So clear, that on sunny days one can see the bottom of Svityaz. The lake is very deep and almost round. It is surrounded by a one kilometer-wide forest with berries and mushrooms. Flowers, which grow here, are exceptionally beautiful!

There is no other place like countryside for those who have learned in childhood to love its monotonous landscape with innumerable lakes, rivers, forests and fields, its small quiet villages and modern settlements. I do love all that. I like the village with its winding streets, local people, and green carpets of meadows. I like to stand on the highest hill, where there is a monument to those killed during World War II. I like to see how the Pripyat flows unhurriedly to the Dnieper. The working men and women who live on its banks are as tireless as the river itself. They mow the thick grass in the meadows, gather in the rich grain harvest and build new plants.

A distinctive feature of modern countryside is its industrialization. Numerous workshops and even small factories are set up on collective farms, such as workshops for the processing of vegetable and fruit, for the production of furniture, clothes, overcoats, jackets and sheepskin coats. All this has entailed a change in the structure of trades. Technologists and construction workers have become particularly important men, as well as grain-growers and machine operators.

Today's countryside has its own infrastructure: roads, service establishments, stadiums. New buildings are mushrooming here: urban-type two-storeyed houses with all modern conveniences, with a garage and a telephone. Over the last few years a number of such urban-style settlements have been built in which every house is an attraction.

Some people, however, prefer to live in wooden houses with big orchards and gardens attached to them. It is really very important not to lose the delights of the village way of life. It is particularly dear to every villager to hear a cock that crows every morning.

Those people, who have no relatives in the village, build a summer house on a small parcel of land and grow all kinds of vegetables and flowers there.

It is impossible to tear a peasant from the land, from everything that has gone into his heart and mind since his childhood. The roots of the real villager are always to be found in the soil he loves.

IV. Questions for discussion:

1. Why do most Belarusians feel more at home in the countryside than in the city?

2. Which landscape is the most typical for Belarus?

3. What is the most distinctive feature of the modern Belarusian countryside?

4. What are the most important changes in cities, towns and settlements of Belarus?

5. Why is it so important for some Belarusians not to lose the delights of the village way of life?

SUPPLEMENTARY READING

I. Study the vocabulary to read and understand the text better. Prepare for a discussion.

dowry [´daυrı] — приданое

bishop — епископ

persecutor of evil [´pə:sıkju:tə] — преследователь зла

pauper — нищий