Ex.5. Speak about our country

Topic: My Native Town

Ex. 1. Read the text and translate it using a dictionary:

Cheboksary

Cheboksary is a modern city situated on the picturesque bank of the Volga river in the European part of Russia. The distance between Moscow and Cheboksary is about 670 highway km, Kazan lies at the distance of 150 km, Nizhny Novgorod - 200 km.

Cheboksary is a city with many-centuries history. In the annals of history Cheboksary was first mentioned in 1469 when Russian warriors stayed here while their march to the Kazan Khanate. Though it had existed much earlier as a settlement. According to the data of archeological excavations it was a Bulgarian-Chuvash settlement at its place from 13-14 centuries.

In July 1555 the Chuvash land entered the Moskovsky State voluntarily and Ivan the Terrible ordered to build a fortress in Cheboksary to protect eastern borders of the country. Unfortunately, the wooden walls of the fortress burnt down in 1704. There has remained just the church of Feast of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin since then, which witnessed the city’s foundation. Since the end of the 17th to the beginning of the 18th century Cheboksary was known as a famous trade city in Povolzhye, in 1781 it got a status of a provincial city of the Kazan Guberniya. At the beginning of 19th century its population was five and a half thousand inhabitants, the industry was limited with sawmill and some small factories. The city was known by a good deal of churches (25 churches and 4 monasteries), the Cheboksary bells were known in London and Paris.

Cheboksary nowadays is a unique city with both interesting history and contemporaneity, where there are quite original and unique museums and monuments, where cultures - Chuvash and Russian - are combined tightly for centuries and embellish each other.

Cheboksary is an industrial, cultural and educational centre of the Chuvash Republic, its population is about 456 thousand people. The Cheboksarka, the Kaibulka, the Trusikha, and the Sugutka rivers divide Cheboksary into six sectors, which fan out toward the Volga, so that the city resembles an amphitheatre. The city’s street network is laid out on a radial-ring pattern.

The city is divided into three urban districts: Leninsky, Moskovsky and Kalininsky. The city has factories producing tractors, machinery, electrical equipment, electrical measuring devices, cable, metal goods, spare parts for the electric power industry, furniture, textiles, sweets, diary products and others.

Cheboksary’s educational institutions include Chuvash University, Pedagogical University and Agricultural Academy, a branch of Moscow Cooperative Trade Institute, some other branches of Moscow and St. Petersburg Universities. In addition to these there are medical, music, art, machine-building, textile and other colleges.

Contemporary Chuvashia treats carefully to its many-centuries history. The most significant museums in the city are: the National Museum acquaints with Chuvash national traditions, way of life and culture; the Art Museum displays masterpieces of Russian and foreign art; the Chapaev Museum (the hero of the Civil War was born in the village of Budaika, now within the city limits of Cheboksary); K.V. Ivanov Literature Museum (devoted to the author of the immortal poem “Narspy”).

Five state theatres (the Chuvash Academic Drama Theatre, the Chuvash State Opera and Ballet Theatre, the Chuvash Youth Theatre, the Republic Russian Drama Theatre, the Chuvash State Puppet Theatre), three Concert organizations (the Academic Song and Dance Ensemble, the Chuvash State Academic Chapel, the Chamber Orchestra of Ancient and Modern music) and the Philharmonic Society function here.

The National Library of the Chuvash Republic is among the principal information centres of the republic. Its two million books fund includes literature in 50 languages spoken all over the world.

There are a lot of sights in Cheboksary created both by grey antiquity and present days as well. The main decoration of the city is a magnificent bay with marvelous fountains and fine bridges. A magnificent architectural ensemble – the Opera and ballet theatre, the Philharmonic society, the palace of children and youth creative works – is situated on the banks of the bay.

In the historical centre, you can visit the church of Feast of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin, where the icon of the 15th century “Mother of Vladimir” is placed. Michael the Archangel church is interesting among the city centre attractions.

St.Trinity church grandeur ensemble in situated on the Western side-hill. The main building is St.Trinity cathedral. The Eastren side-hill is formed by a high bank of the Volga over the Embankment of Cheboksary. Exceptional monuments of stone architecture have remained here: the church of Resurrection (1758), decorated with Chuvashia bricklayers’, artists’, engravers’ works.

There used to be a port in the region of Vladimirskaya hill. Nowadays, the hill strikes with its peculiarity: it resembles an artificial mound. They say, that Vladimirskaya hill is of artificial origin. Its unique attraction is the most ancient on the city’s territory necropolis. The merchant Efremov built here an original architectural construction – a burial-vault, where he was later buried with his wife.

There are a lot of monuments to outstanding culture and art persons in the city: to the Chuvash educator I. Yakovlev, the ardent poets – M. Sespel, K. Ivanov, the cosmonaut A. Nikolaev, legendary hero V.I. Chapaev, etc.

Ex. 2. Answer the questions:

1. Where is Cheboksary situated?

2. What is the distance between Moscow and Cheboksary?

3. When was it founded?

4. Who ordered to build a fortress in Cheboksary?

5. Cheboksary is a beautiful city, isn’t it?

6. Is it a modern city?

7. Are there many theatres and museums in Cheboksary?

8. What proves that Cheboksary is a cultural centre?

9. How many times have you been to the National Museum?

10. What monuments to outstanding people in Cheboksary do you know?

Ex. 3. Read the text using a dictionary:

Alatyr

Alatyr is one of the oldest towns in Chuvashia. It was founded in 1552 during the conquest of Kazan by Tsar Ivan the Terrible to a place of the old Mordvin village as a fortified outpost. Alatyr granted town status in 1780. It gained economic importance in 1894 after the construction of the Moscow-Ryazan-Kazan railroad.

According to one version “Alatyr” means “a white stone”. At first, it was a wooden fortress with oak walls (burnt down in 1774) and a moat full of water surrounding it. Inside the fortress there was a wooden church and the houses of noble people.

For brave defence of the Russian state, in 1780 Empress Catherine the Great granted the town its own coat of arms. In the upper half of the coat of arms is the coat of arms of Simbirsk as Alatyr then belonged to the Simbirsk Province. In the lower half there are three golden quivers of arrows as the people of Alatyr were praised for their great skill in using such weapons.

By the 19th century the town had become a wealthy market town on a trade route between east and west. Today, in Lenin Street (former Simbirsk street), you can see the beautiful houses where rich merchants lived at that time.

In 1925, the Alatyr region became part of the Chuvash Republic.

Nowadays Alatyr is an industrial, educatiuonal and cultural centre. There are several large factories in the town where electronic equipment and industrial fridges are made. Smaller factories produce a wide range of goods: paper, furniture, shoes, musical instruments and dairy products. There are 10 secondary schools, music, art and sports schools, several technical colleges and a branch of the Chuvash State University.

A very interesting collection of samples of local flora and fauna is displayed in the Alatyr Local History Museum. There are many stuffed animals and birds of types that live in and around Alatyr.

The Art Gallery is placed in the old, historic part of Alatyr. Paintings by Alatyr artists Vovashkin, Dugina, Razutkin, Lenkov, Karacharskov and Kamenshikov and paintings by artists famous throughout Chuvashia such as Ovchinnikov, Semenov and Makarov are exhibited here. In the Gallery you can also see a bronze statue of Alatyr's most famous sculptor Erzya.

The Town Garden was opened in 1886 and it has always been a favourite place of the people of Alatyr. It is still a wonderful place to wander or sit and have a rest.

Ex. 4. Answer the questions to the text:

1. Have you been to Alatyr?

2. When was it founded?

3. Are there many ancient buildings in Alatyr?

4. Is there any industry in Alatyr?

5. When did Alatyr gain economic importance?

6. What can you say about modern Alatyr?

7. What kind of place is the Town Garden?

Ex. 5. Complete the following sentences:

1. Cheboksary is a modern city situated … .

2. Cheboksary was first mentioned in 1469 when … .

3. Cheboksary nowadays is a unique city with … .