Read the statements and say whether they are true or false.

1. The new depression began with the construction of the Trans-Siberian railway.

2. The merchants flocked to the city to hide out from the gendarmes.

3. Trade companies built an elegant district of the city.

4. Foreign Governments opened consulates in Omsk to represent their commercial interests.

5. By 1910 a complex of buildings and fountains had been constructed.

Give answers to the questions below.

1. What was the new boom of Omsk connected with?

2. What modern achievements of those days were there in Omsk?

3. What was called as the pinnacle of success?

4. Why was Omsk called as "Chicago of Siberia"?

Vocabulary Training

24. Read the following words and word combinations:

Shortly after, pro-monarchy, forces, Provisional Government of Russia, decorated war hero, Imperial gold reserves.

25. Remember the following words and word combinations:

key to power – островок власти

eventually – в конечном счете

retreat – отступить

seize – захватить

Reading

Read the text quickly.

“White” period

Shortly after the 1917 revolution, the pro-monarchy "white" forces seized control of the city. The "Provisional Government of Russia" was established in 1918, headed by the polar explorer and decorated war hero Admiral Kolchak. He was named Supreme Ruler (Verkhovnyi Pravitel). And Omsk was proclaimed the Capital of Russia, and its central bank kept the Imperial gold reserves. The city proved to be a key to power in Siberia. Eventually, Kolchak, the government, and the gold retreated along the Trans-Siberian eastward to Irkutsk, and the bolshevik "red" forces took control in 1919.

Answer the questions to the text above.

1. Who headed the “Provisional Government of Russia”?

2. When was Omsk proclaimed as the Capital of Russia?

3. What year was the control taken by the “red” forces?

Speech practice

Work with your partner.

Partner A Partner B

Vocabulary Training

29. Remember the following words and word combinations:

designate – номинировать, провозглашать prompt – побуждать, вызывать dampen – ослаблять, останавливать spark – вспыхивать, искрить

rival – конкурент boost – подъем to be responsible for – (зд.) быть инициатором, автором

30. Translate the words given below:

Soviet era, provisional, capital, military, industry, victory

Look through he abbreviated names of design sections or bureas and match them with the full variants and the comments

1. OKMO	1. Omsk Transmash design bureau	1. Metallurgy and heavy machine-building bureau
2. KBTM	2. Experimental Design Mechanical Section	2. The main tank design team in the Soviet Union during the early 1930s.

Reading

Read the text about the Soviet period in the history of Omsk.

Soviet era

The Soviet government preferred young Novonikolayevsk, now Novosibirsk, to be the designated centre of Western Siberia. It prompted the mass transfer of administrative, cultural and educational functions from Omsk. The city's growth dampened. Sparking rivalry between the two cities continues to this day. And it was during and after World War II that Omsk received a new boost. Many industries were evacuated away from the western part of Russia in 1941. In the event of a German victory during the Battle of Moscow, Omsk was to become the provisional Soviet capital. Many military industries moved here including part of the OKMO tank design bureau in 1941.

S.M. Kirov Factory no. 185 moved from Chelyabinsk in 1962. The Kirov Factory and Omsk Transmash design bureau (KBTM) produced T-80 tanks from the 1970s, and were responsible for the BTR-T, TOS-1, and prototype Black Eagle tank. Omsk Transmash declared bankruptcy in 2002.