The World Around Us

the huge expanse, lowland area, extensive, flat, swampland, threads of rivers, merchants, warriors, the abundance of fur-bearing animals, wooden fortresses, to conceal, to be famed for, forest, lake, marsh, fairy-tale riches, legendary land, to be attracted by, huge seas, to conceal.

4.8 Read these statements about the Tyumen Region. Are they true or false?

1 The Tyumen Region is the largest one in Russia. 2 The Tyumen Region is a remote province.

3 The Tyumen Region extends from the Urals to the Far East. 4 The territory of Tyumen Region is mountainous.

5 The Tyumen Region is rich in natural resources.

6 The Tyumen Region is a hundred years old.

7 There are four natural zones in the Region.

4.9Complete the following sentences:

1 The Tyumen Region was formed…..

2 Its area is equivalent to…..

3 The population increased due to…..

4 Western Siberia occupies…..

5 The brave men were attracted by…..

6 Nature in the Tyumen land is…..

7 The vast territory includes four natural zones, such as.….

8 The Region's largest rivers are…..

9 The Region is famous for…..

10 The foundation of the Regional economy is…..

4.10Answer the following questions:

1 When was the Tyumen Region founded?

2 What is the territory of the Tyumen Region? (1,435,200 sq km)

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3 Where is the Tyumen Region located?

4 What is the population number of the Tyumen Region? (about 3,270,000) 5 Why did the population of the Tyumen Region begin to increase?

6 What are the main natural resources of the Region?

7 When did a new chapter of the history of the Tyumen Region begin? 8 Why did the Tyumen Region start to develop?

9 What is the Tyumen Region nowadays?

10 What is the traditional occupation of the native people?

4.11 Prove that:

1 The Tyumen Region is one of the largest regions in the country.

2 The Region began to develop when the first deposits of oil and gas were found in the North.

3 The Tyumen Region is a multinational region.

4.12 Study the factfile (according to the statistics data of 2002):

Date of Foundation: August, 1944

The Tyumen Region is included into the Ural Federal Okrug and Western-Siberian Economic Region

Subdivisions: Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug and Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug

Boundaries: Kazakhstan, Komi Republic, Krasnoyarsky Krai, Sverdlovsk,

Kurgan, Omsk, Tomsk and Arkhangelsk Regions Population Number: about 3,270,000 (the Tyumen Region)

507,000 (Tyumen)

National Composition of Tyumen: Russians (82,38%), Tartars (8,07%), Ukrainians (1,66%), Germans (1,23%), Kazakhs (0,98%), Chuvashes (0,85%). Others (0,81%)

Major Towns: Tyumen (507,000 people), Surgut (275,300 people), Nizhnevartovsk (230,300 people), Tobolsk (97,800 people),

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Noyabr’sk (97,000 people), Novyi Urengoi (89,800 people),

Ishym (62,300 people), Khanty-Mansiysk (36,900 people), Salekhard (32,900 people)

Major Rivers: the Irtysh, the Ob’, the Pur, the Taz, the Nadym

Natural Zones: tundra, taiga, forest, forest-steppe, steppe Climate: continental

Annual Temperatures: January: -17.6˚C (south), -23.1˚C (north) July: +22.5˚C (south), +13˚C (north)

Major Agricultural Products: Crops, beets, wheat, potatoes, barley, rye, oats, cabbage.

Cattle, deer, poultry, fur farming

Major Mined Products: Oil, natural gas, lignite, iron ore, building materials, (sand, clay, peat, diatomite), thermal springs, etc.

Major Oil-bearing Fields: Samotlor, Ust’-Balyk, Feodorovskoe, Mamontovskoe,

Pravdinskoe, Solkinskoe, Var’eganskoe, Pokachevskoe,

Kholmogorskoe

Major Gas-bearing Fields: Urengoiskoe, Yamburgskoe, Kharasaveiskoe,

Vyngapurovskoe, Medvehz’e, Bovanenkovskoe

Major Industries: - Oil and gas extractive industry, machinery and metal-working industry, timber (wood) and woodworking industry, building materials industry, light industry, fishing industry

4.13 Speak about the Tyumen Region.

5.1Pre-text discussion:

1 Do you know how old Tyumen is?

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2 When was Tyumen founded?

3 Is it your native town? How long have you been living here? 4 Where is the historical centre of Tyumen?

5 What place in Tyumen do you like more? Why?

5.2Read through the text to be ready to do the exercises after it.

TYUMEN

1Tyumen, the first Russian town in Siberia, was founded on July 29, in 1586. It is situated on the banks of the Tura River at the former place of the Tatar settlement Tchingy-Tura. The place on the high bank of the Tura River where the Tyumenka flows into it was chosen by voivodes Vasily Sukin and Ivan Myasnoy. It was a good idea to locate a fortified town where the landscape itself with rivers and deep ravines helped to protect Russian and Tatar settlers against nomad invasions. As the time went on, Tyumen became an essential point on the trade route to Central Asia, Persia and China, the centre of leather manufacturing, craftsmanship and agriculture. Since 1944, the city has been the administrative centre of the largest region in Russia. It is located in a picturesque area. Large tracts of pine forest surround Tyumen. The countryside, with its large lakes and hot springs, provide tourist sites for people to relax.

2Nowadays Tyumen is a cultural, industrial and educational centre of Western Siberia with highly developed industry. Its plants are well known in Russia and abroad. There are also numerous Research Institutes, Oil and Gas Pipelines and Refineries. The introduction of new technologies and knowhow in such branches of economy as wood-processing industry, chemical industry, food industry, textile industry allows Tyumen to be among the leaders on the domestic and foreign markets. Tyumen accounts for nearly 5% of the Region's total output, and most of the freight and passenger traffic passes through it. The industrial development of Tyumen began with the

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construction of the Trans-Siberian railway that connected the town with European Russia.

3The four-century history of Tyumen is extremely interesting and instructive; it reflects the fate of Russia. Siberian architecture was strict and simple. About 70 buildings are registered as historical monuments; many of them are decorated with unique wood engraving. The first stone building in Tyumen was Troitsky (Trinity) Monastery erected by the decree of Peter the Great. Znamensky Cathedral is embodiment of Siberian Baroque style. It is still one of the most beautiful and famous churches in Russia. At the end of the 19th century the axis of the town was built up with two-storied brick houses. Many of them still exist in central streets and give us the idea of a typical merchants’ town.

4A great number of higher educational establishments in Tyumen makes it possible to supply all branches of Regional economy with qualified and educated specialists. The town has three universities, different colleges, Agricultural, Medical, Military Academies, the Institute of Law, the International Institute of Economies and Law, the Institute of Culture and Art. Tyumen State University is the largest in the Region. Its graduates work in diverse branches of economy in our country and abroad.

5The citizens of Tyumen are proud of their town and its history. The best way to see the town is to start with Historic Square. It’s a historic place because the Regional Museum of Local Studies is situated here. This museum has a rich collection of minerals, flora and fauna of the Tyumen Region. There is a war memorial with the Eternal Flame nearby. The Masharov Mansion Museum is located not far from the Square. There are many libraries, theatres, five magnificent Houses of Culture. Tyumen has the splendid House of National Cultures, situated on the picturesque banks of the Tura River. Our Puppet Theatre is popular all over Russia. The Drama Theatre and the reconstructed Concert Hall, named after Yuri Gulyaev, are in

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the centre of the city. Tyumen Concert Hall holds annual musical festivals in honour of our citizen, Alexander Alyabyev. Many famous singers and musicians have their concert-tours in Tyumen making cultural entertainment a real holiday for the people. Tyumen has a unique collection of masterpieces in its Picture Gallery. Many permanent exhibitions of Siberian national arts and skills attract tourists’ attention nowadays. There are numerous modern and reconstructed buildings and squares in Tyumen. They are: the International Trade Centre, large department stores and pedestrian boulevard in the very centre of the city. The names of many places in Tyumen eternize the memory of merchant Andrey Tekutyev who built a hospital, a theatre, a library, a church and many other things for the town.

6 The permanent multinational population of Tyumen is over 500 thousand. They work and live hand-in-hand with respect to their mutual historical and national traditions. Most of the Tyumen streets in the historical centre are narrow. Tyumen is a city of banks and supermarkets, a city of crowded streets with traffic jams, a city of students, a city of beautiful flowers in summer and enchanting illumination in winter. The whole city is under construction: old buildings are being restored and many new ones are being built. The citizens like the Sweethearts’ footbridge, new boulevard with fountains and small charming sculptures. Tyumen is both ancient and young, it confidently faces the future.

5.3Combine the words in A and B to form phrases:

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5.4Fill in the correct adjectives (a, b or c):

5.5Say what are the best and the worst things about living in the city. Use the following word-combinations:

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5.6Make a list of advantages and disadvantages of living in Tyumen.

Give two columns. Use the following adjectives:

historic, noisy, crowded, fashionable, pleasant, enormous, elegant, picturesque, modern, crooked, expensive, cheap, striking, shabby, dangerous, attractive, smart, memorable, broad, clean, narrow, ugly, terrible, terrific, busy, colourful, colourless, unforgettable, spectacular, old, famous, successful, industrial, dirty, bad, beautiful, small, excellent.

5.7Say what features and facilities Tyumen has and hasn’t got.

Model: It has got a cathedral, but it has not got the Opera House.

5.8Complete the dialogues in a suitable way. Fill in the gaps with the

following words and word-combinations:

nightlife, wide range, commuters, cultural activities, cope, whatever (or anything), opportunities, cosmopolitan.

1A: The town is full of people from different countries and cultures.

B:Yes, it’s very…...

2A: There are cinemas, theatres, museums, art galleries and everything.

B:Yes, I know, there are lots of…...

3A: There is a …... of shops.

B:Oh yes, you can buy ..…. you want.

4A: There is plenty to do in the evening.

B:Yes, the …... is great.

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5A: There is a better chance of finding work.

B:Yes, there are more job …..

6A: The transport system has to ..… with the people who live in the country but work in town.

B:Yes, I know, there are too many ….

5.9Read the statements about the text. Are they true or false?

1 Due to its advantageous geographical location Tyumen developed rather quickly.

2 Modern Tyumen is a place of exile.

3 Tyumen is a gate to Siberia.

4 Tyumen is located on the right bank of the Tura River.

5 Nowadays Tyumen is a modern city, the centre of a large oil and gasproducing province.

6 There are three theatres in Tyumen: the Puppet Theatre, the Drama Theatre, the Comedy Theatre.

7 The best way to see the historic sights of Tyumen is to start with the monument to V. Lenin.

8 Many industrial enterprises are located in the suburbs of Tyumen. 9 Tyumen is an ancient town, more than five hundred years old.

10 The permanent population of Tyumen is 600 thousand.

11 The street traffic in Tyumen is not heavy.

5.10Complete the following sentences:

1 Tyumen, the first Russian town in Siberia, was founded….. 2 It was a good idea to locate a fortified town…..

3 In 1944 the city became the…..

4 Nowadays Tyumen is…..

5 The industrial development of Tyumen began…..

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6 The town has…..

7 Tyumen is a city of…..

8 The best way to see the town is…..

9 Tyumen is famous for…..

10 The citizens are proud of…..

5.11Translate the following sentences into English:

1 Тюмень – это первый сибирский город.

2 Тюмень расположена на живописном берегу реки Туры.

3 Сейчас Тюмень – современный город, столица нефтегазодобывающего

(oil-and-gas-bearing) региона.

4 В настоящие дни Тюмень – это город с высокоразвитой промышленностью.

5 В Тюмени находится большое количество высших учебных заведений. 6 Выпускники вузов работают в различных отраслях экономики нашей

страны и за рубежом.

7 Жители Тюмени гордятся историей своего города.

8 Тюмень – культурный центр региона.

9 В Тюмени много библиотек, театров, музеев и новых красивых зданий.

5.12Answer the following questions:

1 When was Tyumen founded? How old is it now? 2 Where is Tyumen situated?

3 Why was this place chosen by voivodes Sukin and Myasnoy? 4 When did Tyumen become the capital of the Region?

5 Why did Tyumen begin to develop?

6 What is the historic centre of the city?

7 What higher educational establishments do you know in Tyumen? 8 Can you name all famous places of interest in Tyumen?

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