2.5. Summarize the text.

Topic 3. The City of Orel

3.1. Read and translate the text:

Orel is an ancient Russian town, one of the regional centres of the Russian Federation. Orel is located in the central part of the Middle Russian Hills on the bank of the Oka River, at the place where Oka’s tributary, the Orlik River, falls into it. It is in the centre of the European part of Russia. The city of Orel lies 382 km south of Moscow. Orel is more than 445 years old. Its population is now about 316,000. Before our city was a small provincial town.

Orel was founded in 1566 on the order of Tsar Ivan the Terrible as an outpost to protect the southern borders of the Russian State. During over four centuries of its existence Orel witnessed many historical events and figured in quite a few of them.

In the 17th century the army of Ivan Bolotnikov, the leader of the peasant revolt, passed through the town. The troops of the False Demetrius were stationed there, and in 1615 the Russian forces, led by Dmitry Pozharsky, routed the hordes of the Polish invaders at Orel. During the Civil War in Russia (1918 – 1922) Denikin’s troops were routed on the fields around Orel.

The great battle on the Orel-Kursk front has gone into the chronicle of the Great Patriotic War of the Soviet Union against the fascist Germany. Orel was occupied by the Nazi invaders from the 3rd of October, 1941 till the 5th of August, 1943. During the war the town was badly damaged. Only a few buildings remained intact. On the 5th of August, 1943 Orel was liberated by the Soviet Army. On that day a red flag was hoisted on one of the few multistoried buildings which remained intact (now it is 5, Peace Square) to mark the liberation of Orel from the Nazi invaders. Work to rebuild the town began immediately after its liberation.

The first artillery salute in the history of the Great Patriotic War (1941 – 1945) was fired in Moscow on the 5th of August, 1943, in honour of the victory at Orel and Belgorod. Many heroic events in the Second World War are connected with the town. The brave French pilots of the legendary air squadron named «Normandy-Neman» were fighting here against the German fascists shoulder to shoulder with the Russians. One of the streets in Orel is named «Normandy-Neman» after those Heroes.

There are many joint-stock companies, sole proprietors, partnerships, private firms and other organizations in the city of Orel.

Moskovskaya Street is one of the busiest streets in Orel.

The city of Orel has gone down in the history of Russian literature primarily as the birthplace of the great writer Ivan Sergeevich Turgenev. In the old part of the city is the Turgenev literary museum. On November 4, 1968 – the eve of the 150th anniversary of Turgenev’ birth – a monument to the Great Russian writer, the first in Russia, was erected on the high bank of the Oka River.

Orel is famous for its literary traditions. Interlinked with the city is the life and creative work of many wonderful Russian writers and poets such as Nikolai Leskov and Leonid Andreyev, Ivan Bunin (the first Nobel Prize Winner among the Russian writers) and Mikhail Prishvin, Fyodor Tyutchev and Afanasy Fet, etc.

Among points of interest in the city are the Turgenev Literary Museum, the Leskov House-Museum, the Museum of writers born in the Orel region, the Museum of Fine Arts, the Museum of Regional Studies, the House-Museum of N.A. Rusanov, one of the Russian polar explorers. The academic theatre named after Turgenev is one of the oldest theatres in Russia. It was founded on the 8th of October, 1815.

The Technological Institute of our University got the name of N. N. Polikarpov, an outstanding Soviet (Russian) aircraft designer. There is a square near the building of the Technological Institute where is a monument to N. N. Polikarpov.

Now there are some higher schools and colleges in our city, for example Orel State University, State University – Education, Science and Production Complex, Agrarian University, Institute of Arts and Culture.

The most popular kinds of sports in Orel are skiing, skating, cycle racing, gliding, football, acrobatics, horse racing and touring.

Orel is a very green city and there are many forests around it. Our city has the proud name «Orel» that means «eagle» in English.

Topical Vocabulary

1) ancient древний

2) to be founded быть основанным

3) on the order по указу

4) Tsar Ivan the Terrible царь Иван Грозный

5) outpost аванпост, сторожевая застава

6) fortress кpепость

7) borders границы

8) to protect защищать

9) to witness быть свидетелем

10) to figure in участвовать в

11) the leader of peasant revolt вождь крестьянского восстания

12) Russian forces русские вооруженные отряды

13) to route разбить (войска)

14) hordes of invaders орды завоевателей

15) troops войска

16) to go into the chronicle of войти в летопись

17) to hoist водружать (знамя, флаг)

18) intact целый, неповреждённый (о доме)

19) in honour of в честь

20) to be interlinked with быть связанным с (о событиях)

21) fine arts изобразительные искусства

22) college колледж

23) museum of regional studies краеведческий музей

24) cycle racing велосипедный спорт

25) gliding планерный спорт

26) horse racing бега

27) touring туризм

28) ice hockey хоккей на льду

29) to be fond of любить, увлекаться (например, спортом)

30) sole proprietor единоличное предприятие

31) partnership товарищество, партнерство (фирма,

которой владеют и управляют

два лица или более)