Russian / German High-Speed Pact

In April 2005, Russian Railways (RZD) and Siemens signed a contract in Hanover, Germany to develop 300km/h trains for operation in Russia. The contract covers the development and configuration of the trains, and the part Russian companies will play in their manufacture, as the trains will be produced mainly in Russia.

A contract to deliver up to 60 high-speed trains to RZD is expected to be worth 1.5 billion. The first train should be completed in 2007 and in operation in 2008 with a journey time between Moscow and St Petersburg (670km) of 2h 49min. The trains will also operate between Moscow and the Finnish capital, Helsinki, and could also operate between Moscow and Nizhhy Novgorod, and Omsk and Novosibirsk.

Moscow and St Petersburg have a total population of 25 million, accounting for 18% of the Russian population. RZD will invest roubles 14.8 billion (US 532 million) to modernize the Moscow–St Petersburg line by 2007. The estimated total net profit from the project is roubles 100 billion in 30 years. Estimated payback period is nine years.

Conversational practice

Exercise 34 Match a line in A with a line in B. Compose your own dialogue with the expressions in italics.

A

a Could I use your phone for a moment?

b What film would you like to see tonight?

c Everyone says you’re mad. Did you know that?

d I’ll give you ₤6,000 for your car. That’s my final offer.

e When he told me he’d smashed my car, I was furious!

f Oh, no! The photocopier’s jammed again!

g Can we meet next Thursday?

h Bye! I’m off now!

B

1 Let me see. Yes, I can make the morning.

2 Has it? Let me have a look. I’ll try and fix it.

3 Hang on a sec. Where are you going?

4 I don’t care what other people think. That’s their problem, not mine.

5 I don’t mind. Whatever you want.

6 By all means. Help yourself.

7 I bet you were. I’d have hit him.

8 It’s a deal! It’s yours!

Word building

Conversion (Конверсія) house, n – дім, будівля Modern houses are comfortable. house, v – розміщуватись, вміщатися The building houses a library and a reading hall.

Exercise 35 Translate the following sentences.

1. The telephone is the invention of the 19^th century. 2. Sam didn’t telephone me yesterday. 3. Nelly’s visit has come to an end. 4. Why don’t you visit her? 5. The city was in ruins. 6. That fact ruined John’s career. 7. Have you got many mistakes in your test? 8. You have mistaken me for somebody else. 9. I don’t know this girl’s name. 10. The boy was named after his grandfather. 11. Pete wants to pilot modern airplanes. 12. He wants to become a pilot. 13. He was the last to come. 14. The process of calculation can last several hours. 15. You are to present the results of your research in a week. 16. The nature and properties of a compound depend on the number and kind of atoms present. 17. At present most high-speed trains operate on distributed power.

Exercise 36 Complete the following sentences, using the correct form of: place, placed, cut(2), heat(2), shape, shaped, concrete, concreted, deal, deals with.

1. ... has become an important construction material. 2. The large hole was ... over. 3. He carefully studied ... of the stones. 4. Clay is easily ... . 5. There is no need to ... the substance. 6. I’m suffering from the ... . 7. The region is ... into two parts by the river. 8. A great ... of attention is paid to the study of the fundamentals of physics. 9. The article ... the investigations and achievements of world science in the field of radioactivity. 10. There was a deep ... on his hand. 11. We couldn’t find a dry ... anywhere. 12. Why have they ... the bridge here?