Text 2 kaluga and tsiolkovsky

Exercise 1. Read the following text and say: 1) why the name of Kaluga is associated with Tsiolkovsky

2) what places in Kaluga are connected with his name.

Some places of interest in Kaluga are connected with the name of K.E.Tsiolkovsky. He lived and worked in Kaluga since 1892. In 1936 the house where he had been worked for almost 30 years became a memorial house-museum.

Then there is a monument to him in Peace Square.

The park where he was buried in 1935 is called Tsiolkovsky Park (before it the park was called Zagorodny Sad). There is his tomb and a memorial here.

The schools number 9 and 6 where he taught physics, some other buildings where the scientist lectured have memorial plates on. Kaluga State Pedagogical University bears the name of Tsiolkovsky.

In 1967 the Tsiolkovsky Museum of History of Space Exploration was opened in Kaluga and the first stone of this building was laid by Yuri Gagarn.

There is also a memorial-house of Tsiolkovsky in Borovsk where he had lived before he came to Kaluga.

Text 3

Exercise 1. Look through the list of the words and say what the following text is about.

a defender – защитник

raids of nomads – набеги кочевников

invasion – вторжение, захват

examples of courage – примеры храбрости

yoke – иго

bloody fights – кровавые сражения

wounds – раны

liberation – освобождение

fascists concentration camps – фашистские концентрационные лагеря

Exercise 2. Read the text and give your own title to it.

The history of Kaluga dates back to the 14^th century. Kaluga was founded as a fortress in 1371. Since that time the land of Kaluga had been a defender of Russian lands. For several centuries it had defended the Moscow State’s borders from the raids of nomads, Tatar-Mongolian Horde, Polish-Lithuanian invaders, Napoleon’s army and German fascists.

Truthful sons of the Motherland showed examples of courage and spirit fortitude over not so large territory of the land. In 1238 Kozelsk was called “an angry town” for a long-term defense of the town. In 1480 the Horde yoke having been lasting for 300 years finished on the banks of the Ugra River. In 1606-1607 Kaluga was the centre of the peasant uprising headed by Ivan Bolotnikov. In 1610 citizens of Borovsk together with prince Volkonsky defended the Russian land against Polish invaders.

In the war of 1812 Kaluga played an important role. It was the main supply base of the Russian army. In the village of Tarutino the Russian army “saved Russia and Europe”. In October 1812 French soldiers were defeated in the battle at Maloyaroslavets.

In 1941 thousands of soldiers defended their Motherland at the approaches of Moscow. Bloody fights with fascist invaders were taking place on this land till September of 1943. The most important battles were at the Ilyinsky Defense Lines, on the Zaitsev Hill, near Kremyonky, on the Unknown Hill. The song “On the Unknown Hill” is devoted to this very episode of the war.

Kaluga region is the birthplace of many heroes. Among them we can’t help mentioning the name of G.K.Zhukov.

Time cured the war wounds, but it cannot reign over man’s memory. Honourable history of the foregoing generations is kept and passed to the new ones in created memorial complexes, museums and monuments. One can see them on the bank of the Ugra in memory of the Great Standing, near Tarutino, Maloyaroslavets, the settlement Ilyinskoye, Rubezhenka. One can visit museums in Maloyaroslavets, Lyudinovo (the museum devoted to young partisans), Zhukovo.

One can see monuments of the war in Kaluga. They are: the monuments to the liberation of Kaluga, the monument to Victory with the Eternal Flame and the memorial in Victory Square devoted to those who were in fascist concentration camps, to Tankmen, to a Medical Nurse, the Square of Marshal Zhukov, Karpov square, the memorial in the city cemetery.

The memorial connecting the Patriotic War and the Great Patriotic War is situated in Moskovskaya Street.

The memorial devoted to people who fought in Afghanistan and other “hot points” is not far from Victory square.

The memorial complex devoted to the history of Kaluga was opened in 1978. It is at the entrance of the city in Gagarin Street.

Exercise 3. Choose the correct variant of the ending of each sentence.

1) The history of Kaluga dates back to …

a) the 13^th century b) the 14^th century c) the 15^th century

2) Kaluga was the defender of Motherland…

a) during the Patriotic and Great Patriotic Wars

b) in the whole course of its history

c) during Polish-Lithuanian invasion

3) In 1238 Kozelsk was called “an angry town” because …

a) there were a lot of angry people there

b) the Horde yoke finished here

c) of the long and heroic defense of this town

4) Russian army “saved Russia”…

a) near Tarutino b) near Borodino c) near Maloyarolsavets

5) One of the memorial places in Kaluga region connected with the Great Patriotic war is associated with …

a) a poem b) a novel c) a song

6) In Moskovskaya street we can find a monument devoted to …

a) the liberation of Kaluga b) the heroes of Patriotic war c) two Patriotic Wars

7) The memorial devoted to people who … is not far from Victory Square.

a) fought in Afghanistan b) fought in Afghanistan and Chechnya

c) fought in different so-called “hot points”

Exercise 4. Find in the text the passages where it is told about the Great Patriotic war and memorials devoted to it, read them and translate.