The Far East: people and culture

11

Being a man of principle Gennadyi I.Nevelskoi made many critical remarks in his reports concerning the work of the government officials responsible for the exploration of the Far East. They could not forgive it. Gennadyi I. Nevelskoi was recalled to St.Petersburg where he was appointed a member of the scientific department of the Marine Technical Committee.

In 1874 Gennadyi I.Nevelskoi was promoted to admiral. He died on

April 27, 1876. His book “PriAmurskyi and Priussuriiskyi Regions” was published by his wife after his death.

A.P.Chekhov used the following words to describe Gennadyi I.Nevelskoi:

“He was an energetic, vigorous man. He was educated, intelligent, humane and selfless. He had strict morals. He was imbued with the idea of serving his country and exploring new lands and was fanatically devoted to it”.

The deeds of Gennadyi Ivanovich Nevelskoi are not forgotten. He was an ardent patriot whose faithful service was devoted to his Motherland.

Eight geographical places have the name of Gennadyi Ivanovich Nevelskoi. In 1965 the Vladivostok Higher Engineer Marine College was renamed the Far Eastern Higher Engineer Marine College named after Admiral Gennadyi Ivanovich Nevelskoi.

Assignments from the text “Gennadyi Ivanovich Nevelskoi”

I.Write down and translate the words in bold type. Check their pronunciation in the dictionary.

II.Find in the text English equivalents for the following words and wordcombinations:

-бдительность

-гуманный

-самоотверженный

-темпераментный человек

-выйти в отставку в чине лейтенанта

12

-подготовить к поступлению

-закончить Морской Кадетский Корпус

-служить под командованием контр-адмирала

-избежать наказания

-простить несанкционированные действия

-быть сопряженным с неимоверными лишениями

-присвоить звание

-отозвать в Санкт-Петербург

-проникнутый идеей

-быть преданным Родине

III. Say in one word:

-favour shown to one person or thing rather than another

-a strong desire or ambition

-having ability (especially practical), able, competent

-having read many books, and therefore having gained a lot of knowledge

-to perform duties for a company, organization, the armed forces

-ready to face and endure danger, pain or suffering; having no fear

-to be at the front or top of something

-suffering caused usually by a lack of money or basic necessities

-the ability to control fear facing danger, pain, opposition

-to choose somebody for a job or position of responsibility

-an achievement needing skill, strength or courage

-having the job or duty of doing something or caring for somebody/something, so that one may be blamed if something goes wrong

-to stop being angry or bitter towards somebody or about something; to stop blaming or wanting to punish somebody

-strong, active and full of energy

13

-having or showing sympathy, kindness and understanding

-the quality or state of being watchful and alert to danger or trouble

IV. Explain in English the meaning of the following words:

to graduate, to explore, to head, to forgive, to promote, zeal, hardship, feat, vigilance, courage, patriot, noble, capable, considerate, responsible

V. Make questions from the text.

VI. Retell the text.

VII. Translate into English:

1.Его голос был проникнут ненавистью.

2.Он хочет пойти по стопам отца и стать врачом.

3.Он проявил себя преданным другом.

4.У Майкла музыкальное образование.

5.Этот журналист очень нетерпелив. Он не любит обращаться за разрешением к главному редактору. Он часто действует без его одобрения.

6.Джеймс очень энергичен. Он создан быть лидером.

7.Ему присвоили звание сержанта.

8.Мистер Джонсон назначен нашим новым главным редактором.

9.Его работа связана с большим риском.

10.Она ленива и ненадежна. Она не подходит для этой должности.

11.Он не поощряет ее стремление к музыке.

12.Скудные ресурсы не позволяют нам отправиться в путешествие.

13.Он – офицер. Бдительность – часть его профессии.

14.Уборка комнат входит в ее обязанности.

15.Она предана своим детям.

14

TEXT 3.

EROPHEY KHABAROV

At the beginning of the 17th century the Russians took interest in the lands of Eastern Siberia. The expeditions of Perphilyev, Skorokhodov and Poyarkov began the process of discovering areas farther eastwards from the Urals. Indigenous people of these lands were taken under the Moscow Tsar's protection in return for some kind of contribution (mostly furs).

Erophey Pavlovich Khabarov was born some time between 1605-1607 in the village of Dmitrievo of Vologodskaya Gubernya. His father was a fisherman and peasant – so called "pomor". In 1628 Khabarov with his brother went to the Taimyr Peninsula and hunted there. At that time the fur industry was lucrative so the brothers prospered. The “voevode” of Yakutsk noticed the very energetic and quick-minded Erophey and appointed him a Tsar's official in Taimyr. Khabarov was in charge of gathering “contributions”, such as furs, supplies of goods etc.

As well as fur, salt was very valuable. In 1641, Erophey moved to the mouth of the Kuta River. Khabarov discovered salt deposits. He was the first to farm that land. He owned salterns and arable fields and sold salt and wheat in Yakutsk at a great profit. But voevode Golovin grudged Khabarov's wealth. Golovin told him to pay 1/5 instead of the usual tax of 1/10. Khabarov refused and the voevode took away his house and salterns.

After that Erophey Khabarov moved to the mouth of the Kirenga River. There he ploughed even more land and built a mill. But the same voevode confiscated 48 tons of corn, tortured him and sent him to prison for two and a half years.

When Khabarov was set free in 1648 there was a new voevode – Frantsibekov. After the first expeditions to the east, rumours about riches of Dauria spread and Khabarov turned to Frantsibekov for support of an expedition. And Frantsibekov helped. The voevode entrusted him with

15

government military equipment and arms including several cannons, ploughs and some of his own money and two ships and corn which Frantsibekov had taken away from some merchants. Those who agreed to go to an unknown land without payment from the state were welcomed. 70 courageous explorers were recruited. Their mission was to take new lands and new peoples under the reign of Moscow Tsar and do it without violence. For the voevode, the success of such an expedition meant a chance to rise to the top and get some profit from that expedition.

In 1649 Khabarov and his companions left Yakutsk for new lands. It took them about a year to sail the Lena, the Olyokma and to cross the Stanovoy Range. In January of 1650 the party reached the the banks of the Amur. This land was called Dauria. The Daur people lived in towns and ploughed nearby fields. Dauria was raided by the Manchgures of the Tsin Empire. When the dwellers of the town of Prince Lavkay saw approaching strangers they left the town. They didn't expect anything good from strangers.

Khabarov left 50 of his companions with supplies of food in Lavkay's town. He returned to Yakutsk in the spring of 1650. Erophey spoke a lot about the richness of the Amur – the furs, fish, game and even silver and gold. That inspired many people to go to the magnificient region with him. He assembled 160 volunteers.

They wintered at Lake Bolon and went down the Amur, where they conquered the Albazin Fortress and the town of Prince Gaygudar. Thus Khabarov's troop took control over Dauria. He was able to send 166 sable skins to Yakutsk.

Then the party reached the land of the Nanai and it was also taken under the rule of the Russian Tsar. Explorers founded the Achan fortress – the first Russian settlement in the Amur River valley. Remains of the fortress were found 3 km from Troitskoye.

16

In 1652 Khabarov and his companions settled in Achan and gathered contribution from aborigines. They had to repel the attack of a thousand strong Manchurian army. When Khabarov learned that a new Manchurian army, six thousand men strong, was approaching he ordered to recede. But 132 rebels on 3 ships left the party and settled at the source of the Amur. They raided nearby tribes and took contributions for themselves. Khabarov wasn't a man to accept his inferiors' disobedience. He appeared a month later at the walls of the rebels' fortress and opened fire. At first he promised to spare their lives and take the fortress in return of their surrender. But when the rebels surrendered, Khabarov confiscated the contribution they had gathered and ordered the rebels to be severely whipped. Some of them died from the whipping.

By August of 1653 a very important Tsar's official arrived in the Amur River valley. Zinovyev brought rewards – gold and silver – for all participants of the expedition. Zinovyev said he had been appointed the voevode of the newly-discovered region and had authority to oversee Khabarov. Khabarov asked to see the documents that verified it. But Zinovyev got very angry and arrested him. Some complaints about Khabarov's cruelty were lodged, thus Erophey Khabarov was sent to Moscow for an investigation of his activity.

At the “Siberia” Department his case was evaluated and Khabarov was soon discharged. He, too, reported to the Tsar about unfair accusations that had been made about him, beginning with voevode Golovin's roistering. He was compensated by being given land in the Irkutskaya Gubernia and the title of Boyarin in 1654.

In 1667 he applied to the Tsar to let him go to the Amur. He wanted to live there and continue his job, but he was refused. In 1671 Erophey Khabarov died in his village of Khabarovka.

Nowadays the city of Khabarovsk and station Khabarovka of the TransSiberian Railroad are named after this great explorer.

17

Assignments from the text "Erophey Khabarov" I. Translate and transcribe the given words:

II. Give English equivalents from the text:

IV. Translate into English using the vocabulary from the text:

1.Экспедиция перевалила горную цепь и проплыла по реке от истоков до устья. По пути они обнаружили залежи серебра.

2.Они получили большую выгоду от этого предприятия. Почему же они отказываются заплатить обычный налог 1/7 от прибыли?

3.В музее мы посмотрели выставку старинных пушек. В те времена людям приходилось отражать атаки врагов с помощью этих небольших орудий.

4.Она выехала из Хабаровска во Владивосток вчера вечером. Она смогла добраться до Владивостока за 7 часов.

5.Кто-то украл все соболиные шкурки из магазина.

6.Не завидуй ему. Он усердно работает и поэтому преуспевает.

7.Кого назначили новым директором школы будущих космонавтов?

8.Мы отвечаем за сортировку фруктов. А ваше задание – варить варенье.

9.Вы можете обращаться ко мне за помощью в любое время.

10.Что вдохновляет всех этих добровольцев помогать в больнице бесплатно?

19

11.Крепость Ачан была первым русским поселением на Амуре.

12.Я не такой человек, который будет терпеть вашу грубость.

13.И что же подтверждает ваши большие полномочия?

14.Она обратилась к начальнику с просьбой разрешить ей взять трехнедельный отпуск.

15.Многие станции Транс-Сибирской магистрали были названы в честь

известных людей.

V.Divide the text into several parts, title them and make up questions of all types from each part.

20

NATURE

TEXT 4.

FAR EAST OF RUSSIA

Russia is often thought of as a European country, but it is just as much an Asian one, with centuries of experience in perhaps the most strategically important area of the world. The Far East Region is most commonly considered as the pacific edge of the continent of Asia.

Most people outside this country are not exactly sure what territory it includes. Geographers divide Asian Russia into Western Siberia (from the Ural mountains to the Enisey river), Eastern Siberia, (from the Enisey to the coastal foothills), and the Russian Far East (the Pacific coastal region from the Bering Strait to the Maritime Territory). All of this territory is within the Russian Federation. The Russian Far East in its turn consists of a number of territories: the Khabarovsk and Maritime Territories, the Republic of Sakha, Kamchatka, Sakhalin and the Amur Regions.

For visitors, the main experience of all this size and beauty has been unending views of taiga forest. The Khabarovsk Territory extends along the shores of the Sea of Okhotsk and the Sea of Japan. It lies in the continental climatic zone and is characterized by winter and summer monsoons. The continental climate is peculiar for its humidity in summer and strong winds in winter but not as fearsome as one might imagine.

All territory, in elevation interval from 0 to 900 m above sea level, belongs to the temperate zone with an annual temperature range of –30 to +400C and the average amount of precipitation is 70 - 90 cm. The zonal vegetation is mixed broad-leaved Korean pine forests, with complicated structure and rich species composition, dominated by Korean Pine, Mongolian Oak, ashes, birches, lindens, maples and walnuts etc. Wide river valleys are usually dominated by elm-ash-poplar forests. At the elevation of 800-900 m,