2. Listen to the text. Try to understand what it is about. Read the text and then answer the questions after it. Say what new information you have learnt and what you are familiar with. Rivne.

Rivne Region is situated in the north-west of Ukraine. The area is 20.1 thousand sq.km. 624 deposits of minerals, in particular basalt, amber, building and facing stone, chalk, kaolin, feldspar, peat, tuf and sands can be found in Rivne Region. Sources of mineral water can be found in Ostroh, Spepan’, Korets and Zhobryn (Chervona Kalyna).

Rivne is the administrative, economic, educational and cultural centre of the region. It is located in the Western Ukraine on the banks of the Ustye river, a tributary to the Goryn river. The population of Rivne is about 300 thousand residents.

Rivne was first mentioned in manuscripts dating back to 1283. During the centuries Rivne was often destroyed by invaders and burned; that's why there are only a few ancient architectural monuments there. Among them of attention is a building of a former gymnasium, where from 1866 to 1874, an outstanding writer, V.G.Korolenko studied. Today the building houses the regional museum. The heroic past of our city is described in numerous books. It was here, in Rivne region, in the village of Pliasheva, near Berestechko, that the Cossack regiments, led by B.Khmelnitsky, M.Kryvonis, t.Bogun and D.Nechaj battled the enemy during the liberation war of 1648-54, being waged by the Ukrainian people against Polish domination. A magnificent monument to the heroes of Berestechko was unveiled on June 16, 1991.

Rivne is associated with the names of many prominent people – writers, scholars, statesmen, military leaders, who lived or stayed here in different times. Leonid Kravchuk, the first president of independent Ukraine (1991-1994), was born in the village of Velyky Zhytyn, not far from Rivne.

In 1846 Rivne was visited by T.Shevchenko, who was touring the land as a member of Kyiv Archeographic Committee. The town was visited by the great Ukrainian poetess Lesya Ukrainka. In above mentioned Rivne gymnasium, where Korolenko studied, history was taught by M.Kostomarov, Ukrainian historian, ethnographer and writer. A.Kuprin, V.Dokuchayev – these and many other prominent people are connected with Rivne. Rivne Region gave us the Peresopnytsia Gospal, the Ostroh Bible, Grammar by Melentij Smotrytskyi and Ostroh edition of “ABC book” by Ivan Fedorov.

The city has a lot of historical places and monuments, associated with the period of the Civil War and Great Patriotic War of 1941-45. In the city park there is the grave of the Hero of the Civil War Oleko Dundich. The monument to the victims of fascism towers over Byla street. Rivne wrote unfading pages into the history of partisan movement in Ukraine. The feat of our soldiers is immortalized in the Monument on the Victory Square. N. Prikhodko, P.Mirjushchenko Streets are named in the honor of war heroes.

Nowadays the streets of the city bear the names of outstanding and prominent people, such as prince K.Ostrozky, who founded Ostroh Academy; famous Ukrainian historians M.Hrushevsky, M.Dragomanov, M.Kostomarov; world known Ukrainian and foreign writers and poets: T.Shevchenko, I.Franko, L.Ukrainka, M.Kotsyubynsky, A.Pushkin, W.Shakespeare; world famous composers M.Lysenko and P.Tchaikovsky, opera singer S.Krushelnytska, Ukrainian artists Nill Khasevich; the heroes of the national liberation movement and Ukrainian rebellion army R.Shukhevich, C.Savur, S.Bandera and others.

Today Rivne is a developing industrial centre, whose output is known not only in Ukraine, but in many countries abroad. The industry of the region is represented by electricity production, mineral fertilizers, bonded fabric, woodwork, building materials, glass-ware, high-voltage equipment, high-precision instruments, furniture, consumer goods and broad assortment of foodstuff.

The city has general educational schools, lyceums, gymnasiums, technical schools, music and fine arts schools, a wide network of children’s day care centers. Today National University of Water Management and Nature Resources Use, National University of Ostroh Academy and Rivne State Humanitarian University annually admit thousands of young people eager to acquire knowledge. They are training skilled specialists for national economy, education and culture. Besides there appeared some private and commercial higher educational establishments in Rivne.

Rich and varied is the cultural life of our city. The residents of Rivne have the Regional Music and Drama Theatre, named after M.Ostrovsky, Puppet-show, the philharmonic society, movie-theatres, many libraries and numerous museums.

The city possesses a well developed network of health facilities: twelve hospitals, nine policlinics, the Regional Diagnostic and Treatment Centre.

Thousands of local residents go in for physical culture and sports. There is the Avangard stadium, housing twenty five thousand, the motor-cycle track, sport grounds and swimming pools.

The city is steadily and rapidly expanding its borders. New residential districts, where hundreds of families have moved into their new apartments, have grown up in the suburbs. At their disposal are stores, drug stores, cafes and other service establishments. Rivnenshchyna is actively developing tourism in all of its varieties, including green and cultural tourism.

Rivne is called a city of spring and flowers. The people have created the picturesque parks and fountains. The hospitable city welcomes its guests.