THE TRANS-SIBERIAN MAINLINE

. “The Great Siberian Track” is a well-known name in the history of the Russian State. It was given to the unique railway that connected the European part of the country with the Pacific Coast.

The history of railway construction in Russia started at the end of the 19^th century. Railway mainlines were laid down from the Western borders of the country to St. Petersburg and Moscow, from the center to the Volga region and from Ural to Central Asia. In 1892 the railway network in Russia had a total length of 32,000 km. That very year Samara – Zlatoust railway was built which later became a liaison between railways in the European part of Russia and the Trans-Siberian Mainline.

On March 15, 1891 Alexander III issued an imperial prescript addressed to future Emperor Nicholas II which stated: “I command to start constructing a railway across all Siberia to connect the Siberian region with the European part of Russia. I also entrust you with ground-breaking* of the Great Siberian Track in Vladivostok.”

Two projects of the future mainline were proposed – “the southern version” and “the northern version”. “The northern version” suggested by the Minister of Railways K.N. Posyet won. According to his project the railway was shorter by 400 km and was passing by the Siberian high road** and populated areas.

The building of the Great Siberian Track began in 1893. Construction rates were very fast despite the fact that the railroad went through swamps, thick taiga, crossed major rivers and huge mountains. In less than 15 years more than 8,600 km of track were laid down. At first 10,000 workers were involved in the construction. Later their number went up to 100,000. Job and living conditions were extremely tough. The main tools were spades, picks, axes, wheelbarrows and horse-drawn carts.

The building of the gigantic mainline was a heroic deed accomplished by Russian construction workers due to their tenacious efforts and courage. Some of Trans-Siberian stations bear their names – Rukhlovo, Vyazemskaya, Baranovsky, Snarsky, Adrinovka, etc. The Minister of Railways Vitte wrote: “The Great Siberian Railway breathed life into boundless Siberian lands.”

Notes: *ground-breaking – начало строительства (дороги)

**high road – тракт

Х. Укажите, какие из следующих утверждений соответствуют содержанию текста. Используйте фразы: It is right. It is wrong. Исправьте неверные утверждения.

1. The Trans-Siberian Mainline connects the Asian part of Russia with the Pacific Coast. 2. Alexander III commanded to start constructing the Great Siberian Track. 3. The first rail of the future Trans-Siberian Railway was laid down in Vladivostok. 4. The project of the Trans Siberian Mainline was proposed by the Minister of Railways Vitte. 5. The length of this railway is more than 5,000 km. 6. Foreign workers and engineers took part in the construction. 7. The track went through swamps and taiga. 8. The latest machines and mechanisms were used for the railway construction. 9. The construction lasted 15 years. 10. The Great Siberian Railway breathed life into boundless Siberian lands.

ВАРИАНТ 2

I. Перепишите и переведите предложения, обращая внимание на употребление времён группы Indefinite (Present, Past, Future) в действительном залоге. Выпишите сказуемые и укажите их видовременные формы.

1. The first steam locomotives were not strong and they often broke down. 2. The automatic train control facilitates the work of a locomotive driver and provides more reliable movement of a train. 3. In England train passengers seldom converse with their fellow-travelers even on long journey – this is more a national custom than a matter of etiquette. 4. The train will cover the distance from Moscow to St. Petersburg in 3 hours if it moves at a speed of 250 km/h. 5. Heavy snowstorms disorganized the movement of trains in this region.

II. Перепишите и переведите предложения, обращая внимание на употребление времён группы Indefinite (Present, Past, Future) в страдательном залоге. Выпишите сказуемые и укажите их видовременные формы.

1. About 60% of the Moscow – St. Petersburg railway line is equipped with an auto-block system, over one third is electrified and more than one fourth has two or three track lines. 2. At first coal gas was used as fuel for diesel engines. 3. The diesel locomotive is not connected to the contact wire, like the electric locomotive, so it is particularly suitable for shunting work. 4. Thanks to new cars with greater capacity the freight turnover will be increased. 5. Morse invented a code in which the letters of the alphabet were replaced by dots and dashes.