I. Listen and read the text and answer the questions after it:
OUR TOWN
I live in
Rubtsovsk. It is situated in the South-West of Altai Region, standing on the
left bank of the Alei River. Out of 12 cities and towns of Altai Region
Rubtsovsk ranks third in terms of population and area occuped with 150 thousand
people and 72 sq. km. One can reach Rubtsovsk by rail or by road. It has a
convenient railhead with the republics of Central Asia and Barnaul. A motorable
road also connects it with Kazakhstan and Barnaul. So one can travel by car or
use a regular bus service as well.
Agriculture is
widespread in Altai Region. Until the 1990s, inhabitants of Rubtsovsk were
engaged primarily in agricultural machine building and the industrial age
seemed to never end in this town. The plants and factories were busy producing
farming tractors, ploughs, harrows, tractor electrical equipment and spare
parts. A wide range of products was exported to over 30 countries. Such
brandnames as "ATZ”, "ASM”, "AZTE” and "RZZ” were familiar to anyone dealing
with agriculture. The town possessed a well-developed infrastructure,
especially in the area of agricultural engineering.
However, things
upside down during the destructive restructuring that led to a marked economic
decline when a good many enterprises of the town collapsed or shrank beyond
recognition.
Nevertheless, the
town has managed to with stand troubles. Plants producing flour, milk and meat
products were expanded and updated. Moreover, new plants (Altaivagon, Rudnik)
were opened and / or rebuilt.
New trends in the
life of Rubtsovsk are a common sight. New shops are mushrooming. Small and
medium business is developing rapidly. About 30% of the entire workforce is
employed in this sector. Success in any society is determined first os all by
what happens in education. Rubtsovsk has a lot of educational establishments to
provide for good education. They include secondary schools, three vocational
schools, four colleges and three institutions of higher learning – the
Rubtsovsk Industrial Institute is the oldest and the most renowned one. It
celebrated its 60th anniversary in 2006.
There is no
denying that culture is important in all times. Cultural activities in the town
take place in the Drama Theatre, the Palace of Culture and libraries. The Art
Gallery and the Museum of local lore, history and economy hold annual
exhibitions devoted to remarkable dates and events.
In different
corners of the town we can see monuments that remind us of great heroic deeds
of our citizens – the monument to the Heroes of the Great Patriotic War, to the
Soldiers killed in Afghanistan and Chechnya.
The architecture
of Rubtsovsk is not so much impressive. The whole image of the town is formed
by Soviet – era buildings, though a few modern buildings have been added
recently. They include the State bank building, the Railway station building,
the Trading centre building and the Sport and Recreation Complex building,
which was presented to mark the 80th anniversary of the town. It is
intended to be used for recreation and sports by all our citizens.
In daytime the
traffic is heavy in two busy streets – Lenin Avenue and Komsomolskaya. The main
square in the town is Lenin Square, where crowds of young people get together
for festivities and celebrations. On weekends they simply stroll up and down
the square. I love my native town. I see my town change to meet new challenges.
I want my town to grow and to flourish. I wish it to be a sweet home to all of
us.
1.
Where is Rubtsovsk situated?
2.
How does Rubtsovsk rank among other cities and towns
of Altai Region?
3.
How can one reach Rubtsovsk?
4.
What kind of industry was dominant in Rubtsovsk
until the 1990s?
5.
What did plants and factories produce before?
6.
What industry prevails in our town now?
7.
What food products are manufactured now?
8.
What can you say about small and medium business?
9.
What educational institutions can be found in our
town?
10.
How is culture presented in the town?
11.
What can you say about the architecture of the town?
12.
What is the main square in the town?
13.
What do you think about the town?
14.
What do you know about the history of our town?
15.
Who founded Rubtsovsk?
16.
When was Rubtsovsk founded?
17.
What id the population of the town?
18.
How is Rubtsovsk run?
19.
What future awaits Rubtsovsk?
