Использование региональных компонентов на уроках английского языка
методическая разработка по английскому языку (11 класс) на тему

ГБОУ СПО «Армавирский зооветеринарный техникум» КК

Учебное пособие

 «Использование регионального компонента на внеклассных мероприятиях по английскому языку»

Преподаватель Никитина Н. С.

Армавир

2012

Рассмотрено и утверждено на заседании

 Комиссии общих гуманитарных и

социально-экономических дисциплин

протокол №  9   от   17.05.2012г.

Председатель ПЦК                                                                        И.А. Кандалова

В пособии рассматриваются вопросы, касающиеся истории казачества, обычаях и традициях, защите окружающей среды, представлены интересные краеведческие моменты, которые расширяют знания об истории, культуре народов, проживающих на Кубани.

СОДЕРЖАНИЕ

1. Введение
2. Текст 2. Ейск
3. Текст 3. Азовское море.
4. Текст 4. Реки Кубани.
5. Текст 5. Казаки.
6. Текст 6. Жизнь казаков.
7. Текст 7. Краснодар.
8. Текст 8. Казачий хор.
9. Текст 9. Тополя.
10. Текст 10. Адыгея.
11. Текст 11. Анапа.
12. Текст 12. Новороссийск.
13. Текст 13. Черное море.
14. Текст 14. Сочи.
15. Текст 15. Горы.
16. Текст 16. Армавир.
17. Текст 17. Окрестности.
18. Текст 18. Прочноокопская.
19. Текст 19. Тихорецк.
20. Литература.
21. Рецензия.

ВВЕДЕНИЕ

Данная работа представляет собой некоторые подробности ранней военной истории Кубани, природы края, защиты окружающей среды, а также историю городов Кубани.

Студентка творчески подошла к данной работе: почерпнуто много краеведческой информации об истории родного края, о жизни казачества.

Большое внимание уделено культурному наследию наших предков.

В целом эта кружковая работа представлена в виде путешествия по Кубани, которое осуществляют четыре иностранца вместе с переводчиком. Эта работа может быть использована студентами средних специальных заведений как факультативный курс по кубановеденью.

Text 1. Introduction.

The four characters of our texts are visitors from abroad and their guide Vera. The foreigners have been to Russia on business now they are on a tour round Kuban. We say: “the Kuban”, when we mean the river, but we don’t use the article, when we are speaking about the region.

Now let our guests introduce them selves.

Reynaldo: Hello! I am from Brazil. My name is Reynaldo, my surname is Figueroa.

        My hobby is music and my sport is football. And coffee is my favorite drink and my business.

Brazil is a very large and beautiful country in South America.

Mikumi: And my name is Mikumi Oto. I am from Japan. I am 46. I am a scientist. My subject is biology.

        I see there are many popular – trees in Kuban.  That’s very good. I have a laboratory in Japan, and my experiments show that the popular is the best air – purifying tree.

Walter: I am from Germany. My name is Walter Weiss. I am 35. I am an engineer. My Firm makes agricultural machinery. Our tractors and combine – harvesters work here, in Kuban. So, I want to see the Kuban steppe, and the Caucasian mountains, and the Black Sea.

Reynaldo: And I want to see how people live here, because it is so far from Brazil.

Text 2. Yeysk.

Vera: It’ nice to meet you! My name is Vera, I am your guide. Welcome to Kuban! Kuban is a beautiful land in the south of Russia, in the North Caucasus, in the Krasnodar Region. It is a land of steppes and mountains. And There are two seas: the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov. There is the famous town of Sochi on the Black Sea Coast, and the port of Novorossiysk, and the Sea of Azov is Famous for its fish. The Kuban is the largest river in the region, an the city of Krasnodar is our regional capital.

Now we are in Yeysk. Yeysk is a town in the north of the Krasnodar Region. It is a Health resort. Yeysk is on the Azov Coast, there is a small port and fishing industry.

Yeysk has an interesting history. It was founded in 1848. Russia exported grain through the port of Yeysk. Ships from Belgium, Turkey, Britain and Greece came to the port. In 1855 many houses in Yeysk were destroged by fire from English and French warships. It was during the Crimean War, when Britain and France helped Turkey in its war against Russia.

The world’s greatest athlete of all times, Ivan Maksimovich Poddubny, lived in Yeysk for 22 years and died there. Ivan Poddubny was born in 1871. At the age of 34 he became the world champion in wrestling, and he won this title six times. If you happen to visit Yeysk, do not fail to go to the museum of the ‘Champion of champions’ as Ivan Poddubny was known.

Text 3. The Sea of Azov.

Our guests are on a boat “Chaika” sailing from Yeysk to Temryuk. Their guide Vera is speaking about the Sea of Azov.

Vera: The sea of Azov is in the north – west of the Krasnodar Region. It is the world’s innermost ( самое внутреннее ) sea: it belongs to the Atlantic, but it is very far from the ocean. The sea is very small – eleven times smaller than the Black Sea, and very shallow – only about 7 meters deep. That is why the water in the Sea of Azov is warm, and there is a lot of fish. There are different fishes in the Sea of Azov: the roach, the bream, the pike – perch, and, of course, the world – famous Russian sturgeon. The biggest of sturgeons – the beluga- and the cheat fish are the world’s largest freshwater (пресноводные) fishes. They can be up to five meters long and weigh up to a ton!

Of course, there is much fishing industry on the Azov coast – you can buy tins of Azov fish in any food store. Unfortunately, there’s also a lot of poaching, especially for the sturgeons, and so far (пока что) nothing can stop the poachers.

In the past the Sea of Azov and its shores, and all this land of Kuban belongen to the Crimean Khan. He was Russia’s enemy. The Crimean’s (крымчаки) used to raid Russia, burn towns and villages, and  take people to slavery. Robbery was their profession. In one of his letters to his friend, the Turkish Sultan, the Khan wrote: “If my men don’t rob Russia< what shall we live on?” this lasted for centuries. Thousands of Russians were sold as slaves to the countries of the Middle East and Western Europe. The very (само) word “slave” Derives from “Slav”, the genuine English word for “slave” is “thrall”.

This is what Kind of “ Oxford” and “Cambridge” our forefathers had!

Next 4. Up the River.

Temryuk is a small fishing port in the west of the Krasnodar Region. Here the river Kuban flows into the Sea of Azov. The Kuban is navigable up to the town of Ust – Labinsk, where it gets much water from its tributary the Laba. The boat “Chaika” with our guests on board is sailing from Temryuk to Krasnodar.

Mikumi: How long is the river?

Vera: (the guide): The river Kuban is eight hundred and seventy kilometers long. It begins outside the Krasnodar Region, in the ice of Elbrus. The Kuban has many left tributaries: the Teberda, the Maly Zelenchuk, the Bolshoi Zelenchuk, the Urup, the Lada, the Belaya, the Pshish, the Psekups. All there rivers begin in the Caucasian mountains. There is also a very large reservoir and out of it near the city of Krasnodar. The rivers Belaya, Pshish flow into the Krasnodar Reservoir too.

Walter: What is the Reservoir for?

Vera: Kuban is a Farming region, a lot of different crops are grown  here: wheat, barley, maize, sunflower. And also rice. This is the northernmost (самый северный) region on the planet, where they grow rice. This crop reeds a lot of water. So, the Krasnodar Reservoir was built to provide enough water for the rice fields at any time.

Walter: Do they also grow bananas here?

Vera: No, they don’t. But Kuban is the world’s northernmost region where tea is grown. That’s on the Black Sea Coast, near Sochi.

Text 5. Cossacks.

Vera is telling our guests about the history of Kuban:

In the 18th century, in the second half of it, there were two wars between Russia and the Osman Empire, the so-called Russian – Turkish Wars. Russia won them. The Crimea became Russian, as well as the sea of Azov and the land between the rivers Don and Kuban became a border river – the right bank was Russian, the left bank was Turkish. Russia wanted to make the border strong, and so Cossacks were sent here…

Mikumi: I have heard this word “Cossacks”, but I’m not sure I know who they are…

Vera: Oh, Cossacks… Well, Cossacks are ethnic Russians who have been living along Russia’s borders since the early days of the country’s history. They have had close contacts (Тесные контакты) with other peoples living around Russia. This made them in many ways (во многих отношениях) Different from the non -  Cossacks Russians.

They have their own lifestyle and habits, but still they speak Russian and go to the Orthodox church.

There have been Cossacks settlements in many different places along Russia’s borders in the Cossacks, in  Central Asia, in the Urals, in Siberia and the Far East. There were Cossacks living in the Ukraine, they spoke Ukrainian. And there were the so-called “town Cossacks” – those who came to serve in Russian tows as a king of militia. All Cossacks had a reputation of hardy and fearless men who enjoyed fighting, hunting, fishing, singing songs and, unfortunately, drinking.

Well, back to Kuban… So, Russia wanted to make its position in the region strong, and it was decided that Cossacks could serve the purpose best (лучше всех подходят для этих целей). They were sent to the region from the Ukraine (the so-called “Chernomortzy”) and from Don (the “Dontzy”). The Chernomortzy settled in the west of the region and founded the town Yekaterinodar which is now our regional capital Krasnodar. The Dontzy settled in the east of the region, along the river bank, in a line of fortified settlements. There became known as the “Linear Cossacks” or “Lineitzy”.

Text 6. Cossack Life.

The boat is sailing on up the Kuban, and Vera the guide is answering the visitors’ questions about Cossacks.

Walter: Was there much difference between the … What did you call those Cossacks from Ukraine?

Vera: Chernomortzy.

Walter: Yes, what was the difference between them and the Linear Cossacks?

Vera: Chernomortzy spoke Ukrainian. They were commanded by “atamans” – Their elected chieftains. Also they were famous for their very beautiful songs and sense of hum our. This land was granted to them by the Empress Catherine the Second, that’s why they named their town Yekaterinodar, which means “a gift by Catherine”. But most Cossacks lived in villages.

The Lineitzy all Lived in village – the so-called “sanitizes”. The Lineitzy had a more reserved character, they kept themselves to themselves. They loved family life, and their Families were large. As for their looks… well, all Cossack men, both Lineitzy and Chernomortzy, had a moustache, had a moustache, and the Lineitzy also  had a beard. They were armed with a gun, a pistol, a lance, a saber and a dagger. In the old days the lance was their favorite weapon.

Reynaldo: I thought Cossacks were just Russian cavalry. I didn’t know there was so much special about them.

Vera: Well, yes, they served in the cavalry. Napoleon called our Cossacks “the curse of mankind” (“проклятие рода человеческого”) – because they beat his army… Yes, Cossacks always loved horses, sang song about horses… Listen (Сокращенный перевод песни “ Как при лужку – при лужке»):

Once in a meadow, once in a field,

Grazing on its own

There was a big bay horse,

Happily alone.

You graze on, my big bay horse,

Happy till I catch

When I catch you, you will take me

To the girl my match.

Now, my horse, you carry me forth,

Flying like a dart,

Past the meadow, past the field,

Home to my sweetheart!

Next 7. Krasnodar.

The capital of Kuban is Krasnodar.  Krasnodar is a large city. Eight hundred thousand people live in it. There are an airport, a river port and a railway station. There is machine – building and food industry, a University, theatres and museums.

The city was founded by Cossacks in 1793. All there rivers begin in the Caucasian mountains. There is also a very large reservoir and out of it near the city of Krasnodar. The rivers Belaya, flow into the Krasnodar Reservoir too.

The Kuban has many left tributaries: the Teberda, the Maly Zelenchuk, the Bolshoi Zelenchuk, the Urup, the Lada, the Belaya, the Pshish, the Psekups. All there rivers begin in the Caucasian mountains.

Vera: See how many Toyotas and Hondas! Like in Japan, eh, Mikumi?

Mikumi: Well… yes and no. there are a lot of Japanese cars in many different countries. (After pause) Can Cossacks make such cars?

Vera: Well< I don’t know… but some of the most Soviet spaceships was made here, in Krasnodar.

Walter: That flag – blue, crimson and green… Is it your Regional Flag?

Vera: Oh, yes, it is. It is the Kuban Cossacks themselves, and the green stands for (представляет) the land granted to them. Kuban is a Cossack land. And we also have a Regional Anthem – the Anthem of them. Kuban is a Cossack land. And we also have a Regional Anthem – the Anthem of the Kuban is a Cossack Host (войско):

You, Kuban, you, our Homeland,

Land of Vastness, land of might!

Overflowing with glory,

Land of Beauty and delight!

Carried far away from home,

Where a foreign river runs,

We belong to you alone,

Your sincere loving sons…

Text 8. A Cossack Concert.

Our guests went to a concert by the State Kuban Cossack Chorus. In a Few minutes before the beginning Vera gave some explanations: The Cossack culture is almost all songs and singing. Cossack usually sing in chorus. The first professional Cossack chorus in Kuban was organized by Cyril Rossi sky. He was the Host Priest (войсковой священник). And he also organized the first school for Cossack children. Cyril Rossi sky did much for other people – all at his own expense. He died in poverty, but his name is part of our history… Ok, they’re starting…

        …The concert was very good, and our guests enjoyed it. Mikumi was impressed with the costumes, Walter loved the songs, and Reynaldo said that the Cossack girls were the most beautiful in the world! But what were they singing about? All three were sorry  they couldn’t understand. So, Vera wrote a translation of one of the songs. Here it is^ (“Йихалы козаченьки, стэпом – долыною»).

There were some Cossack riding

Out on the road

And they met a pretty girl

With a plait of gold.

Refrain:

And the plait swung, to her waistband

So long and glossy!

Come with us the Cossack, lassie,

Riding on the horses!

But the girl gave them an answer,

That you won’t get!

I’ve got a sweetheart at home

Never to forget!

(Refrain)

Come, my sweetheart, come to me

Out on the field!

With a kiss your love and mine

Is forever sealed.

And the plait swung, to her waistband,

So long and glossy!

So long! The Cossack cried,           2 раза.

Riding their horses

Text 9. Popular – Trees.

Our guests are leaving Krasnodar. They are driving in a coach through the city streets. In the coach windows they see the busy morning life of Krasnodar: children on their way to school, people going to work and standing at the bus stops, buses and trams and cars, cars…

Vera: A large city, isn’t it?

Reynaldo: Well…I’m from Sao Paolo (Сан-Паулу), that city has a population of fifteen million – twenty times the size of Krasnodar. But what impressed me was yesterday’s concert. The Cossacks were as beautiful as their songs!

Walter: Yes, and as those poplar-trees. So many of them here!

Vera: Oh, yes, the poplar is a king of our local symbol.

There’s a song about poplars, starts like this (Григорий Понаморенко, «Тополя»):

Poplars- trees,  Poplars- trees,

Symbols of my city streets!

You line up in the spring,

So tall and so green!

And you whisper at night,

And your fluff is so light,

And what is it you see in your see in your dreams?

                        Refrain:

Poplars- trees,  Poplars- trees,

                      And you whisper at night,

                            And your fluff is so light!

 Poplars- trees,  Poplars- trees,

And what is it you see in your dreams?

Poplars- trees,  Poplars- trees,

Crowned with the morning sun!

What a long way there is –

Road of life which has begun!

Far away I may go,

But your whisper, I know,

Will remind me that home is one.

(Refrain)

Poplars- trees,  Poplars- trees,

Your whisper sets my heart at ease.

With the youthfulness of start

We shall never, never part,

And as then, from above,

You will drop your fluff of love

On the eyelashes of my sweetheart.

(Refrain)

But there are many people who don’t like poplars. Their fluff may cause allergy. Bad for health.

Reynaldo: Oh! Poplar-trees are unpopular trees!

Mikumi: how odd! People love cars. Are cars good for health?

Reynaldo: poplar-trees, poplar-trees, your fluff is so bad for health!

Mikumi: People love cars-because exhaust fumes (выхлопные газы) and road accidents are good for health? Yes… poplar-trees, poplar-trees…

The coach is out of Krasnodar, beading for the Black Sea Coast.

A Car or a Bicycle?

Which is better: a car a bicycle?

Prove your point of view by using the following words:

        Much cheaper

        Much safer

        Much faster

        Gives shelter

        Easy to control

        Easy to park

More comfortable

Doesn’t need a garage

Gives a chance to show off

Better for the environment

Better for your health

Takes more luggage

Text 10. The Adages.

The coach with our guests is going through the Republic of Adige.  

Vera:  Adige is a small republic inside the Krasnodar Region. Adige are the native population of Kuban. They are better known as Circassia’s. They became famous for the beauty of their women and for the horsemanship of there “jig hits”, the world’s best riders.

In the past the Adige were Christians, but with the expansion of Islam they changed their faith and became Muslims. This is why many of them took Turkey’s side in its confrontation with Russia. When the Cossacks settled on the right bank, the official border between Russia and the ottoman Empire became a border between the Cossacks and the Adige. For a few years they lived in peace. But then both sides began to complain. The Adige didn’t like the fortresses which the Russians were building along the river. The Cossacks complained about the stealing of their cattle by Circassia jig hits.  

This lasted for many years, because the Cossacks couldn’t catch the thieves, and the Russian Emperor didn’t allow them to cross the river.

At the beginning of the 19th century there was another war with Turkey, and the Cossacks were allowed to cross the Kuban. They did so, the jig hits were beaten, but this didn’t stop them. They began to kidnap people and sell them to Turks. This is how the Caucasian War started here, in Kuban.   The Circassia’s were more numerous and better riders, but the Cossacks were hardier and better armed. In 1864 the war was over. The Russian Emperor Alexander II offered the Adige  Russian citizenship. Many of them refused and preferred to emigrate.

But there were many so-called “peaceful Circassia’s” – those who were on the Russian side. Some of them even became Cossacks, like Colonel Mogukorov, who often helped out his reckless friend Ataman Beskrovny. The great – grandchildren of those Adige who became Russian citizens are now living on the land of their forefathers – the Republic of Adige.

Text 11. Anapa.

The Black Sea is not black. It is blue-and-green and very beautiful. The shore is stony or, in some places, sandy. There are sea-gulls, and sea-shells, and jelly-fish. In summer there are a lot of people on the shore, because the weather is hot. The people are bathing and lying in the sun. sometimes you can see a ship sailing in the distance. It's nice there!

Anapa has a long history. In the past there was a slave-trading port, where Turks bought Russian and Circassian slaves, and sold weapons and gunpowder to Russia's enemies.

Then there was another (ещё одна, очередная) Russian-Rurkish war in 1828-29, and Anapa became Russian - as well as all the Caucasian Black Sea Coast. But it was difficult to control the whole coast, and the slave - trade went on. It was very profitable: even if nine out often galleys (галеры) were intercepted by Russian warships, all the losses were made up for by selling the slaves from the one galley which reached the Turkish coast. Russia's struggle against slave - trade in the Black Sea lasted many years. It ended in 1864, when the Caucasian War was won by Russia. It had been a war against the Osman influence in the Caucasus, and it was a victory over gunmen and slate - traders.

The Cossacks had fought everywhere: in the open steppe, in the mountains, in the coastal fortifications. The War couldn't have benn won without them, without their fighting skills and hardiness. They won this land for Russia, Kuban is a Cossack land. The Kuban Cossacks remember all this when they say their greeting: "Glory to Kuban! - Glory to the Heroes!"

As for Anapa, it is now a very pleasant town and a famous children's health - resort. Thousands of children have a good time on Anapa's beaches and improve their health in Anapa's sanatoriums.

Text 12. Novorossiysk.

Novorossiysk is situated at a large and convenient bay (гавань), and it is Russia's biggest sea-port in the south. It is also famous as a Hero-City. In World War Two there was a lot of fighting here. The Germans had a plan to advance in the Transcaucasia (Закавказье). The port of Novorossiysk was a convenient place where to land (высадить) troops - because they had failed to get over the mountains in other places. The Russians had a counter - plan. They landed marines (морская пехота) on the shore at the entrance to the bay (the so-called Malaya Zemlya - Lesser Land), and those men, several hundred of them, held out (продержались) there for half a year, and they prevented the Nazis from using the port. That was in 1943. in the autumn that year the Nazis were driven out of the Caucasus.

Visitors go to see the Memorial - a stone wall with four arms stretched forward, the fists clenching sub - machine - guns (автомашины). The enemy could advance no further...

There are talks in the West that it is the Russian winter, the colds, that won the war in Russia. The Battle of Moscow was in the winter of 1941- 42. the Battle of Stalingrad was in the winter of 1942 - 43... Both winters were very cold... they even remember Napoleon, how his troops were frozen in the very cold Russian winter of 1812-13...

Do not listen to these talks. The Battle of Malaya Zemlya was in the summer of 1943, and the Russians won it. The Kursk Battle - the greatest battle of all times, with thousands of tanks and planes - was also in the hot summer of 1943, in July - and the Russians won it. Shall we remember the earlier history? The famous Kulikov Battle in the early September of 1380 was won by the Russians ... the famous Poltava Battle was won by the Russians on the 8th of July 1709...

The four stretched arms of the Novorossiysk Memorial... The fists clenching, submachine - guns... A memorial to the Russian hardiness.

Text 13. The Black Sea.

Our guests are on the boat "Delfin" sailing from Novorossiysk to Sochi.

Walter: "Delfin" means "dolphin", doesn't it?

Vera: Oh, ues, this word derives from Greek.

Revnaldo: Are there dolphins in the Black Sea?

Vera: Yes, there are. Dolphins often jump out of water, and you can see them. There are also sharks, but they are small - the dog - shark, we call it "katran", it's not dangerous.

Mikumi: The ecological problems are more dangerous than sharks, aren't they?

Vera: Yes, I'm afraid, you're right. There are a lot of environmental problems - both in the sea and on land. They speak much about the environment and ecology, but not much is done to save the environment. There is poaching (браконьерство), illegal logging (незаконная вырубка леса), leaks from different pipelines (утечки из разных трубопроводов) and litter, heaps of litter (кучи мусора) everywhere...

Mikumi: I think children should have a special subject at school - to learn about the environment...

Vera: Oh, there are special programmes at schools, but I don't think it helps...

And now we are sailing past the village of Lazarevskoye. It's name is in memory of Mikhail Lazarev, the discoverer of Antarctica.

Revnaldo: Oh! Was Antarctica discovered by Russians? I didnn't Know that.

port. That was in 1943. in the autumn that year the Nazis were driven out of the Caucasus.

Visitors go to see the Memorial - a stone wall with four arms stretched forward, the fists clenching sub - machine - guns (автомашины). The enemy could advance no further...

There are talks in the West that it is the Russian winter, the colds, that won the war in Russia. The Battle of Moscow was in the winter of 1941- 42. the Battle of Stalingrad was in the winter of 1942 - 43... Both winters were very cold... they even remember Napoleon, how his troops were frozen in the very cold Russian winter of 1812-13...

Do not listen to these talks. The Battle of Malaya Zemlya was in the summer of 1943, and the Russians won it. The Kursk Battle - the greatest battle of all times, with thousands of tanks and planes - was also in the hot summer of 1943, in July - and the Russians won it. Shall we remember the earlier history? The famous Kulikov Battle in the early September of 1380 was won by the Russians ... the famous Poltava Battle was won by the Russians on the 8th of July 1709...

The four stretched arms of the Novorossiysk Memorial... The fists clenching, submachine - guns... A memorial to the Russian hardiness.

Vera: Yes, Antarctica was discovered by Russians. In 1819 two Russian ships, the "Vostok", commanded by Faddey Bellinshausen, and the "Mirny", commanded by Mikhail Lazarev, sailed off to the Antarctic (Антарктика), and in January 1820 they discovered Antarctica (Антарктида).

In the Russian - Turkish War of 1828 - 29 Captain Lazarev commanded the battleship (линейный корабль) "Azov" and sank several enemy warships. Later Admiral Lazarev became the Commander of Russian Black Sea Fleet.

Text 14. Sochi.

The visitors have arrived at the Sochi port. Sochi is the most popular place in the region. This place is so popular that in summer there are more visitors than those who live there. Sochi is famous for its subtropical sunshine, beautiful mountains, cypresses and palm-trees, the smell of magnolias, crowds of tourists and, of course, the sea... A row of hotels near the shore, long beaches and thousands of people on them: lying in the sun, bathing, playing ball, eating icecream. The town has a stadium, a circus, two theatres and a special park of subtropical and tropical trees - the famous "Dendrarium".

The Sochi port is regularly visited by large cruise - liners, many of them from abroad. You can fly to Sochi by plane - there is a large airport in Adler, a small town south of Sochi. Most Russians come to Sochi by train, and arrive at the railway station with its old station building of beautiful architecture.

The Sochi Tourist Agency offers a big choice of trips and excursions all over the district and beyond.

Vera took our guests to Mount Akhun.

On the way to Mount Akhun Vera was telling the history of Sochi:

In the past it was just a small village on the coast. The modern town was built in 1930's, when Sochi became a famous a health - resort. People from all over the Soviet Union, especially from the northern and industrial regions, used to come to Sochi for their summer holidays. There were also many summer camps for children, the so-called pioneer-camps, all along the coast, and in many other places too...

... Well, we are on Mount Akhun, 662 metres above sea-level. Let's go up that tower to have a better view of the mountains...

... Well, here we are! What a wonderful view! The blue sea on one side, snow-covered mountains on the other! That very high one is Chugush - three thousand two hundred and thirty-eight metres high... This one, nearer, is Achishkho (2391 m)... That one, very high, on the right... see? ... it's Aghepsta (3256 m), the highest peak you can see from here now, the river Mzymta begins there...

Reynaldo: And where's Elbrus?

Vera: Oh, you can't see Elbrus from here, it's begond the ridge, on the northern side, and far away from here, to the east.

Text 15. The Mountains.

Our guests took a train to go back. All the way from Sochi to Tuapse they were talking about their impressions.

Vera: Well, how did you like Sochi?

Reynaldo: The mountains impressed me. As for the town... well, you should see Rio de Janeiro!

Vera: Are there no mountains in Brazil ... the Andes?

Reynaldo: The Andes are in Peru and Bolivia. There are mountains in Brazil, in the east, but not so high and not so beautiful. Brazil has the world's biggest river - the Amazon, and the largest tropical forest.

Mikumi: And the world's richest variety of trees.

Reynaldo: Yes, Professor, you're right!

Walter:And the world's best football team!

Vera: And the world's longest TV serials! And the world's best coffee!

(All laugh)

Reynaldo: Yes, thank you all!

At Tuapse the train turned inland (в сторону от моря) and was passing through tunnels.

Walter: Yes, the mountains are impressive!

And so much forest! Oaks?

Vera: Yes, oaks, beeches, hornbeams, chestnuts... A lot of valuable trees. Excellent timber...

Yes, there are many valuable trees in the Caucasian forest: the oak, the beech, the chestnut. The larger animals are the bear, the wolf, the fox. A lot of hares and wild pigs . High in the mountains are the Kuban tur (кубанский тур) and the bearded vulture (бородач - ягнятник). Also in the forest there is the lynx.

Vera: A few years ago a lynx killed two monkeys here.

Mikumi: Monkeys? What monkeys?

Vera: African.

Walter: Are you joking?

Vera: No, I am serious. The hamadryas baboon (павиан гамадрил). They were brought here in 1980, about two hundred of them - to see if they could live in this forest . they are so frightful - they scared sheepdogs away (отпугнули овчарок).

Mikumi: I don't understand the idea. Why should African monkeys live in Kuban?

Vera: The lynx didn't understand the idea either.

Walter: Well, I think, African monkeys should live in Africa.

Vera: Yes, I agree with you. Kuban is for the bear, the hare and the fox!

Text 16. Armavir.

The train arrived in Armavir. Our friends decided to stag here for two days.

Armavir is a big town in the east of the Krasnodar Region, on the left bank of the Kuban. The population is about two hundred thousand. It is an economic and cultural center: there are two railway stations, many food factories, a pedagogic university, a drama theatre, a large library for children.

Armavir is known throughout (по всей) Russia for its War pilots School -that's where pilots of the world - famous MIG - fighters are trained. There is also a plant where tank diesels are repaired. And the town itself owes its history (обязан своей историей) to two very famous Russian generals.

Let's follow our guests to the Local Studies Museum (Краеведческий музей). The guide is telling about Armavir's early history:

The history of Armavir began in 1778, when the river Kuban was a border between Russia and the Osman Empire. In that year, 1778, General Alexander Suvorov was traveling along the Kuban. He was the Commander of Russian Army in the Caucasus, and he was founding fortresses on the right bank, along the Russian - Turkish border.

One of the fortresses was Prochny Okop - just opposite the modern Armavir. In 1793 Cossacks from Don came here, and they built the village Prochnookopskaya down the bank, in 1817 there was a flood, and the village was destroyed, and a new village of Prochnookopskaya was built up the bank. But many Cossacks came back to the old place and built the old settlement again - it is now called Staraya Stanitza.

In 1830's the Linear Cossacks were commanded by General Grigory Zass, and in 1839 he founded the town of Armavir on the left bank, opposite Prochny Okop. So, Armavir became the first town founded by Russians (россиянами) on the left bank of the Kuban. There is a monument to General Zass in the town. The inscription says: "Leutenant - General Grigory Zass, Founder of Armavir".

Text 17. The Unigue View.

The next morning Vera took our friends for an excursion out of town. On its way down to the river their bus passed a big old church.

Waltenlt doesn't look like a Russian church.

Vera: No, we call it the "Armenian" Church.

The first settlers here had come from Circassian villages. Unlike (в отличие от) other Circassians there people were Christians. This temple was designed by a Russian architect Farafontyev and built in 1844-61 at Russian expense - ten thousand silver roubles. The temple has become somewhat of (что-то вроде) a symbol of Armavir.

...Now we are crossing the Kuban... Clear and quiet... You should have seen it in June 2002! ... And this is Stanitza - the former (бывшая) Prochnookopskaya, one of the first Russian settlements in Kuban...

the visitors got off the bus and walked up the hills. They stopped halfway and turned to look at the town below... The small houses of Staraya Stanitza among the green of trees... the glistening Kuban... the Armenian Church on the opposite bank, and the town in the morning light... and poplar - trees, very tall, here and there, like landmarks...

Walter: What a nice green town!

The Stavropol Upland is about 100 metres high (270 metres above sea level). From here you can have a panoramic view of the North - West Caucasus -if the sky is clear.

You will see a distant range of snow - capped mountains. The Lagonaki Plateau, popular with tourists, straight in front... Then, to the left of it, the massifs of Chugush (remember we saw it from Akhun in Sochi!) and Tzakhvoa - the highest peak in the Krasnodar Region, there thousand there hundred and forty -five metres above sea level...

Vera: Reynaldo, you wanted to see Elbrus... There... on the far left...that glistening top apart from the range...

Walter: What's its height?

Vera: Five thousand six hundred and forty - two metres. The highest in the Caucasus.

Walter: And how far is it from here?

Vera: Over two hundred kilometers. Krasnodar is also about 200 kilometres away - in the opposite direction. And Sochi is straight ahead, over the mountains, about 200 kilometres two!

Text 18. Prochnookopskaya.

Our friends wished to see the famous Kuban steppe. They walked to the village of Prochnookopskaya.

Vera: These are the fields of the Novokubansk District which has the best agriculture in the region. The main crops here are wheat and barley, also maize, sugar - beet and sunflower. The wheat is used for making high quality white bread, but some of it is for fodder (фураж). Most of the barley and maize is also used as fodder. Much of the grain is exported... That tractor over there... I think it's preparing the soil for winter crops. The Kuban soil is said to be the best in the world. Unfortunately, our farming is not the most efficient...

Now, this is the village of Prochnookopskaya. The villagers have small holdings (собственные участки). Most often they grow maize and potatoes — to sell on the market in Armavir, or as fodder for their farm animals. They all have chickens, geese ... Many villagers keep pigs or a cow... Some even have a horse... A tractor needs fuel, but a horse doesn't.

Reynaldo: Besides, a horse can give birth to a little young horse - but a tractor can't give birth to a little tractor!

The visitors came to a small square in the center of the village. There they saw two old - style cannons and between them a monument on a pedestal: a Cossack squatting (присевший) over a cannon muzzle (дуло) , and a Cossack woman holding an emblem of the two - headed eagle... The inscription said:

In memory of the resettling of Linear Cossacks of the village of Prochnookopskaya by General Yermolov 1817-1997 Vera: There years later, in 1820, on the 20th of August, this place was visited by Alexander Pushkin, Russia's greatest poet... The young Pushkin (he was 21 then) was traveling along the Kuban with the family of General Rayevsky. The two Generals, Yermolov and Rayevsky, are Heroes of the famous Battle of Battle of Borodino. Prochnookopskaya was also visited by other Russian writers -Griboyedov, Lermontov and Leo Tolstoy. See how much is connected with this small settlement!

Text 19. Tikhoretzk.

The visit to Kuban is over. Our guests are traveling back. The train stops for a couple of minutes in Tikhoretzk. It is a small town, but its railway - station is important - there's a branch to Volgograd.

Our friends are looking in the window at the people running along the platform.

Vera: This railway, Rostov - Vladikavkaz, was built in 1875. it was the steam epoch (эпоха паровозов). The first steam - engines here were from England and Germany. Everything, except space flights, came to Russia from outside. But the world's most numerous series of steam - locomotives was designed in Russia - specially for this railway! The first fifteen engines of this type were built in 1912, and they were so successful that their production lasted until 1950's! Over ten thousand such locomotives were made...! Oh! You can see it there ... in that window... the letter on the cabin ... see? It's one of them... Of course, it's been out of use for many years, now there are only electric and diesel engines...

Walter: I hope that when I come here next time, that locomotive will be in action again - pulling a train with tourists. There are such railways in Germany and in England - people enjoy old things!

Reynaldo: when I come here next time, I hope to see that my coffee is popular with the Cossacks, and not...

Vera: And not some other drink... yes, I see...Now, Professor, what changes would you like to see in Kuban, when you come here next    time?

Mikumi: Well... I don't know... Your land is so beautiful, I hope you will keep it as it is... And take care of your poplars - they are the best air - purifying trees, my laboratory experiments show that. Well... and I think I can say we have enjoyed our visit to Kuban very much! Thank you!

Vera: Oh, thank you!

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