Task 4. Answer the following questions.

1. Is Tambov your native town?

2. Why and when was it founded?

3. Who was the first governor of Tambov?

4. What famous people is Tambov linked with?

5. What places of interest are there in Tambov?

Task 5. Write out 5-7 places of interest which you would like to show to your foreign friend.

Task 6. Make a list of all famous people whose names are linked with Tambov.

Tambov

Tambov is one of the oldest Russian towns built in 1636 as a fortress to protect the place from the Crimean tatars. Roman Boborykin was the first governor of the province. At the beginning of the 18-th century Tambov lost its role as a fortress and became an administrative centre. In 1781 Tambov received its emblem – a hive and three bees on blue and green background. The emblem reflected the ancient occupationof the people – honey-making.

If you are interested in the sights of Tambov you’d better first visit Sobornaya Square. It is the place where the fortress was laid. In the middle of the square there is a memorial complex with the Eternal Fire. It is a special placeto commemorate the heroism of people in the Great Patriotic war. Present day Tambov starts with the railway station facing the beginning of Internatsionalnaya Street. Lenin square is the central square of the town. Here you can see the Pushkin Library and the Drama theatre. Opposite the Drama theatre there is a modern white building – the seat of our regional administration. Not far from Lenin square there is the Concert Hall.

In Sovetskaya Street behind the monument to Zoya Kosmodemyanskaya there is the Kazanskii Monastery which was recently renewed. There are many other beautiful and unique buildings in our town such as Aseyev’s palace on the bank of the river (now a sanatorium), the building of the department store with 50 columns in Sovetskaya Street and many others. Modern buildings also look very beautiful as well as the parks and the embankment of the river Tsna.

Tambov is linked with the names of poets Derzhavin, Zhemchuzhnikov, Baratynskii, a writer Sergeev-Tsenskii, a diplomat Chicherin, composers Rakhmaninov, Agapkin, Verstovskii and other outstanding people of Russia. As a cultural centre Tambov often welcomes theatre and musical festivals. Different exhibitions take place in Tambov art gallery and in the Museum of Local History which are not far from the city park.

At present Tambov is an industrial centre but the number of factories and plants is rapidly reducing. There are two universities, many colleges and schools in Tambov. People of all ages like to celebrate the Day of the Town. There are a lot of concerts in different parts of the city during the day and a traditional salute late in the evening.

Vocabulary

Task 7. Give Russian equivalents of the following words and word combinations, describing the town: administrative centre, cultural centre, educational centre, industrial centre, ancient, modern, unique, special, beautiful.

Task 8. Find a pair of antonyms in this group of adjectives and give synonyms to the word «beautiful».

Grammar