Svetlana Flemming - Colloquial Russian - The Next Step in Language Learning

bu´duhi

being

2

ved; (emphatic particle)

you see; after all

3

vizi´tnaq kaŕtohka

visiting card

4

vre´dnoe ve]estvo´

harmful substance

5

vybraśyvat;

to emit

6

vyruba´t;sq

to be cut down

7

vysokoskorostna´q magistraĺ;

high-speed railway

8

dvi´gat;sq

to move

9

dvi'eńie poezdo´v

rail traffic

40

dvuxmeśtnye kreśla

double seats

1

'eleźnaq doro´ga

railway

421111

zemlq´

land

46

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Transport

koleso´

wheel

koro´he

shorter

kursiŕovat;

to run

mq´gkij

soft

nade¨'nyj

reliable

napomina´t;

to resemble

napravleńie

trend

oboru´dovanie

equipment

obslu´'ivat;sq

to be served

ostava´t;sq zada´hej

to remain the task

provodni´k

train attendant

skoŕost; ( f )

speed

skorostno´j \lektropoézd

express train

sozdańie

creation

stoímost; ( f ) proeźda

cost of the journey

stoli´hnyj

capital

stroi´tel;stvo

construction

trud rabo´hix

labour

unihto'a´t;sq

to be destroyed

uŕoven; ( m) obslu´'ivaniq

standard of service

uslu´ga

service

hi´]e

cleaner

\lektri´hka

local (electric) train

N.B. s drugo´j storony´ – on the other hand; vseë]e¨ – still; vre´mq v puti´ –

travel time; sa´moe gla´vnoe – the most important thing Exercise 4

Answer the following questions in English.

1 What does the layout of the railways in European Russia resemble?

2 Why is it ever more difficult to build railways in Russia?

3 What is the new trend in railway construction?

4 Where will the first high-speed rail link run?

5 Why are ecologists opposed to the construction of high-speed railways?

6 What type of transport is ecologically cleanest?

7 What changes are taking place in the Moscow rail network?

Transport

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47

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2

Exercise 5

3

4

True or false?

5

6

1 Lete´t; A\roflo´tom (doro´'e, dewe´vle, udo´bnee)?

7

2 Samole¨t v Irku´tsk vyletaét iz a\ropoŕta (Wereme´t;evo odiń, 8111

Wereme´t;evo dva, Domode´dovo)?

9

3 Puteweśtvovat; na samole¨te (doro´'e, dewe´vle, nade¨'nee), hem 10

na poézde?

1

4 Vysokoskorostnyé magistraĺi u'e ime´[tsq (v Rossií, v

2

za´padnyx strańax, v Ukraińe)?

3

5 @eleznodoro´'nyj trańsport (grqzneé, hi´]e, opaśnee)

4

avtomobiĺ;nogo trańsporta?

5

6 Uroven; obslu´'ivaniq na vokzaĺax stal (lu´hwe, xu´'e, 6

bystreé)?

7

7 Ka´'dyj vagoń obslu´'ivaetsq (provodniko´m, oficiańtom, 8

nosiĺ;]ikom)?

9

20111

Language points

1

♦

2

3

Comparatives

4

5

Long (attributive) comparatives

6

Almost all Russian adjectives can be turned into comparatives by 7

putting the words boĺee ‘more’ or meńee ‘less’ before the long form.

8

Boĺee and meńee never alter, whatever the case or number of the 9

adjective:

30

1

boĺee by

śtrye poezda´

faster trains

2

na meńee by

śtryx poezda´x

on less fast trains

3

‘Than’ is translated by hem, preceded by a comma: 4

5

Lu´hwe eźdit; na boĺee by

śtryx no´vyx poezda´x, hem na

6

staŕyx.

7

It is better to travel on faster new trains than on old.