How do I know if a place is a city or a town or a village?
In British English we can distinguish between a city, a town, a village or a hamlet using a historical perspective.
Thousands of years ago with the beginnings of simple agriculture our distant ancestors started to settle in an area and build houses. These places were usually in areas with good access to agricultural land and with good water. Some grew faster than others, they became more important in their region and started to offer other services to the people from the region.
With time kings and queens (or their lords, dukes and earls) started to give permission (Royal Charter) for certain settlements to hold a market where people in the area could take their vegetables, fruit, animals etc to sell. These became market towns.
The church also wanted to spread its influence over the whole country. They allowed some towns to build a cathedral to serve a much larger area (diocese). These became the cities.
Nowadays the “official” definitions are:
A CITY has a cathedral or a university or both
A TOWN has a market
A VILLAGE doesn’t have a cathedral or a market but it will have a church
A HAMLET is very small with only a handful of houses and usually doesn’t have any shops or other services.
Logically there are only a few cities, more towns and even more villages. Cities are usually very big, towns are smaller and villages even smaller. There are some exceptions.
Please keep in mind that when we speak of the place where we were born we say my home town.
3.5 Fill in the correct adjectives (a, b or c):
1 The most ….. parts of Tyumen are in the centre of the city.
a) hectic b) busting c) picturesque
2 Tyumen is very ….. at night because so many young people live there.
a) crowded b) elegant c) lively
3 Tyumen is one of the Region’s most ….. towns.
a) historic b) magnificent c) deserted
4 The city centre is quite ….. at weekends.
a) clean b) shabby c) hectic
5 The streets of the town are ….., particularly in the rush-hour.
a) spacious b) animated c) deserted
3.6 Say what are the best and the worst things about living in the city. Use the following word-combinations:
plenty of things to do / dirty and polluted air / many different shops / smoke and petrol fumes / lots of cinemas and theatres / to be crowded (full of people) / variety of sport centres / to be noisy / bus service and taxi rank / to be dangerous / health centres and chemists / to be stressful / traffic jam in the rush-hour
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Model 1: |
Model 2: |
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The best thing about living in a city is that there is much of nightlife. |
The worst thing about living in a city is that there are too many people everywhere. |
3.7 Make a list of advantages and disadvantages of living in Tyumen. Give two columns. Use the following adjectives:
historic, noisy, crowded, fashionable, pleasant, enormous, elegant, picturesque, modern, crooked, expensive, cheap, striking, shabby, dangerous, attractive, enchanting, smart, memorable, broad, clean, narrow, ugly, terrible, terrific, busy, colourful, colourless, unforgettable, spectacular, old, famous, successful, industrial, dirty, bad, beautiful, small, contemporary, charming, excellent.
Model: Advantages: Disadvantages:
full of history busy streets
3.8 Say what features and facilities Tyumen has and hasn’t got.
Model: It has got a cathedral, but it has not got the Opera House.
3.9 Complete the idea of a dialogue in a suitable way. Fill in the gaps with the following words and word-combinations:
nightlife / wide range / commuters / cultural activities / cope / whatever (or anything) / opportunities / cosmopolitan
1 A: The town is full of people from different countries and cultures.
B: Yes, it’s very…...
2 A: There are cinemas, theatres, museums, art galleries and everything.
B: Yes, I know, there are lots of…...
3 A: There is a …... of shops.
B: Oh yes, you can buy ..…. you want.
4 A: There is plenty to do in the evening.
B: Yes, the …... is great.
5 A: There is a better chance of finding work.
B: Yes, there are more job …..
6 A: The transport system has to ..… with the people who live in the country but work in town.
B: Yes, I know, there are too many ….
3.10 Read the statements about Tyumen. Agree or disagree.
1 Due to its advantageous geographical location, Tyumen developed rather quickly.
2 Modern Tyumen is a place of exile.
3 Tyumen is a gate to Siberia.
4 Tyumen is located on the right bank of the Tura River.
5 Nowadays Tyumen is a modern city, the centre of a large oil and gas-producing province.
6 There are three theatres in Tyumen: the Puppet theatre, the Drama theatre, and the Comedy theatre.
7 The best way to see the historic sights of Tyumen is to start with the monument to V. Lenin.
8 Many industrial enterprises are located in the suburbs of Tyumen.
9 Tyumen is an ancient town, more than five hundred years old.
10 The permanent population of Tyumen is about a million.
11 The street traffic in Tyumen is not so heavy.
12 The five-century history of Tyumen is extremely interesting and instructive.
13 Historical monuments are decorated with unique brick engraving.
14 Graduates of our University work in diverse branches of economy in our country and abroad.
15 Tyumen has no entertainment possibilities for elderly people.
3.11 Complete the following sentences:
1 Tyumen, the first Russian town in Siberia, was founded…..
2 It was a good idea to locate a fortified town…..
3 In 1944 the city became the…..
4 Nowadays Tyumen is…..
5 The industrial development of Tyumen began…..
6 The town has…..
7 Tyumen is a town of…..
8 The best way to see the town is…..
9 Tyumen is famous for…..
10 The citizens are proud of…..
11 Many higher educational institutions……
12 Higher educational establishments in Tyumen supply……
13 Many of old two-storied brick houses still exist…..
14 There are numerous modern……
15 Tyumen is a city of…….
3.12 Translate the following sentences into English:
1 Тюмень – это первый русский город, основанный в Сибири.
2 Тюмень расположена на живописном берегу реки Туры.
3 Сейчас Тюмень – современный город, столица нефтегазо-добывающего региона.
4 В Тюмени находится большое количество высших учебных заведений.
5 Выпускники вузов работают в различных отраслях экономики нашей страны и за рубежом.
6 Жители Тюмени гордятся своим городом.
7 История Тюмени интересна и поучительна.
8 В Тюмени много библиотек, театров, музеев и новых красивых зданий.
9 Около 70 зданий Тюмени зарегистрированы как исторические памятники.
10 Население Тюмени составляет около 600 тысяч человек.
11 Тюмень – это город банков, торговых центров и супермаркетов, город красивых цветов летом и чарующей иллюминации зимой.
3.13 Answer the following questions:
1 When was Tyumen founded? How old is it now?
2 Where is Tyumen situated?
3 Why was this place chosen by voivodes Sukin and Myasnoy?
4 When did Tyumen become the capital of the Tyumen Region?
5 Why did Tyumen begin to develop?
6 What higher educational institutions in Tyumen do you know?
8 Can you name famous places of interest in Tyumen?
9 What is the population of Tyumen?
10 Are you proud of your city? Why?/ Why not?
3.14 Read some facts about the history of Tyumen and say what information is known / unknown to you, what facts are interesting / boring
The area along the Tobol and Tura rivers was first inhabited not less than 5000 years ago.
A lot of buildings were built of wood, so they burnt down very often. There have been some big fires in the history of Tyumen (1668, 1687, 1695, 1705, 1766). In 1695 almost all the houses burnt down. The fire of 1705 destroyed 729 houses. After the fire of 1766 just a coachmen’s settlement remained. But every time Tyumen rose from the ashes.
In 1692 Tyumen got its first coat of arms with a fox and beaver on it.
In the 17th century Tyumen exported leather, clothes, fur, paper, wax, and numerous articles made of iron.
In 1806 there were two small plants making church bells. Every year they produced 60-70 bells. They also produced small bells popular among coachmen.
The first buildings made of stone were built in 1700. They were the church and the monastery.
Some small rural settlements were founded not far from Tyumen by rich landowners (Voynov, Parfenov, Antipin). Now they are parts of our town.
The population in Tyumen was the following in
1596 — 450 people 1897 — 29544 people
1624 — 1564 people 1912 — 32236 people
1763 — 6593 people 1999 — 559,600 people 1869 — 13824 people 2003 — 650,000 people
In 1866 the first hospital was built with the money of the Tyumen merchants. The charitable activities of wealthy merchants of our town can hardly be overestimated.
S. Kolokolnikov, the famous Tyumen merchant, founded a school for girls, a private school and a commercial school
In 1864 the first water supply system was erected with the money of the merchant Podaruev. No other towns and settlements in Siberia had one.
A. Tekutyev, the merchant and the head of the town, founded a theatre, built the library named after Pushkin (which still works) and bought the first X-ray equipment for the hospital.
In 1904 there were 110 streets and roads, 4 squares, 16 Orthodox churches, a monastery, 7 parish schools, 2 libraries, 1 museum, 3 publishing houses, 3 drugstores, 7 doctors, 271 shops, a theatre and a telephone.
In 1941 the body of Vladimir Lenin was secretly brought from Moscow Mausoleum to Tyumen and kept in the building at the corner of Krasina and Respubliki Streets, where the Argricultural Academy is now.
(from Шилова Л.В. и др. New English Wave: Учебное пособие. – Тюмень: Изд-во ТюмГУ, 2006)
3.15 You are going to be tour guides along Lenina street. Choose any part of the street to talk about. Then have a talk in turns.
Model. Hello, I’m Olga. I’m your tour guide. I’ll be happy to tell you what sights we can see between the Museum of Local Lore and Tyumen State University. Let’s start with...
(from Шилова Л.В. и др. New English Wave: Учебное пособие. – Тюмень: Изд-во ТюмГУ, 2006)
3.16 Speak about the city you live in or your home town.
UNIT 4 OUR COUNTRY