VIII. Speak on the following topics:

a) the geography of the Astrakhan Region, the climate of the Astrakhan Region.

b) the population of the Astrakhan Region, the Region’s economic development.

c) the cultural life of the Region, the places of interest in Astrakhan.

d) Astrakhan is an educational center.

Additional material for reading.

Text 1. Water resources.

Significant water resources is one of the nastural riches of the Astrakhan Region 10 per cent of the Region territory is covered with water.

The main water artery is the Volga River with its arm - the Akhtuba -which branches a lot forming the vast Volga-Akhtuba flood-lands and the delta with numerous lakes, old river beds, streams and arms. Main arms in the delta are Buzan, Bakhtemir, Bolda, Kamyzyak, the Old Volga, which, in the turn branch into a lot of small arms, tributaries, streams. Total nunber of such rivers in the Volga River delta is about 900.

Out of numerous arms flowing into die Caspian Sea only the Western one – Bakhtemir – is navigable. It links the Volga River with the Caspian Sea via the Volga-Caspian channel. On other large and medium arms navigation is irregular and of only local importance.

The sea coast has a large number of shallow sea bays and sandy islands cov­ered with moisture-loving vegetation. In the rest of territory internal waters are in the form of temporary streams, salt and fresh-water lakes. The largest salt lake in the Region is the Baskunchak.

Remember the words:

arm - рукав (реки).

Volga-Akhtuba flood-land – Волго-Ахтубинская пойма,

tributary- приток;

stream - ручей;

seabay - морская бухта.

Answer the questions:

1. What can you say about water resources in the Astrakhan Region?

2. Is every arm flowing into the Caspian Sea navigable?

3. Why is artificial irrigation necessary in the Region⁷

Text 2. Resources of animal and vegetation world.

The animal population in the Region is characteristic for semi-deserts and deserts - rodents, reptiles, amphibious animals There are 27 kinds of mammals Wild boar and saiga antelope, wolf and fox - live here permanently.

The Volga River lower reaches and its delta ones of the world’s plentiful areas of birds living and nesting. There are up to 270 species of birds in -the Region.

Vegetation is also uniquely diverse. In semi-desert areas gram-wormwood vegetation is predominant, in deserts - wormwood. In the Volga-Akhtuba flood-lands there arc plenty of flood-land meadows with grain-grass of various kinds, bush and band forests of the moderate zone. In {ha vegetation cover wormwoods (black, white, Astrakhan) are predominant as well as camel’s thorns. Willows, black poplars grow in the flood-lands, oak-forests and white poplars - in the high flood-lands. There are cane, reed in the lower part of me delta, water plants (water chestnut, white water-lily) - in small lakes and sea bays. A very rare plant - Caspian lotus still grows there.

The Region flora numbers 800 to 1,5000 plant species while 24 species of rare plants and of those on the brink of extinction are listed in the Red Book of the Russian Federation.

Flora and fauna of me Region are very interesting for scientists of various countries since they are somewhat unique and have not been thoroughly up to now.

Remember the words:

rodent - грызун;

wild boar - кабан;

saiga antelope - сайгак;

wormwood - полынь;

vegetation - растительный покров,

flood-land meadows - пойменные луга;

willow - ива,

black poplar - черный тополь;

cane - камыш;

reed - тростник;

chestnut - чилим.

Answer the questions:

1. What is the animal population in the Region?

2. Why is vegetation of the Region uniquely diverse?

Text 3. The Astrakhan Region - a promissing area for tourism and recreation.

The lower reaches of the Volga River and the Caspian Sea North is an area unique for its history and natural and climatic properties.

The history of the city of Astrakhan starts in the i3^th century, when the Astrakhan khanate was established in the region territory. With it joining the Russian state Astrakhan becomes a major trading center. Russian gates to the Orient Merchants and traders gravitate here from Khiva, Bukhara, Iran, India, Caucuses.

After Astrakhan getting the status of the principal town in a province serious construction starts there. There is a Kremlin (fortress) downtown. White and Earth cities, church, monastery and mosque ensembles, civic buildings with very interesting architectural designs.

Nature is very generous with Astrakhan region The Volga and Akhtuba Rivers with major arms form a vast territory of the Volga-Akhtuba flood-lands with numerous lakes.

The Volga River delta has dozens of islands covered with forests, bushes, cane, many small lakes overgrown with cane and reed- Lotus, rare for its beauty. grows in lakes All this is framed by sandy and grassy beaches On the delta and flood-lands islands there are numerous birds. In rivers and arms there is valuable fish. starting with sturgeon. Seals live in the North of the Caspian Sea.

The climate of Astrakhan means 230 to 250 warm days in a year. Sunny, hot summers, moderately, warm winters favoriting winter fishing fanciers.

Investments can help in fast utilization of all these riches, in turning Astrakhan region into a highly profitable zone to tourism and recreation in combination with mass sports (water skiing, horse riding, camel trips, etc.).

Main investment directions:

• restoration of numerous memorials of history, culture, architecture, organizing relevant sight-seeing routes,

• construction of a tourist hotel in (he city of Astrakhan, of small floating hotels, recreation camps, hunting and fishing lodges, beaches,

• modernization of the Astrakhan airport, turning it into an international one,

• establishment of helicopter landing areas, jetties for fast boats linking recreation, hunting and fishing sites with Astrakhan;

• construction of roads and special railways geared for tourists, linking the Volga wharfs with attractive tourist sites (such as the Baskunchak salt lake, the Bogdo mountain);

• reveval of mud-healing with using medicinal muds of the Tinaki lake;

• establishment of the publishing base for printing reference - and guide-books, albums, pamphlets, picture post-cards.

Various requirements of rest and recreation can be met be local potential. Alter proper modernization and expansion of operating enterprises, construction of new ones using local raw materials the following can be produced:

- floating hotels, cottages, fishing and hunting camp facilities with European-grade services;

- launches, motor boats, rowing boats, canoes;

- fishing and hunting implements;

- various accessories for tourism and recreation;

- necessary foodstuff and drinks.

Remember the word:

Astrakhan khanate – Астраханское ханство;

the Orient – Восток;

merchant – купец;

fancier – любитель.

Answer the questions:

1. What makes the Astrakhan Region a very attractive for tourism and recreation?

2. What can help in turning Astrakhan Region into a highly profitable zone of Russian and international tourism and recreation?

3. What are the main investment directions?

4. What facilities can be produced in the Region?

Text 4. Power Resources.

The Production association for power engineering and electrification of the Region is incorporated into the integrated centralized system and includes the Astrakhan hydro-electric power station (HEPS), Astrakhan thermal power station 2 (TPS) and Astrakhan, Akhtubinsk and Aksaraisk power networks, an industrial repair workshop and power control department.

Power engineering is a weak spot in the industrial potential of the Region. At present only 50 per cent of the Region needs in electric power is met by local capacities. The rest of the. power has to be obtained from outside. The Astrakhan power supply system is, at the moment, deficient with 35% of the power sup­plied by the integrated centralized system through the Volgograd power supply network- The installed power of the regional electric power stations amounts to 480 MW, while HEPS accounts for 100 MW, and TPS2 for 380 MW. The heat capacity of these stations is, respectively, 244 and 710 Gcal/h. Besides, there are two block stations in the Region: a thermal power station at the Astrakhan pulp and paper null (installed power 24 MW) and the municipal heat power station (installed power 5.8 MW).

In order to remove the spoilage of own power resources plans of future de­velopment of the power-generating base of the Astrakhan Region have been worked out.

Their basis is the presence in the Astrakhan Region of cheap and highly efficient gas fuel. These plans include:

- construction of heat-and power-generating TPS-3 station with capacity of 750 MW for electric power and 960 Gcal - for heat;

- Modernization of the Astrakhan power station including replacement of antiquated equipment, increase in capacity of power-generation up to 200 MW, installation of steam-gas blocks of modular construction;

- expansion of the Astrakhan TPS-2 station with increasing its capacity up to 490 MW electric power and 1.320 Gcal of heat,

- construction of new and modernization of existing power grids and trunk heat pipe-lines, including development of grids connecting the Astrakhan power systems of neighboring regions.

Remember the word and phrases.

The production association - производственное объединение;

power networks - электрические сети;

industrial repair workshop - производственное ремонтное предприятие;

power control department - Энергонадзор;

power supply network - энергосистема;

the installed power - установленная мощность;

pulp and paper mill – целлюлозно-картонный комбинат;

antiquated equipment - устаревшее оборудование;

Answer the questions about the text.

1. What does the production association for power engineering and electrification of die Region include?

2. Why is power engineering a weak sport in the industrial potential of the Region?

3. What are the plans of future development of the power-generating base of the Region?

Text 5. The Astrakhan gas condensate plant.

The Astrakhan gas condensate field discovered in 1976 is located in the South-Western zone of the Pre-Caspian hollow.

The operating field, the largest in the Russian South, is unique as for its reserves of gas and condensate: its reserves are 2 to 2.5 times larger than those of the Orenburgskoye field. In the proved part there are 3.5 to 4.0 trillion normal cubic meters of gas with hydrocarbon part containing up to 4 per cent of condensate.

Because the dimensions of Astrakhan gas condensate field arc 100 by 40 tan, the underground pressure of the periodical table of elements. The biggest part of gas volume belongs to hydrogen sulphide with an average amount of 24 per cent of its whole gas volume. It is necessary to single out abnormal amount of hydrogen sulphur oxide (about 100 milligrammes per cubic metre. Specialists determine the presence of mercaptan sulphur at 2000 milligrammes per cubic metre, carbonic acid - about 7 to 15 percent of the whole volume, nitrogen -about 1 per cent of the volume.

In this way, the natural base of Astrakhangasprom is unique and makes it possible to efficiently produce, besides gas, environmentaly sound motor fuels of high quality in accordance with world standards. Alongside this, the natural raw materials have sufficeient potential for production of gaseous sulphur by world standards. Ethane content of the natural gas is the sufficient for plastics production development.

Besides, the field is rich in potassium and sodium salts, other industrial po­tential mineral resourses.

Remember the words and phrases.

Pre-Caspian hollow - Прикаспийская низменность;

gas condensate field - газоконденсатное месторождение;

hydrogen sulphide mass - сероводородные массы,

hydrogen sulphur oxide - сероокись углерода;

mercaptan sulphur - меркантановая сера;

carbonic acid - углекислота;

sodium - натрий;

potassium - калий.

Answer the questions about the text.

1. Where und when was the gas condensate field discovered?

2. Why is the operating field unique?

3. What elements docs Astrakhan gas contain?

4. What docs the natural base of Astrakhangasprom make it possible to produce, beside gas?

Text 6. Mechanical Engineering and Metal Wording Industry.

The most important national economy branch in me region is ship building and ship maintenance which have to meet the needs of fish, oil and gas industries in the first place. Besides there are companies producing press-forging equipment, pneumatic forge hammers, metal-cutting lathes, trailers, wind mills, certain types of electrical, pump, drilling, electrotechnical, painting and plumping equipment, compressors for refrigerators, platforms for off-shore drilling. Thus in 1991 the Astrakhan Region produced 100% of all self-propelled towing boats in the Volga river basin. It is promissing to complete such programmes as "Rehabilitation of the Russian Fleet" and "Rehabilitation of the Merchant Fleet of Russia" which would allow the Astrakhan region to qualify as a large shipbuilding center by starting to build "river-sea" type ships, tankers and dry-cargo boats. Solution of the task of integrated cooperation of machine-building enter­prises requires system approaches and investments.

Find the English equivalents in the text.

Судостроение, судоремонт, кузнечно-прессовое оборудование пневматический молот, металлорежущие станки, автоприцеп, ветроэнергетические установки, энергетическое, насосно-силовое, буровое, окрасочное и сантехническое оборудование, платформа дм подводной добычи нефти, самоходные суда, суда типа "река-море", сухогрузы.

Answer the questions •boot the text.

1. What industries needs do ship building and ship maintenance have to meet?

2. What other companies are there in the Region?

3. What prodrammes would allow the Astrakhan Region to qualify as a ship-building center?

The III International ship-yards and ship-repairing plant is a public joint-stock society. The plant has production capacities for building oil-tanker and bulk-carrying barges, repairs to oil-tanker towed and self-propelled fleet.

Technological equipment and availability of personnel at the plant make it possible to build annually six to seven towed oil-tanker and bulk-carrying vessels with pay-load capacity of 6 thousand tons, three to four self-propelled ships with pay-load capacity of 5.000 to 8,000 tons.

Three plant slip is one of the largest in Europe: ships up to 175 meters in length, up to 29 meters in width and up to 3 thousand tons in dock weight can be raised on the slip.

The plant takes orders for refuting river-going bulk-carriers and oil-tankers into sea-going ones (with account for requirements of international conventions), for repairs of the Volgoneft type oil-tanker vessels.

Remember the words:

joint-stock society - акционерное общество:

self-propelled - самоходный;

bulk - груз судна, refitting - переоборудование

Answer the questions:

1. What production capacities has the plant?

2. What orders does the plant lake?

Text 8. Fisheries

Water reservoirs of the Astrakhan Region - Northern part of the Caspian Sea, lower reaches of the Volga River, its many tributaries - are very rich in valuable fish.

At present fishing industry in the Astrakhan Region operates in the following directions:

- river fishing,

- sea fishing.

- pond fish-breeding.

The special position is occupied by fishing for sturgeon together with obtaining black caviar - in the Caspian Sea basin 90 per cent of the world sturgeon reserves are located with half of them being worked in the Astrakhan Region.

In its best years the fishing industry was the leading one in the area and Astrakhan prosperity and fame is largely due to its own riches in fish: sturgeon, black caviar, river-fish (Caspian roach, pike-perch, wild carp, bream, etc.) pond fish, sea fish (mainly famous Astrakhan sprats).

Artificial Sturgeon Bi ceding.

The main factor negatively affecting sturgeon fishing and getting black caviar is human activities. They include, mainly:

- over control of (he Volga River (low due to hydro-energy facilities construction which causes shrinking of spawning-grounds.

- poaching using modem vessels and fishing implements:

- pollution of water in the Northern part of the Caspian Sea caused by. working major oil and gas fields in the off-shore shelf.

All this, taken together, leads to continued decrease in the numbers of sturgeon. The only real perspective for stopping decrease in fishing volumes, re­storing and multiplying the sturgeon reserves is its artificial breeding. The main version of the artificial breeding includes breeding young sturgeon in fish-pond farms with its further development in natural and artificial conditions. The proper technology is worked out which ensures getting commercially-sized fish in 3 to 4 years (natural development at sea takes 15 years). This technology is successfully used in Germany, France, Italy, Hungary. The Astrakhan Region enjoys a principal advantage over those countries since it possesses natural spawning-grounds in the Volga River delta. Even their :shrinking sizes are still enough for artificial fish-breeding because it is possible to minimize the great losses inevitable with grains of roc and young fish bein washed down into the sea and with development of young fish population in sea conditions which are hard to control.

Pond Fish-breeding.

Pond fish-breeding is considered in the Astrakhan Region an important source of providing people with fresh fish. In ponds they breed mostly carps. Pond fish-breeding started developing in early 60-s and by 1990 production volume reached 10 thousand tons.

But in the subsequent years the volume fell by more than half. The main reason is changing environmental conditions: due to rise in the Caspian Sea level many pond facilities were flooded or semi-submerged. Also production volumes were affected by price increases for feeds and fertilizers due to which reduction of fish-planting material also decreased.

The problem of restoring fish production up to 10 thousand tons a year can be solved.

_ instead of Hooded and semi-submerged ponds in the South of the Astrakhan Region new fish farms will he established in the middle and upper zones of the Volga River delta;

_ nurseries for production of fish-planting material will he organized with fish selection geared to its increased viability;

_ industrial-type feeding farms will be organized for commercial breeding of carp using well-draining dirt-bottom ponds and pools;

_ local resources will be utilized such as products of yeast manufacture (lignin, yeast brew) which will mal-c feeding pond fish significantly cheaper;

_ establishing individual pond farms for commercial fish production will be encouraged; such farms can also breed some special products for ex­port (for example, frogs).