My Native Town

Hello! My name is Kate. I live in one of the oldest towns of Ukraine – Lutsk. It's my native town. I was born here fifteen years ago.

Lutsk is the administrative centre of Volyn region. It is situated on the River Styr. It was founded in 1085. Its population is about 220 000 people.

There is a big choice of public transport here: buses, trolley-buses, taxis, etc. There are a lot of interesting things to do and places to visit in Lutsk.

I'd like to tell you about the main attraction of Lutsk. It is the Lubart Castle. It was built in the 13^th and 14^th centuries. Its walls are 240 metres long. It has three towers: Entrance Tower, Styr Tower and Bishop’s Tower. Entrance Gate Tower and Styr Tower are 27 metres high, and Bishop’s Tower is 13,5 metres high. The Lubart Castle has also the Museum of Bells and Fine Arts Gallery (Галерея образотворчого мистецтва).

The Cathedral of Sts Peter and Paul is situated not far from the Lubart Castle. It was built in the 17^th century.

The old part of Lutsk has preserved its medieval charm. It's my favourite place in the town. I often walk here with my parents and friends.

The Cathedral of Holy Trinity, built in the 18-th century is the central structure of the modern town.

Our Lutsk is a cultural and educational centre of the region. There are two theatres here: Taras Shevchenko Volyn Drama Theatre and the Puppet Theatre. The citizens of Lutsk are very proud of the Museum of Volyn Icon (Музей Волинської ікони) and Museum of Regional Studies (Краєзнавчий музей). There are also some monuments, among them the monuments to T. Shevchenko, L. Ukrainka, M. Gryshevskii, to St. Nicolas.

Many students study at Lesya Ukrainka Eastern Europian National University and at Lutsk National Technical University. There are many colleges, 26 secondary schools, many kindergartens in Lutsk.

The streets of Lutsk are very clean and not polluted. They are very crowded and noisy in the daytime. It’s impossible to imagine our town without fountains and flowerbeds, gardens and parks.

Ancient and ever young Lutsk becomes more and more beautiful with every passing day. The town is always ready to surprise you every time you come here. I invite you to discover the pleasure! Welcome to Lutsk.

Exercise 3. Answer the following questions:

1. What is your native town/city/village?

2. What town is the administrative centre of the Volyn region?

3. What river is Lutsk situated on?

4. When was it founded?

5. What is its population?

6. What is the Lubart Castle?

7. When was the Lubart Castle built?

8. What three towers does the castle have?

9. What has preserved its medieval charm?

10. What is the central structure in the the modern town?

11. What is your favourite place in the town?

12. Why is Lutsk a cultural and educational centre of the region?

13. What museums can you visit in Lutsk?

14. Have you ever been to Taras Shevchenko Volyn Drama Theatre or to

the Puppet Theatre?

15. What monuments are there in Lutsk?

16. What places can people visit in Lutsk?

17. Where do many students study in Lutsk?

18. What are we proud of?

19. What are the streets of the town?

20. What street do you live in?

21. Do you like your town? Why?

22. Where do you think is the best place to live?

a) in the town centre;

b) in a suburb;

c) in the country, but quite near a town;

d) right out in the country.

Exercise 4. Correct these sentences (Виправте речення):

1. Kate was born in Lviv fifteen years ago.

2. There are few places of interest in Lutsk.

3. The main attraction is Drama Theatre.

4. Lubart Castle has got two towers.

5. Old Lutsk has not preserved its medieval charm.

6. The streets of Lutsk are very polluted.

Exercise 5. Fill in the gaps (Заповніть пропуски):

1. The girl’s name is … .

2. Her … place is Lutsk.

3. There is … of transport here.

4. The main attraction of Lutsk is an old ... called ... .

5. Kate often walks here with her … and friends.

6. The … structure of the modern town is the Cathedral of ... .

7. The citizens of Lutsk are very proud of the Museum of ... .

Exercise 6. Read the dialogue and answer the questions: (Прочитайте діалог і дайте відповіді на запитання):

Tony: This is a great neighbourhood, Mary.

Mary: Yes, it is. The people are very nice here.

Tony: And there are a lot of shops around.

Mary: Yes. Here we are.

Tony: Is this your block of flats?

Mary: Yes, it is. My flat is on the third floor.

Tony: Oh, it’s a perfect place to live.

Mary: Well, there is a flat for sale on the second floor!

Tony: Really? Maybe we can be neighbours?

Mary: Why not? Come upstairs to my flat. We can talk about

the flat downstairs.

Tony: OK.

1. Does Tony like Mary’ s neighbourhood?

2. What kind of people are there?

3. Are there any shops nearly?

4. Is Mary’s flat on the fifth floor?

5. Are there any vacant flats in Mary’s block of flats?

Exercise 7. Read the text and choose the correct item A, B, C for each gap (Прочитайте текст і виберіть правильний варіант відповіді для кожного пропуску):

Peter Smith 1) ... in a small town in the countryside. Peter 2) ...living close to nature. He 3) ... life in the city because he can’t stand crowds and the city traffic. He always 4) ... early in the morning and 5) ... a big heavy breakfast. After that he 6) ... to work. Peter 7) ... indoors. He looks after people’s gardens with the help of his assistant, Chris.

1. A live B lives C is living

2) A enjoys B enjoy C is enjoying

3) A don’t like B didn’t like C doesn’t like

4) A wake up B wakes up C will wake up

5) A has B have C is having

6) A drove B drives C is driving

7) A isn’t working B won’t work C doesn’t work

Exercise 8. Speak about your native town/city/ village. Include the following information (Розкажіть про своє рідне місто, подаючи наступну інформацію):

• name of your this place, its size, population;

• historical places, monuments, museums, theatres, etc.

• nature around;

• type of your house, your neighbourhood;

• traffic, streets, other buildings around, etc.