The Central Soviet Army Museum

In 1919, though the Civil War was still in full swing and the forces of counter-revolution and intervention had not been crushed, yet, an exhibition of the first trophies of the young Soviet Army was mounted on Moscow's Red Square. These were the standards of defeated White Guard regiments, their weapons, and equipment. There were also the famous machine-gun carts from Chapayev's units, armoured cars, revolutionary flags and revolutionary proclamations and posters. Subsequently all these war relics were exhibited in a specially created museum called "Life in the Red Army and Navy".

Today it is named the Central Soviet Army Museum. It has a great collection of items attesting to the gallantry and courage with which the Soviet fighting man so heroically defended his country against counter-revolution and intervention and crushed the nazis in the Great Patriotic War.

In 1965 the Museum moved into a fine new building specially erected for the purpose. Its vast exhibition is contained in 25 rooms and also outside in the grounds. Among the indoor exhibits there are the Council of People's Commissars Decree of January 15 (28), 1918, which Lenin signed to organize a Workers' and Peasants' Red Army; the weapons, decorations, and personal belongings of out­standing Red Army commanders of Civil War time, such as Frunze, Blukher, Budyonny, and Voroshilov; the first Soviet orders and medals; the first Red Army uniforms with their long greatcoats and pointed cloth helmets; specimens of Soviet-made weapons; and oper­ational plans that have now passed into the history of strategy and warfare.

The most powerful impression is produced by the displays that deal with the history of the Great Patriotic War, an epic of mass gallantry and heroism of the Soviet people. The exhibition reflects such undying chapters of gallantry as the defence of the Brest Fortress and Leningrad, the epoch-making Battle of Stalingrad, the forcing of the Dnieper and many others.

The Victory Room displays the Soviet Victory Flag that was hoist­ed above the Berlin Reichstag on April 30, 1945. Besides photographs depicting the famous Victory Parade on Red Square, there are the nazi regimental standards that were cast down during the Parade at the foot of Lenin Mausoleum.

The phrase ^uOn Guard for the Motherland" sums up the display dealing with the Soviet Armed Forces of today. The visitor does not only see various weapons and equipment, but is also given an idea of the excellent training of the young men of the Soviet Armed Forces, the comradeship-in-arms¹ between the Soviet Armed Forces and the brother armies of the socialist countries as well, a comradeship-in-­arms that is on guard of peace and international security.

Questions

1) When was the first exhibition of the Museum opened?

2) What are the main items of it?

3) How does the Museum reflect heroism of the Soviet people during the Great Patriotic War?

4) What is the display of the Museum dealing with the Soviet Armed Forces of today?

 

Note

1) the comradeship-in-arms - братство по оружию

TEXT 3

COLLEGE LIFE IN ENGLAND

The University of Oxford is a collection of colleges. Some of these colleges were founded hundreds of years ago. The University is only an administrative centre which arranges lectures for all the students of the colleges, holds examinations and gives degrees.

Every college has students of all kinds; it has its medical students, its engineers, its art students, etc.

The Tutorial system is one of the ways in which Oxford and Cambridge differ from all other English universities. Every student has a tutor who plans his work. Each week some students come to see him and he discusses with them the work which they have done. This system has some advantages, but has often operated against progressive thinking in British universities because many tutors are reactionary and they try to have a great social and political influence on their students.

Other English universities called "modern" or "provincial"¹ are located in large centres of industry. There are no tutorial systems there. These universities rely on lectures.

Very few children of the working people can be found among the students of all the British universities because the cost of studies is too high. According to official reports only 3 per cent of the whole number of students at the universities are sons and daughters of the working people.

The academic year in England is divided into three terms. Terminal examinations are held at the end of the autumn, spring and the summer terms. Final examinations are taken at the end of the course of studies. If a student fails in an examination he may be allowed to take the exam again. Only two re-examinations are usually allowed. For a break of discipline a student can be fined² a sum of money, for a serious offence he may be expelled from the university.

British universities usually keep to the customs of the past. At Ox­ford University all the students wear long black gowns and students' caps. Undergraduates try to get old gowns so that people would think that they have been at Oxford for years. Without his or her gown no student is allowed to call on a tutor, to have dinner in the college dining-room or attend a lecture - where the gowns are rolled up and used as cushions.

 

Questions

1) In what way do Oxford and Cambridge differ from all other English universities?

2) What are advantages and disadvantages of the Tutorial system?

3) What kinds of English universities are called "modern"?

4) Can many children of the working people be found among the students at English universities?

5) How many terms is the academic year in England divided into?

6) How are the students of Oxford usually dressed?

 

Notes

1) provincial universities - университеты, находящиеся в крупных городах Великобритании (кроме Оксфорда и Кембриджа)

2) be fined- подвергаться штрафу

 

TEXT 4