Chekhov Anton Pavlovich -
Taganrog -
Motley Stories -
Ivanov -
Ward No. 6 - 6
The Seagull - Uncle
Vanya -
the Alexandrinsky Theatre -
the Moscow Art Theatre -
The Three Sisters -
the Crimea -
The Cherry Orchard -
in my opinion - -
dramatist -
humorous stories -
medicine -
lifetime - ()
to be proud of- -
sketch - ,
comic -
to support - ,
volume -
to attract attention -
to contribute - ( , ), ( , )
regularly -
established - ,
to develop -
a style of one's own -
to give up - , ( -)
vein - ,
from then on - , ,
to concentrate on - ,
tuberculosis (. : )
estate -
one-act comedy -
masterpiece
it was a complete failure -
dull - ,
clumsy - , ,
production -
It was a cruel blow to Chekhov. - .
to perform - ,
to go from bad to worse - ,
spa - ( )
to produce - ( )
first night -
immense -
influence -
drama -
generation -
to imitate -
to perfect - .
literary -
5.9.9 Questions. Answer the questions upon the text
1 Do you like Chekhov's humorous stories?
2 When and where was he born?
3 When did he begin writing his first humorous sketches?
4 Who helped Chekhov in his writing career?
5 What made Chekhov move to Melikhovo?
6 The Seagull was first staged in the Alexandrinsky Theatre. Why was it a complete failure?
7 What was Chekhov's last play?
8 Do you know any English or American writers who were influenced by Chekhov?
5.9.10 Text. Andrei Sakharov
Andrei Dmitrievich Sakharov, an outstanding scientist and public figure, was born on the 21st of May,: 1921, into the family of teachers. He graduated from Moscow University in 1942. In 1947 he defended his thesis for the degree of Candidate of Science. In 1953 he defended his Doctorate thesis and was elected member of the Academy of Sciences.
When he was a graduate student Sakharov began to work on the Soviet nuclear weapons programme and soon he suggested a totally new idea for a hydrogen bomb design. But he was getting more and more worried about the consequences of his work. He understood better than anybody else what nuclear weapons meant and he thought about his own responsibility and about the responsibility of the states which possessed such weapons.
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In 1968 he wrote an article attacking Soviet political system. He wrote that people needed a democratic society, free of dogmatism.
Sakharov is often called the father of the Soviet hydrogen bomb, but he became more known as a champion for human rights and freedom. For this work the Nobel Committee awarded him the Peace Prize in 1975. The Committee called him "the conscience of mankind". The Soviet authorities, however, did not allow him to go to Norway to receive the award.
In 1966 he took part in his first human rights demonstration, a one-minute silent protest in Pushkin Square. A year later, he wrote a letter to Communist Party leader Leonid Brezhnev defending imprisoned dissidents.
His international repute as a scientist kept him out of jail, but in 1980 when he protested against Soviet intervention in Afghanistan, he was deprived of all his titles and orders and exiled to the city of Gorky. In 1986 Michail Gorbachev invited Sahkarov to return to Moscow. He was given back all his titles and orders.
Andrei Sakharov died in 1989. He is remembered by everybody as an outstanding humanist, who could teach and inspire and who foresaw the changes that are taking place now.
5.9.11 Vocabulary. Pronounce the following words
Andrei Dmitrievich Sakharov -
the Academy of Sciences -
Nobel Committee -
Peace Prize -
Norway -
Afghanistan -
Gorky - .
outstanding -
public figure -
to defend one's thesis -
degree of Candidate of Science -
Doctorate thesis -
to elect - ,
graduate student - -
nuclear weapons -
to suggest -
totally - ,
hydrogen bomb -
design -
consequence -
responsibility -
to possess -
to attack - ,
democratic -
dogmatism -
champion - ,
human rights -
to award - ,
conscience -
mankind -
authorities -
protest - ;
to protest -
to defend -
to imprison -
dissident -
repute -
jail -
intervention ,
to deprive of - -
title - . ,
order -
to exile - ,
humanist -
to inspire - ,
to foresee (foresaw, foreseen) -
5.9.12 Questions. Answer the questions upon the text
1 When was Andrei Sakharov born?
2 What were his parents?
3 What university did he graduate from? When?
4 What is Sakharov famous for as a scientist?
5 When did he defend his Doctorate thesis?
6 What conclusion did he come to while working on the bomb?
7 When did he take part in his first human rights demonstration?
8 What prize was he awarded?
9 Why was he exiled to Gorky?
10 Who helped him to come back to Moscow?
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11 Why is Sakharov known all over the world?
