The village that changed
A text in Russian at level B1. The translation sits next to it for checking, not for support: at this level the text is read whole, and an unknown word is usually guessed from the sentence. My grandmother was born in a village that had lived off the land from time immemorial. In those years there were thirty…
Text
- Моя бабушка родилась в деревне, которая испокон веков жила землёй. В те годы там было тридцать домов, а в наши дни их больше ста. Поворотным моментом стала дорога до города, которую возвели в шестидесятые. Сначала молодые ездили на работу, а потом начали переезжать насовсем. Старая школа устарела, и десятилетие назад её перестроили в детский сад. Бабушка говорит, что жизнь идёт своим чередом и к переменам надо приспособиться.Moya babushka rodilas v derevne, kotoraya ispokon vekov zhila zemlyoy. V te gody tam bylo tridtsat domov, a v nashi dni ikh bolshe sta. Povorotnym momentom stala doroga do goroda, kotoruyu vozveli v shestidesyatye. Snachala molodye ezdili na rabotu, a potom nachali pereezzhat nasovsem. Staraya shkola ustarela, i desyatiletie nazad eyo perestroili v detskiy sad. Babushka govorit, chto zhizn idyot svoim cheredom i k peremenam nado prisposobitsya.My grandmother was born in a village that had lived off the land from time immemorial. In those years there were thirty houses there, and these days there are more than a hundred. The turning point was the road to the city, which was built in the sixties. First the young went there to work, and then began to move for good. The old school became outdated, and a decade ago it was rebuilt into a kindergarten. Grandma says life goes its own way and one must adapt to change.
Comprehension questions
The questions are asked in Russian on purpose: we test your understanding of the text, not your ability to read the question.
- What had the village lived off from time immemorial?
- What became the turning point?
- What was done with the old school?
- What does grandma say?
Frequently asked
What level do you need to read this text in Russian?
B1. That means: everyday topics are behind you, you know about three thousand words, and an unknown word is more often guessed from the sentence than looked up.
How to read a text in an unfamiliar language usefully?
First all the way through without peeking at the translation — just to catch the familiar words. Then with the translation. Then all the way through again: the second pass brings noticeably more, and that feeling matters more than any rule.