The river came back to life
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. For ten years the factory's wastewater flowed straight into the river below the village. The fish left, and soot and…
Text
- Десять лет сточные воды завода текли прямо в реку под деревней. Рыба ушла, а на берегу остались копоть и вредные примеси в иле. Когда замеры показали, что происходит, заводу велели построить очистные сооружения. Волонтёры три года чистили берег и сажали новые деревья. Реку удалось восстановить, хотя некоторые виды рыб так и не вернулись. Теперь долина — заказник, и на берегу стоит табличка «Не мусорить».Desyat let stochnye vody zavoda tekli pryamo v reku pod derevney. Ryba ushla, a na beregu ostalis kopot i vrednye primesi v ile. Kogda zamery pokazali, chto proiskhodit, zavodu veleli postroit ochistnye sooruzheniya. Volontyory tri goda chistili bereg i sazhali novye derevya. Reku udalos vosstanovit, khotya nekotorye vidy ryb tak i ne vernulis. Teper dolina — zakaznik, i na beregu stoit tablichka «Ne musorit».For ten years the factory's wastewater flowed straight into the river below the village. The fish left, and soot and harmful impurities in the silt remained on the shore. When measurements showed what was happening, the factory was ordered to build treatment facilities. Volunteers spent three years cleaning the shore and planting new trees. The river was restored, though some species of fish never returned. Now the valley is a nature reserve, and on the shore stands a sign 'Do not litter'.
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 flowed into the river?
- What forced a change?
- How many years did the volunteers clean the shore?
- What has the valley become now?
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.