И. А. Курбасова Е. И. Силантьева

TEXT B. THE TRANS-SIBERIAN RAILWAY
(1) The USSR occupies a vast territory in two contin­ents, Europe and Asia. It has a dense railway network connecting its industrial centres in Europe with the Urals. But one of the most interesting railways—the Trans-Sibe­rian main line—connects Moscow with Vladivostok, a large port on the Pacific Ocean. The total length of the line is nearly 9,600 km. That is the world's longest railway.

(2) The construction of the Trans-Siberian line began in 1891 and it was put into operation in 1905. However, the railway was poorly built and accidents (крушения) often took place.

(3) The reconstruction of the Trans-Siberian Railway began after the Great October Socialist Revolution. Now most of the line is electrified. All freight and passenger trains are operated by powerful diesel and electric locomo­tives. The trains develop 140 kph on some sections and

the journey from Moscow to Vladivostok in the "Rossiya" express takes you only 7 days.

(4) The Trans-Siberian Railway plays a very important part in the economic development of our country because it carries a large volume of traffic. Besides, it runs inter­national container service between Europe and Japan.

(5) Greater changes will take place on the Trans-Sibe­rian Railway in the future. Faster locomotives will be put into service. Automation and efficient electronic computers will provide a safer transportation of freight and passen­gers.

22. Прочтите текст С без словаря (3 мин.) и скажите по-русски, почему Транссибирская магистраль сыграла огромную роль во время Великой Отечественной войны и каким образом была повышена эффективность этой линии в послевоенные годы. .

23. Скажите, как вы понимаете выражение в абз. 1 ".. .made a great contribution to the victory. . .".