The Greek myths relate of the fearful fate of Phaet son of Helios, the Sun-God who, driving, his chariot across the sky day after day, gave men light and warmth. One day the youth begged his parent to grant him but one request, which the fond father found he could not deny. He was to bitterly deplore his imprudent promise, for Phaethon sought to hold the reins of the sun chariot and its quartet of flaming horses. Bound by his word the great god harnessed the sun car and while his son impatiently handled the reins, tearfully implored him to steer clear of the many dangers that were to be encountered in the heavens. Unheeding Phouthon issued a wild whoop and off the quadriga galloped their stamping hoofs raising clouds of cosmic dust as the sun chariot raced through the skies.
From the darh depths of the cosmic void the beasts of the zodiac sallied forth. Taurus the Bull menacingly deserted heavy horns. Cancer the Crab rattled its sharp pincers, Leon the Lion roared in furious rage, and Scorpio the Scorpion sprayed its venom. Frightened, Phaeton let go of the reins and the death-dealing steeds, with naught to restrain them, plunged towards the earth. The fiery sun car scorched and fields, meadows, forests and plains and turned the rivers and seas into billowing vapour and steam.
The end of the world seemed nigh. In the process of the catastrophe, comparable perhaps only to the explosion of a supernova, hosts of men and animals perished. A green park of Africa was transformed into the scorching Sahara Desert. In the very nigh of time, when Mount Olympus, home of the gods, stood on the seer of destruction,
Zeus, the supreme deity, hurled a thunderbolt at the sun car, sending the chariot and its unlucky driver, hurtling down through the heavens into the icy waters of the River Eridanus that flowed along the world's northern most edge.
Bemoaning their brother's untimely" end, Phaethon's sisters, the Heliads, daughters of the sun-god Helios, grieved so deeply and long, that taking pity on them, Zeus changed them into p о pillars that sprouted sadly murmuring leaves. As their tears dripped into the cold waters of the Eridanus, they became beads of amber.
Truth to tell, these beads of amber are indeed greatly reminiscent of frozen tear-drops. No wonder so many similar legends in the folklore of many nations compare amber to tears wept for the dead. Thus with Sophocles, they are the tears shed by mysterious birds lamenting the deaths of paladins. One folk late related by the Lithuanians, whose home is by the Baltic sea that so often casts up blobs of amber after storms, tells the sad story of the sea princess Jurate, who enamored of the handsome young fisherman Kastytis takes him to her amber palace at the bottom of the sea. However, in his rage the than- dergod Perkunas-twin to the Zeus of the Greeks and the Perun of the pagan slavs - hurls a thunderbolt at the amber palace, wrecking it to its very foundations, grieving for her dead lover, the unconsolable princess continues to this day to shed many a bitter tear, which the sea casts up as beads of amber. Meanwhile the larger Chunks are believed to be remnants of Jurate's ruined amber palace.
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Other legends contend that amber is hardened sea foam, annealed by the heat of our diurnal luminary. Some myths claim amber is the petrified roe of mysterious fish, or the fossilized honey of wild bees, or petroleum that has solidified in sea water, or, perhaps, even the sacred resin which the gods inadvertently let slip. In short, a magic origin is emphasized in the lore of many a tribe and nation.
8. Kaliningrad economics and industry
Ø Products from of Kaliningrad industrial enterprises are supplied to the every corner of Russia and to more than 50 foreign countries. The main products are fish and marine products, machines and equipment, cellulose and paper, amber, oil. furs... Export-import goods originating from many regions of Russia, pass through our region.
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Ø The resorts of the sea coast have great regional importance. Investigations of the World ocean Kaliningrad scientists have received international acclaim. Educational institutions train specialists for the fishing industry for the benefit of the whole country and for that of foreign countries.
Ø The economics of the region has an industrial-agricultural character. It's industry is specialized in the fishery, machine-building and pulp and paper industries and in the production of amber and oil. The agriculture has a meat and milk emphasis. Pig-breeding and poultry farming, fur-farming, vegetable and potatoes growing are also well developed. Transportation, especially sea transport, resort-tourist services, science and training of the staff are of the great importance.
Ø 38% of workers are in industry, 11% — in agriculture, 8% in transport. 2% in communications, 7% in the building industry. 8% in the commerce, food distribution and logistics, 3% in municipal services and non-production kinds of services, 7% in health services, physical culture and social security, 7% in public education, 2% in the culture and art. 2% in science, 5% in the other branches of industry.
Ø There are 60,000 workers in the fishing industry. It includes 34 large enterprises and organizations — fishing, fish — processing, transport ship — repairing, port, research, designing and training.
Ø Most of the machine-building enterprises are not large, but they are closely connected with the scientific and research organizations, and they are capable of quick organizing for the production modern products — new machinery, instruments and equipment for fishing, pulp and paper and other branches of industry; transport and commerce.
Ø Our foreign partners show great interest for some kinds of machinery and technology — for example, space technology, which is the specialization of the United designers' office "Fakel". The production association- "Kvartz" has been started to organize joint production of modern computers. New prospects are opening in connection with the conversion of the military's production facilities. For example, the building of timber-carrying vessels is scheduled to begin soon at the Baltic ship-building yards "Yantar”, which were former used for building navel vessels.
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Ø High quality is characteristic for the production of the five Kaliningrad pulp and paper plants which produce bleach pulp, offset paper and board. A significant part of the pulp is exported. Therefore, in spite of the great distance from the row materials (wood is received from the north of the European part of Russia), the production is profitable enough. The main problem is the prevention of the air and water pollution. Now no-waste technologies of recycling water are being applied and waste purification plants are catching the harmful gases produced during the process of wood cooking.
Ø A serious increase in the construction industry is required for the building of more industrial plants, including these connected with the development of the infrastructure of the free economic zone and its future productions. Up to now a significant part of our building materials (cement and some other materials) were imported from beyond the region.
Ø Now methods or management are spreading in agriculture, who,и until recently production was concentrated on the 180 collective farms and state farms (though a half of all vegetables and potatoes, a quarter of the milk and meat, and a fifth of the egg production are produced in private gardens farms of the people. These products are for their own consumption and do not go the market). More than one thousand private large farms have been already organized; agricultural co-operative societies, associations, joint-stock companies are also being organized. Garden-vegetable plots of townspeople are also increasing in area.
Ø Transportation is one of the branches, determining the future of the region's economics. Projects for sharply increasing the amount of cargo transported via the ports of the Kaliningrad coast of the Baltic sea are being considered in light of the requirements of the whole country.
Ø It is necessary to find large investments for the organization of construction works, for the creation of the required production and social infrastructure and for technical equipment for such enterprises.
Ø Bank and insurance business and credit organizations play a very important role in this matter. Quite recently they changed the function of the state in managing economic and social matters. Now banks, insurance and investment companies actively influence the choice of priorities of the regional development and help to provide the financing of long-term projects.
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Ø Sea transport systems are also being developed. A passenger ship is already running between Svetliy and Gdansk. Several times the ferry-ships from Karlskruna (Sweden) have and Kiel (Germany) arrived in Kaliningrad. These routes, as also the routes to other ports of the Baltic basin, may become regular.
Ø And finally, aviation transportation will begin to the West. For this purpose it is proposed that the Kaliningrad airport will be reconstructed with the participation of foreign investors. The plan is to lengthen the runways, to equip them with the modern equipment, to reconstruct the waiting-rooms.
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Complete the sentences:
1) Our industry is specialized in…
2) 7% of workers are in…
3) A serious increase in the construction industry is required for…
4) More than one thousand…
5) It is necessary to find large…
6) Sea transport systems…
Литература:
1) Калининград для россиян и иностранцев. Информационный бюллютень мэрии города. 2008г.- 35с.
2) Калининград для россиян и иностранцев. Информационный бюллютень мэрии города. 2010г.- 29с.
3)Сборник справочно-методических материалов по Калининграду и Калининграду и Калининградской области для гидов и переводчиков. Бюро иностранных языков «Полиглот».Калининград, 2000- 49с.