Экзаменационный (типовой) материал ОГЭ / Английский / 12 задание / 36

1.  Who described the place where Ivan the Terrible’s library was held?
2. How many books were there in Ivan the Terrible’s library?
3. Why were books considered magical in ancient times?
4. Where were archeologists looking for Ivan the Terrible’s library?
5. What is the origin of the name of Ivan the Terrible’s secret library?
6. When was the last time that historians were looking for Ivan the Terrible’ library?
7. What kind of books were in Ivan the Terrible’s secret library?

A. Back in the old days, when books were rare and mostly handwritten, many people believed that they were magical and created legends about them and about the libraries where they were kept. If you think about it, the ability to read and write could easily look like magic to those who couldn’t do it, and for centuries ancient priests and monarchs kept this skill away from simple people to feel special and important.

B. Moscow, like any old city, has many legends, and one of them is about a lost secret library called Liberia, from the Latin word liber – a book. It is believed that the last owner of this library was the Russian Czar Ivan the Terrible and that he either hid it somewhere or it was destroyed by fire. Many people throughout the centuries have tried to find the secret library, but so far nobody has succeeded in finding it.

C. There are different versions of the legend explaining how the library ended up in Moscow. According to one of them, in his youth Ivan the Terrible loved reading and ordered his subjects to bring him some famous ancient books to Moscow. The library that arrived contained a wide variety of works, from poets and philosophers of Ancient Greece, to orators and publicists of Ancient Rome.

D. How can we even be sure that this library existed? Well, we can’t unless we believe some of the old documents – chronicles that tell the story of the translator Johannes Wetterman who was invited by Ivan the Terrible to translate the books from this library into Russian. According to this chronicle, Wetterman said that the books were kept in two strong rooms underground as if they were jewellery.

E. The search for the library began right after Ivan the Terrible’s death. The first and most obvious place to look for the books was the Kremlin. This is where historians were digging in the 18th and 19th century. In the early 20th century the search continued in other places where Ivan the Terrible spent some time during his life – Kolomenskoe, Alexandrov, Vologda and the Moscow Kremlin again.

F. The latest search was held from 1995 to 1999. But like the previous attempts, it didn’t bring any results. Since then the search has not been carried out. Some historians are certain that a library as old as this was most certainly destroyed by the numerous fires of Moscow and that it is foolish to look for it. For others it’s a puzzle that they want to solve – and they make it the aim of their lives. It is unlikely that the library will ever be found, but there is always room for hope!

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