NEW YORK – Star baritone Dmitry Hvorostovsky is fearless when reaching for musical heights. But the Russian singer says he’s always been scared of physical heights, even on stage sets. So he decided to tackle his fear by reaching sky-high – literally.
The 47-year-old, silver-haired opera singer parachuted from a plane over Florida in December. The proof is a photograph on his new Facebook page that was taken as he dropped at more than 160 kilometers an hour. «I had to do that, because it’s another way to challenge yourself, and life is all about challenges,» he said in a recent interview. «I’m so used to adrenaline, in everything I do.» He acknowledges that «in some crazy productions, when I’m up very high, I’m trembling.» On Saturday, the Metropolitan Opera star will take on another sort of adventure: a show at New York’s Radio City Music Hall featuring the pop songs of Russian composer Igor Krutoi. Next month, Hvorostovsky is to sing a Carnegie Hall recital with American soprano Sondra Radvanovsky, after appearing with her in late March at Toronto’s Roy Thomson Hall, the Place des Arts in Montreal and the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.
And he wants to parachute again sometime soon. «When I jumped out of the plane, it was the most glorious moment in my life,» he said. «You really feel on top of the world.»
Acknowledge 1) Подтверждать, 2) признавать
Adventure Приключение
Appear Появляться
Challenge Бросать вызов
Conquer 1) Преодолевать, 2) завоевывать
Crazy Сумасшедший
Decide Решать
Dive Нырять
Drop Падать
Fear Страх
Fearless Бесстрашный
Feature Содержать особенный элемент
Glorious Выдающийся, яркий
Height Высота
Jump Прыгать
Literally Буквально
Page Страница
Proof Доказательство, подтверждение
Reach Достигать, доходить
Recital Сольный концерт, творческий вечер
Scare Пугать, испугать
Silver-haired Седой
Skydiving Затяжной прыжок с парашютом
Stage set Сцена
Tackle Пытаться (найти решение), преодолевать
Take a photo Фотографировать
Tremble 1) Дрожать, 2) страшиться, опасаться
Sberbank Moscow has announced that the commission for utility services, which will be collected from May 1, will be 2 percent. Previously it was assumed that it would be 3 percent. Maxim Poletayev, the chairman of Sberbank Moscow, announced that the commission will be levied only according to official documents.
The date it will take effect remains the same – May 1. Previously, the service was free for the majority of Muscovites because the Moscow government paid costs for the bank to receive payments for housing and communal services, but this year the responsibility for payment is being passed on to consumers. As a result, Sberbank expects that customers will increasingly use remote channels for payment such as the Internet or ATMs, where commission will be 0.5 percent.
Residents are already searching for ways to save on payments. In some Sberbank branches, pensioners said they had come to pay quickly before the commission took effect. Many had gone to post offices for the same purpose, since they take payments without any commission.
According to В соответствии с…
Announce Объявлять
Assume Предполагать, допускать
Branch Филиал
Consumer Потребитель
Costs Затраты, издержки
Expect Ожидать
Housing and communal services Жилищно-коммунальное хозяйство
Increase (v) Увеличивать
Levy Взимать налог, облагать налогом
Majority Большинство
Pass Передавать
Pay (paid, paid) Платить
Payment Оплата
Previously Ранее
Purpose Цель, намерение
Remain Оставаться
Remote Удаленный
Responsibility Ответственность
Save on payments Экономить на платежах
Search Искать
Take effect Вступать в силу
The same Такой же самый
Utilities Коммунальные услуги
Utility services Коммунальные услуги
Hundreds of rusty World War II-era artillery shells were found beneath a road in northwestern Moscow, prompting the evacuation of dozens of people. Sappers removed 916 field artillery shells of various calibers after workers expanding Prospekt Marshala Zhukova stumbled upon the cache. Residents of two nearby apartment buildings were evacuated immediately, and the road was closed to traffic. At least 28 of the shells were armed, said Igor Chemego, chief of the district office of the Emergency Situations Ministry for northwestern Moscow. But he downplayed the danger they posed.
The shells were loaded into trucks for safe disposal, said Major Serge’ Novikov of the sappers unit. The shells were destroyed at a Moscow airfield late Wednesday, Interfax reported. Such finds are relatively common in Russia, which experienced some of World War II’s fiercest battles. Some residents at the scene claimed that the cache which featured 76mm and 152mm shells – was part of a wider network of ordnance depots located in the area since the 1930s. Zufiar Nurimanov, 72, who has been living in the area for nearly 40 years, said residents routinely found shells in the ground and some boys were killed while playing with them during Soviet times. «Many children played with the ammunition, like throwing shells into the fire, and were killed,» he said.
Ammunition Боеприпасы
Arm (v) Заряжать
Battle Битва
Beneath Под, ниже
Cache Тайник
Common Распространенный
Danger Опасность
Deport Вывоз
Destroy Ликвидировать
Disposal Устранение, избавление
Downplay Преуменьшать, сглаживать
Expand Расширять
Experience Знать по опыту
Fierce Жестокий
Ground Земля
Immediately Немедленно
Network Сеть
Ordnance Артиллеристское снаряжение
Pose Представлять собой
Prompt Побуждать
Relatively Относительно
Rusty Ржавый
Shell Артиллерийский снаряд
Stumble Случайно найти, натолкнуться
Throw (threw, thrown) Бросать
LONDON – Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich has won a public apology and libel damages from an Italian publisher over allegations that he is a compulsive gambler. Gruppo Editoriale L’Espresso agreed to pay «substantial damages» for a story in the paper La Repubblica in May titled, «A black year for Abramovich as he loses a yacht at poker,» Abramovich’s lawyer John Kelly said Thursday. Kelly said Abramovich would donate the money to charity.
Agree Соглашаться
Allegation Голословное утверждение
Apology Извинение
Charity Благотворительность
Compulsive gambler Азартный игрок
Damages Возмещение убытков
Donate Жертвовать
Libel Клевета
Lose (lost, lost) Проигрывать, терять
Substantial Солидный, значительный
Suit Судебное дело
Title Озаглавливать
Win (won, won) Выигрывать
Yacht Яхта
A lawyer arrested for allegedly stealing $17 million in cash has confessed and disclosed the location of the money, RIA-Novosti reported Thursday. Yevgeny Skoblikov, 33, was arrested in October soon after he told police that about $6 million and 7 million euros ($10.5 million) in cash were stolen from his rented Moscow apartment. He said the money, stored in several suitcases, belonged to his clients from Novosibirsk, who had received it as inheritance. The investigators believe that he faked the robbery and hid the cash. Skoblikov disclosed the information after several months in custody during a lie-detector test, the report said. «The missing sum was discovered in the place that he mentioned,» a law enforcement source told RIA-Novosti. The cash was found hidden in the Moscow region town of Lobnya packed in three big bags weighing 70 kilograms in total, Moscow police spokesman Viktor Biryukov told Gazeta.ru.
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