Higher Education in the USA

Speaking: Expressing Opinion, Examinations

Reading: Text 10.

Listening: “High Marks Just for Trying”.

Vocabulary: Education Abroad

Grammar: Present Perfect vs. Past Simple.

Writing: Topic “Education Abroad”

 

Vocabulary

restrictive to refer to develop purpose exception source Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) Bachelor of Science (B.S.) Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Doctor of Education (EdD) Master

ограничительный относиться развиваться цель, назначение исключение источник бакалавр искусств бакалавр наук доктор философии доктор наук магистр

 

1. Do you agree or disagree with the statements:

- If I have completed most of the reading for a class, I deserve a top grade in that course.

- A professor should not be annoyed with me if I receive an important call during class.

- A baseball player come to spring training and worked harder than all the others, but still couldn’t play well. The team should accept him anyway, just because he tried so hard.

 

2. Listen to the text “High Marks Just for Trying”. Before Listening read the Glossary:

to put a lot of effort – прилагать много усилий

quality of a student’s work – качество работы студентов

keep out – не допускать, держать в стороне

pressure from parents – давление со стороны родителей

to get a good return on the family’s investment – получить хороший доход от семейных вложений

 

3. What questions are discussed in the article?

 

4. Listen again and fill in the blanks:

 

Just _____ percent thought it was OK to take that phone call. But _____ percent agreed that a professor should consider effort and not just the quality of student’s work when deciding grades. And _____ percent thought they should get a B, the second highest mark, just because they did most of the reading for class.

What if a __________ came to spring training and worked harder than all the others, but still could not play well. Would the team accept him anyway, just because he tried so hard?

The students would say ______. But most of them would still ask for an _______.

 

5. Compare these results with your answers.

 

6. Would you want a doctor who got high marks in medical school just for trying really, really hard?

 

7. What do you think about grades? What is the best system of marks: numbers, percents, letters or something else? What is the grade system in the US? May be you can create your own system of marks. Use expressions from the list:

I think ….

I believe ….

I’m sure ….

I agree/ disagree with …

My personal opinion is ….

As far as I know …..

From my point of view ….

To my mind …..

Grammar Focus.

Present Perfect

Утвердительная форма	Вопросительная форма	Отрицательная форма
... + have/has + III	Have/has ... + III ?	... have/has not + III
I have (=I've) studied.	Have I studied?	I have not (=I haven't) studied.
He She It	has studied = (...'s)	Has	he she it	studied?	He She It	has not studied = (hasn't)
We You They	have studied = (...'ve)	Have	we you they	studied?	We You They	have not studied = (haven't)

 

 

Present Perfect употребляется для выражения:

1) действий, которые произошли в прошлом в неопределенное время. Конкретное время действия не важно, интерес представляет сам факт совершения действия.

I have bought a new cell phone. (Время покупки не важно. Важно то, что у меня есть новый телефон)

 

2) действия или состояния, которое началось в прошлом и продолжается в настоящем.

Ihave knownKate for 5 years.

 

3) действий, которые завершились совсем недавно и их результаты все еще ощущаются в настоящем.

She has done her homework.

 

К маркерам Present Perfect относятся:

В утверждениях

ñ for: I have known them for six years.

ñ since: She has been ill since Monday.

ñ already: We have already conducted the experiment.

ñ just: I have just read this chapter.

ñ always: She has always wanted to enter Altai State University.

ñ recently: He has recently published an article.

В вопросах

ñ ever: Have you ever met anybody famous?

ñ how long:How long have you lived here?

ñ yet: Has Paul left yet?

ñ lately: Have you read any good books lately?

 

В отрицаниях

ñ yet: She hasn't answered my letter yet.

ñ lately: I haven't seen John lately.

ñ never: They have never been abroad.

 

8. Make the statements interrogative and negative.

1) I have entered the university.

2) We have learnt enough to pass the exam.

3) I have completed the most reading for the class.

4) He has heard the news.

 

9. There are mistakes in some of these sentences. Find and correct them:

1) I live in Barnaul. I lived here for 10 years.

2) I started studying English 2 years ago.

3) When have you passed your exam in chemistry?

4) We’ve played tennis yesterday afternoon.

 

10. Open the brackets and practice the dialog in pairs.

Andrew:Hello, John! Are you taking your exams?

John:I (already/ pass) my last exam.

A:How you (pass) your mathematics?

J:With distinction. You (pass) your exam too, haven’t you?

A:No I haven’t. I (fail) in physics.

J:What a pity! How it (happen)?

A:It’s difficult to explain. I (forget) the simplest things. I think it (be) a result of sleepless night.

J:That’s what I always (use) to tell you. Don’t put off your work to the very last! What are you going to do now?

A:As soon as the exams are over I’ll have to take my exams in physics for the second time. I (just/ be) to the dean’s office and the dean (already/ set) the time.

J: I hope you’ll get a good grade this time. Good luck!

A:Thanks. See you.

J:Take care.

 

11. Read text 10 and give it a title.

Text 10.

In most western countries, the term “college” and “university” do not have restrictive legal meanings as they do in other countries. Americans use the term "college students" to mean students either in colleges or universities. They almost never say "when I was in university." That sounds British. Instead, "when I was in college."

Traditionally, a “college” refers to the same thing as a “faculty” means in many European countries, for example The College of Arts, the College of Medicine, The College of Liberal Arts. An institution that calls itself a “university” usually offers many graduate programs, and concentrates itself on research as well as teaching.

Modern universities developed from those of Europe in the Middle Ages. The word "university" came from the Latin “universitas”, describing a group of people organized for a common purpose.

"College" came from “collegium”, a Latin word with a similar meaning. In England, colleges were formed to provide students with places to live. Usually each group was studying the same thing. So college came to mean an area of study. The first American universities divided their studies into a number of areas and called each one a college. This is still true.

A college can also be a part of a university. For example, Harvard College is the undergraduate part of Harvard University.

Programs in higher learning can also be called schools, like a school of engineering or a medical school within a college or university.

The system of higher education in the USA consists of four categories of institutions: universities, four-year colleges, technical training institutions and two-year community colleges. Depending on the source of financing higher education institution can be either public (state-supported) or private. Four years of undergraduate study at a university’s “undergraduate schools” or colleges lead to a Bachelor of Arts (B.A) or Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree. “Graduate Schools” which are part of a university or are separate institutions, offer advanced programs which lead to a Master’s (M.A. or M.S.), Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D) or Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) degree.

 

12. Answer the following questions:

 

1) What does “college” mean in western countries?

2) What does “university” mean? What does it offer?

3) How many categories of institutions constitute the higher education in the USA? What are they?

4) What degrees do the undergraduate schools within universities offer?

 

13. Think and find 10 the most striking differences of Russian Universities and Universities abroad.

 

14. Discuss with your partner what university, Russian, Britain, American, would you like to study at? Why? Give your reasons.

 

Unit 9.