Read the following dialogue and translate the underlined words or phrases.

Ann: Hello, Steve! Have you got a minute?

Steve: Sure, yes. What can I do for you?

Ann: I’ve read a number of books on the British system of higher education

but I can’t make head or tail of it.

Steve: Mm… no wonder. What’s the problem?

Ann: Quite a lot of problems. What I want to discuss is the difference

between a university and a college.

Steve: It’s like this, you see… The program is different. At a university it

is much wider. Great attention is paid to scientific subjects.

Ann: It sounds as though most people prefer a university.

Steve: Well… that rather depends.

Ann: Speaking about universities I’m not quite clear about tutorial there.

What is a tutorial exactly?

Steve: Oh, it’s when students discuss topics with a tutor in very small groups – usually there are not more than three or four students and sometimes only one.

Ann: I see … And coming back to colleges… I’m still not terribly sure what residential college is.

Steve: Well… It’s a college with a hall of residence on the same ground asthe principal buildings. In fact all the students live in hall.

Ann: Really? And what about the teaching staff?

Steve: Actually the majority of the teaching staff live there too. But there are also quite a lot of non-residential colleges.

Ann: And did you study at the university?

Steve: Yes…

Ann: What was it like? Beautiful?

Steve: Nothing very remarkable. Of course there were lecture halls,

classrooms and a number of laboratories.

Ann: Any facilities for sport and PE?

Steve: Let me see … Yes … A gym with changing rooms and

showers, a tennis court… What else… Playing fields for volleyball,

football and basketball

Ann: Well, Steve. Thank you very much. You’ve been very helpful [11].

Work in pairs. Make a dialogue about your university using underlined phrases from ex.11.

Education in the USA

Reading

20. Read the text. Match the headings and the parts:

A. This is a brief overview of the American system of Education. Each of the fifty states has its own Department of Education that sets guidelines for the schools of that state. Public schools also receive funding from the individual state, and also from local property taxes. Public colleges and universities receive funding from the state in which they are located. Students in grades 1–12 do not pay tuition. College and university students do pay tuition, but many earn scholarships or receive loans.

B. Generally, school districts are divided into elementary schools, middle schools, and high schools. Elementary schools are composed of students in kindergarten and grades 1–5. Most children attend kindergarten when they are five-years-old. Children begin 1st grade at age six. Middle school is composed of students in grades 6-8 and high school contains grades 9–12.

C. High school students are required to take a wide variety of courses in English, mathematics, science, and social science. They may also be required to take foreign language or physical education, and they may elect to take music, art, or theatre courses. Many high schools also offer vocational training courses. A course can be one semester or two semesters in length. The academic year generally begins in mid August and ends in early June.

In the United States, education is compulsory for all students until ages sixteen to eighteen depending on the individual state.

D. Most high school students graduate at the age of seventeen or eighteen-years-old. A student graduates after he or she has successfully passed all of the required courses. Grades are given to students for each course at the end of each semester. The grading scale is A (excellent), B (above average), C (average), D (below average), and F (failing). A student who fails a required course must repeat the course.

E. Students have the option of attending a two-year community college (also known as a junior college) before applying to a four-year university. Admission to community college is easier, tuition is lower, and class sizes are often smaller than in a university. Community college students can earn an Associate's degree and transfer up to two years of course credits to a university [10].

Post-reading Activities

Write down the words and word phrases in bold and translate them.

Translate the following sentences from English to Russian using the vocabulary from ex.2.

1. College and university students do pay tuition, but many earn scholarships or receive loans

2. Public colleges and universities receive funding from the state in which they are located.

3. High school students are required to take a wide variety of courses in English, mathematics, science, and social science.

4. The academic year generally begins in mid August and ends in early June.

5. Community college students can earn an Associate's degree and transfer up to two years of course credits to a university.