SPEAKING
(A) Exercise 1. Finish the sentences according to the contents of the text.
1. The Belarusian State Agrarian and Technical University trains…
2. Young people from Belarus and...
3. There are 8 faculties at the university...
4. All the departments provide the student with...
5. Advanced students can join...
6. The University buildings provide the students with...
7. Most of the students are fond of...
8. During the term the teaching staff…
9. At the end of each term of the academic year…
10. Also the university can boast of…
(A) Exercise 2. Read the questions below and try to answer them without consulting the text.
1. Was our university originally called the Belarusian Institute of Mechanization and Electrification of Agriculture?
2. Has the University been officially named as Educational Institution "Belarusian State Agrarian and Technical University" since 2002?
3. Are the educative process and scientific research conducted by highly competent teaching staff or employees?
4. Do full-time students get education at five or eight faculties?
5. Is the faculty for preparation and vocational guidance of the youth for those who are going to graduate from the university?
6. Do correspondence-course students combine work and study?
7. Is the academic year divided into two or three terms?
8. Do the students have their industrial practice activities every summer?
9. Do the graduates of the University work only at the farms of our republic?
(A) Exercise 3. Speak about the University using the following diagram and words/word combinations.
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Example. Our University was founded in 1954.
| ü BSATU (x2) ü Full-time students ü The agro-mechanical faculty ü The agro-power faculty ü The farm machinery service faculty ü The business and management faculty ü The engineering and technology faculty ü Young people from Belarus and other countries ü Our university ü All the faculties ü The graduates of our university | § enter § trains(x3) § provides § study § work § provide the students with § was founded § prepares(x2) § has already trained | · mechanic engineers. · in 1954. · the University. · engineers for electrification and automation of farm production. · at different plants, factories, industrial enterprises, farms, research laboratories and institutes, joint ventures and banks. · farm machinery maintenance engineers and engineers-managers. · economists-managers and economists-organizers in the field of agro-business. · metrology engineers and standardization and certification engineers. · thousands of qualified specialists. · a good engineering education. · capital knowledge of technical, economic, social and agricultural sciences. · at five faculties. |
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(B) Exercise 4. Read the following sentences. Express your agreement or disagreement using the following phrases:
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1. The Belarusian Institute of Mechanization and Electrification of Agriculture was founded in September, 1954.
2. BSATU is a rather old higher educational establishment.
3. There are 6 faculties that train economists, managers and engineers.
4. The university practices both a full-time education and education by correspondence.
5. The Students' Scientific Society is for advanced students.
6. Today the University has good facilities for studying.
7. The conditions for going in for sport are quiet poor at the University.
8. The majority of the students live in 9 University dormitories.
9. Most of the students need to pay for their studies.
10. Most of the students of our University receive state grants once a month.
(B) Exercise 5. Work in pairs. Ask and answer the following questions. If you need, find the information in the text.
1. When was the Belarusian Institute of Mechanization and Electrification of Agriculturegranted the status of university?
2. How are the educative process and scientific research conducted at the university?
3. Who does the teaching staff of the University consist of?
4. How many faculties are there at the university? What are they?
5. What kind of sciences do the students study? How long do they study at the university?
6. What is the teaching process based on?
7. When do the students take exams/have their industrial practice activities?
8. Where are the research results obtained by the students used?
9. What does the university campus consist of?
10. What kinds of facilities does the University have?
11. Where do the majority of the students live?
12. Where can the graduates of the University work?
(B) Exercise 6. Speak about:
a) the history of BSATU;
b) the teaching staff of the University;
c) the faculties of the University and their specialties;
d) the academic year and the teaching process;
e) University campus;
f) BSATU today.
(C) Exercise 7.Study the diagram and speak on the topic “University Studies” using your active vocabulary.
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(C) Exercise 8. Work in pairs. Restore the dialogue between two first-year students Alex and Ben talking about their university studies from the questions below:
A: – What subjects are studied at the University?
B: …
A: – Should we attend all lectures, seminars and practicals?
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B: …
A: – And what happens if a student misses some?
B: …
A: – We are to take examinations twice a year, aren’t we?
B: …
A: – What happens if a student fails in a subject?
B: …
(C) Exercise 9. Make up dialogues on the following situations. Use your active vocabulary.
Situation 1: Your friend is going to enter BSATU but he isn’t sure what faculty to choose. You a second-year student of BSATU are talking with him about the university you are studying at.
Situation 2: Imagine that you’ve got a friend in Great Britain who is studying at one of the agrarian colleges. He would like to make friends with Belarusian students. Introduce him to your fiend from BSATU and they’ll talk about university studies.
(C) Exercise 10. Work in pairs and discuss the following statements:
1) BSATU is one of the leading universities ofthe Republic of Belarus.
2) It’s not fair to take exams.
3) Extra-curricular activities at the University are valuable.
4) Foreign languages are of great importance for highly qualified specialists.
(C) Exercise 11. Work in groups and prepare PowerPoint presentations.
a) Our University b) Our Faculty c) Students life at BSATU.