УСТАНОВОЧНЫЙ СЕМЕСТР
Task 1. Read the text “ Let Me Introduce Myself and My Family ” and use it as a model for your own topic.
Let Me Introduce Myself and My Family
Let me first introduce myself. My name is Katya. My surname is Voronina. I was born on the 3rd of December 1997 in the small town of Nikolsk. Nikolsk is an administrative center of Nikolsk District in Vologda Oblast. My home town is located on the right bank of the Yug River. It is about 400 km from Vologda.
Now I am a first-year Bachelor student in the Institute of Pedagogics, Psychology and Physical education. I am fond of reading books and articles about different countries, their culture and people. I’m especially interested in the eastern states and their traditions. And of course I love travelling. In my spare time I love dancing and listening to modern music. Besides I love going to the cinema and watching historical and fantasy films. I am a very sociable person. Of course, I like to spend my spare time with my friends. We discuss films, books, news. In fine weather we like to be in the open air. When the weather is bad, my friends come to my place. We have a good time together.
Now I am going to tell you about my family. There are five members in our family. I’d like to start with my parents. Their names are Sergey Borisovich and Natalia Petrovna. My father is forty-two years old. My mother is two years younger than my father. They have been married for twenty years. They love each other and have some traits of character in common, but they have different interests and hobbies. For example, my father is fond of sports and my mother doesn't go in for sports at all. She does housework and takes care of her family. My mum is very good at cooking. My parents are both teachers.
My elder sister is six years older than me. Her name is Tanya. She lives in Vologda. She is married and has a family of her own. My sister is a postgraduate student at the Department of Russian Language. Her husband is a doctor. They have got a son, my nephew. He is only two years old.
We also have many relatives. My aunts, uncles and cousins live far from us, in different cities of Russia. On holidays they come to visit us and we have a good time together. We get along well with each other and have a lot of family traditions.
SCHOOL EDUCATION IN GREAT BRITAIN AND THE USA
Topical Vocabulary
A level (Advanced [əd'vɑːn(t)st] level) - повышенный уровень
be run - быть включенным, предусмотренным
boarding ['bɔːdɪŋ] school - школа-интернат
certificate [sə'tɪfɪkət] - свидетельство
charge a fee [fiː] - взимать плату
charter ['ʧɑːtə] - документ, разрешающий создание школы
charter school - (амер.) чартерная школа (школа, поддерживаемая правительством и управляемая родителями, компаниями и т.д., а не системой общеобразовательных школ )
comprehensive [ˌkɔmprɪ'hen(t)sɪv] school - общеобразовательная школа
compulsory [kəm'pʌls(ə)rɪ] - education обязательное образование
contribution [ˌkɔntrɪ'bjuːʃ(ə)n] - вклад; make a contribution - вносить вклад
curriculum [kə'rɪkjələm] – учебный план
elementary (primary) school (амер.) - начальная школа
General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) - свидетельство об общем среднем образовании
grade [greɪd] (амер.) - класс
graduation [ˌgrædju'eɪʃ(ə)n] - окончание учебного заведения
grammar ['græmə] school - грамматическая школа
High School Diploma [dɪ'pləumə] - (амер.) диплом о получении среднего образования,
improve [ɪm'pruːv] - улучшать
junior ['ʤuːnɪə] – младший
junior high school - (амер.) неполная средняя школа (7, 8, 9 классы)
measure ['meʒə] - измерять
primary ['praɪm(ə)rɪ] school – начальная школа
private ['praɪvɪt] school - частная школа
program ['prəugræm] - программа
public ['pʌblɪk] school - (бесплатная) средняя школа в США
quality ['kwɔlətɪ] - качество
secondary ['sek(ə)nd(ə)rɪ] education – среднее образование
secondary (high) school - средняя школа
senior ['siːnɪə] high school - (амер.) старшие классы средней школы (10, 11,12)
separate ['sep(ə)rət] - отдельный
state-supported [sə'pɔːtət] - финансируемый государством
stream [striːm]- поток
subsidized ['sʌbsɪdaɪzd] - финансированный, субсидированный,
survey ['sɜːveɪ] - обзор
term [tɜːm] - семестр
vocational [və'keɪʃ(ə)n(ə)l] - специальный, профессиональный
Task 2. Read and translate the text.
Schools in Great Britain
Primary Education
There is compulsory secondary education in Great Britain. English children must go to school at the age of five. On the first stage of school education – primary stage - children study in a primary school from the age of five to eleven. The primary school is divided into two parts: infant and junior. First children go to infant schools where they learn first steps in reading, writing and using numbers. They also sing, draw and do physical exercises. The curriculum for "strong" and "weak" groups is different.
When children leave the infant school, at the age of seven, they go to junior schools. Their school subjects are English, Mathematics, History, Geography, Nature Study, Swimming, Music, Art, Physical Education and Organized Games.
When children come to the junior school for the first time, they are divided into three "streams" — A, В and С — on the basis of their infant school marks or sometimes after a special test. The brightest children go to the A stream and the least gifted to the С stream.
In primary schools pupils are mostly taught by a class teacher who teaches all subjects.
Schools usually divide their year into three "terms", starting at the beginning of September.
The School Year
| Autumn Term | Christmas Holidays (about 2 weeks) | Spring Term | Easter Holidays (about 2 weeks) | Summer Term | Summer Holidays (about 2 weeks) |
Secondary Education
At eleven, after finishing primary school course children go to the second stage of school education – secondary schools. Secondary education is compulsory for all up to the age of sixteen.
Now about 90 % of all secondary schools are comprehensive. Pupils go there automatically, without selecting examinations. However, some comprehensive schools do not have the full range of academic courses for six-formers. Pupils can go either to a grammar school or to a six-form college to get the courses they want.
All state schools have the National Curriculum. It consists of the subjects which all the children must study at school. The subjects are English, Mathematics, Science, a modern foreign language, Technology and Design, History, Geography, Music, Art, Physical Education. Pupils’ progress in subjects is measured by written and practical tests. The National Curriculum aims to ensure that all children study basic subjects and have an all-round education.
Parallel to the state system, there is a private education system. Private schools charge fees for education. Many private schools are also boarding schools, at which pupils live during the term time.
Most sixteen-year-olds take the General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) exams in five, ten or even fifteen subjects.
The exams are taken as individual subjects, so a pupil may take as many subjects as ability and time permit, and success or failure in one subject will not influence another.
Pupils going on to higher education or professional training usually take GCE Advanced ( A) level examinations in two or three subjects. These require two more years of study after GCSE, either in the sixth form of a secondary school or in a separate sixth-form college. Other pupils may choose vocational subjects such as tourism, secretarial and building skills. Subsidized courses in these subjects are run at colleges of further education.
Task 3. Answer the questions.
1. When do English children begin to go to primary school? 2. What subjects do pupils study in infant and in junior schools? 3. Why are English children divided into streams? 4. How many teachers are children taught by in primary schools? 5. At what age do English children go to secondary schools? 6. Are all schools free in England? 7. When do pupils take the General Certificate of Secondary Education exams? 8. How many subjects do pupils going on to higher education take A-level examinations in?
Task 4. Read and translate the text.
American Schools.
Compulsory education in the USA varies, according to the state, between 5 and 7 years of age; the age of leaving school varies between 16 and 18 years of age. Secondary education in the USA is in grades 7— 12. The majority of American children attend free, state-supported, public schools. There are also private elementary and secondary schools where a fee is charged. Most public schools are co-educational, that is, boys and girls study together, but a lot of the church-supported schools are for boys or girls only.
Elementary (primary) and secondary (high) schools are organized on one of two bases: eight years of elementary school and four years of secondary school, or six years of elementary, three years of junior high school and three years of senior high school.
The program of studies for elementary school children in the USA includes Arithmetic, English, History of the USA, Geography, elementary Natural Science, Physical Training, Music and Drawing. Some schools teach a modern language, such as Spanish, French or German.
The junior high school comprises grades seven, eight and nine. It usually continues some elementary school subjects, but also introduces courses in Mathematics and Science, and usually gives students a chance to study a foreign language.
The high school prepares young people either for more advanced study in a college or university or for work after graduation. The subjects studied in elementary school are studied in greater detail and in a more advanced form in high school. In addition a student can specialize in the subjects he/she chooses, such as Humanities, Economics, Chemistry, Physics, Music, etc. Students of high school are often involved in non-academic activities – for example, in school paper, sport teams or different clubs.
The USA have the shortest school year in the world, an average of 180 days.
All states of the USA have set the secondary school graduation level as the completion of the 12th grade. The High School Diploma is the name for the secondary graduation qualification.
There is also an interesting type of school in the USA called Charter school. Charter schools are public schools that are independent of any local school district. A charter school is a separate school with separate funding, or it can be a school within a school. The quality of schools is measured by test scores. If it is not good, they'll lose their financing — this is a powerful motive to offer a high-quality program or to improve methods of teaching. Charter schools are usually formed by a group of teachers, parents, and/or community leaders who want to make contributions to educational reform. National surveys of charter schools have found high levels of satisfaction among parents, especially from poor and minority families, pupils and teachers associated with them.
Ex.5. Match the parts of the sentences.
1. The majority of American children attend …
2. Most public schools are co-educational, …
3. The junior high school comprises …
4. The high school prepares young people ….
5. Students of high school are often involved …
6. Charter schools are public schools …
a. … for more advanced study in a college or university or for work after graduation.
b. … free, state-supported, public schools.
c. … in non-academic activities – for example, in school paper, sport teams or different clubs.
d. … that is, boys and girls study together.
e. … that are independent of any local school district.
f. … grades seven, eight and nine.