22. Make up and act dialogues considering the following assignments.

1. Your groupmate asks you about streets and avenues of Washington, D.C.

2. You ask your grouipmate about his/her recent visit to Washington, D.C.

Listening

23. Listen to the Text “Position of the City” about geographical and climatic features of Washington, d.C.

a) Answer the questions that follow.

1. What was the purpose of constructing Washington, D.C.?

2. How did President George Washington pick out the spot for the capital?

3. What is the geographical position of the city?

4. What are the climatic conditions of the city?

5. When did the City of Tokyo give several thousand of cherry-trees to Washington?

6. Why does spring in Washington have to be seen?

b) Check your answers with your groupmates and Tapescript 11A of the Text.

c) Retell the story about the position of Washington, D.C.

d) Tell your groupmates about some other seasons of Washington based on the information collected.

24. Listen to the Text “Different Washingtons”. Study the following notes and commentaries:

1. soda fountain [‘sэudэ‘fauntin] – стойка в магазине, где продаются фруктовые напитки, мороженое и т.п.

2. Rock Creek Park – парк Рок-Крик, крупнейший парк в Вашингтоне; специально для детей в нем оборудованы выставочный зал, лекторий и планетарий.

a) Fill in the chart placing ticks in its corresponding boxes.

.

	A Washington of politics and lobbyists	A Washington of government girls	A Washington of “Society”	A Washington of newspaper men
It is located in Georgetown and along Massachusetts Avenue.
Its inhabitants move from the Capitol to House and Senate offices, down Pennsylvania Avenue to the White House.
Hundreds of reporters are continuously visiting the Capitol and White House, the court-rooms, the offices of department heads
It is dedicated to the “great god paperwork”.

b) Check your answers with your groupmates.

c) Read Tapescript 11B. Look up the words you do not know in your dictionary.

d) Retell the story.

Unit 12

Higher education OF THE USA

READING AND DISCUSSION

TEXT 12A

The system of Higher education in the United States of America

1. After leaving secondary schools a growing number of Americans go on to higher education. American institutions of higher education include: technical training schools, community colleges; colleges offering four-year bachelor's degree programmes; and universities which contain one or more colleges and graduate schools offering master's or doctoral degree programmes. The factors determining an institution's prestige are the quality of the teaching faculty, quality of research facilities; the number and competence of applicants for admission.

2. Colleges and universities (either public or private) are supported by public funds or privately. The average course is four years.

3. During the first two years students follow a basic programme. It means that every student must select at least one course from each of the basic fields of study: English, science, modern languages, history or physical education.

4. After the first two years every student majors in one subject and minors in another one. In addition to major and minor courses he can select other subjects according to the professional interest.

5. After four years of study students get the degrees of Bachelor of Science (B.S.), Bachelor of Philosophy (Ph.B.), Bachelor of Letters (B. L.) or Bachelor of Arts (B. A.) (if they studied Greek or Latin). Then students may go on studying and with a year or two of further study get a Master's Degree. After another year or two of graduate study and work and writing a dissertation, they may get a still higher degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.).

6. Over four years at the end of each year students have a final written examination. They take oral exams and write a dissertation only for advanced degrees.

7. Students are classified as freshmen (a freshman is a first-year student), sophomores (a sophomore is a second-year student), juniors (a junior is a third-year student), seniors (a senior is a fourth-year student) and graduate students (a graduate student is one who has graduated having taken a first academic degree and is continuing his study at a more advanced level, often for a higher degree).

8. Not all the students get grants.

9. Most cities have colleges and universities that hold classes in the evening as well as in the daytime. In this way people who have to work may attend school in the evening and work for a degree or just take a course in a subject that interests them.

10. Higher education trains people to become teachers, engineers, doctors or to do other professional work.

Notes:

1. advanced level – курс (уровень) повышенного типа для продолжающих обучение

2. Bachelor’s degree [‘bæt∫эlэzdi’gri:] – степень бакалавра; присуждается колледжем или университетом выпускнику, успешно сдавшему выпускные экзамены, соответствует диплому об окончании высшего учебного заведения в России

3. Bachelor of Art – бакалавр искусств (по одной из гуманитарных или математических наук в университете)

4. Bachelor of Letters – бакалавр литературы

5. Bachelor of Science – бакалавр наук

doctoral degree – (ученая) степень доктора

6. Doctor of Philosophy – доктор философии; для получения этой степени требуется написание самостоятельной работы на основе трехлетних (или более) исследований. Можно сравнить со степенью “кандидат наук” в России

7. graduate school – аспирантура

8. graduate study – учеба в аспирантуре

9. to major [‘meidζэ] – специализироваться по какому-либо предмету

10. Master’s degree – ученая степень магистра; присуждается университетом лицам, успешно завершившим по крайней мере год учебы и исследовательской работы после окончания университета

11. to minor [‘mainэ] – изучать непрофилирующий предмет