1.4 Review

Task 1. Translate the following sentences from Russian into English. Use the vocabulary of the unit.

1. В России образование обязательно для всех в возрасте с 6 до 14 лет.

2. в последние несколько лет количество молодых людей поступающих в университет немного сократилось. Это произошло потому, что многие университеты теперь стали платными и высшее образование стало менее доступным для тех, кто не может себе позволить платить за обучение.

3. Выбор университетских специальностей стал шире, что является несомненным достоинством, поскольку разнообразие означает бóльшую свободу выбора.

4. Лично я считаю, что школы для детей одного пола – это очень хорошо! Мальчики и девочки часто отвлекают друг друга на уроках и не могут сосредоточиться на том, что говорит учитель.

5. Сторонники системы раздельного обучения детей в соответствии с их способностями считают, что так можно помочь детям полностью раскрыть их потенциал. Однако, противники подобного подхода говорят, что цель образования состоит в том, чтобы поощрять детей в развитии их природных способностей своим собственным путём.

6. На нашей кафедре финальная оценка, которую вы получаете в конце семестра, в основном складывается из результатов текущего контроля.

7. Меня отчислили / я «вылетел» из университета за то, что часто прогуливал занятия.

8. Джеймс получил очень низкую оценку за финальный тест в конце семестра. Поэтому ему пришлось задержаться после занятий и переписать его.

9. Моя сестра всегда была пай-девочкой в школе и получала хорошие оценки по базовым предметам. Думаю, именно из-за неё у меня развился комплекс неполноценности.

10. Сейчас стало очень трудно поступить в университет, не получая частного образования. Причина этого заключается в том, что в школе дети с разными способностями все учатся в одном классе и те, кому требуется меньше времени на усвоение материала, не могут продвинуться на следующий уровень, какие бы успехи они ни делали.

2. Doing a degree.

2.1 University life: what’s it all about?

Task 1. Read the following information note. Think of the Russian equivalents for the highlighted words. Then do the exercises that follow.

If you want to go to university, you must first pass examinations that most students take at the age of 18 (called 'A' levels). Students usually take three or four 'A' levels (examinations in three or four subjects), and they must do well to get a place at university. If you get a place, most students have to pay part of their tuition fees. Some students also get a government grant (= money to pay for living expenses, e.g. food and somewhere to live), but most students need a loan to cover the cost of university life. Students at university are called undergraduates while they are studying for their first degree.

Most university courses last three years, some courses last four years, and one or two courses, e.g. medicine, are five years. During this period students can say they are doing a degree, and when they finish and pass their exams, they can say they have a degree. This can be a BA (= bachelor of arts) or a BSc (= bachelor of science).

When you complete your first degree, you are a graduate. Some students then go on to do a second course or degree, called a postgraduate course/degree (or postgrad course). These students are then postgraduates and they often study for: an MA (Master of Arts), (e.g. I'm doing a Masters in English) or an MSc (Master of Science), and then a PhD (Doctor of Philosophy) [minimum three years].

When people study one subject in great detail (often to find new information), we say they are doing research (e.g. My sister is doing research into/on the effects of stress at work).

School has teachers and lessons; at university you have lecturers and lectures. The head of department (also called a 'faculty', but less common in spoken English) at a university is usually called a professor. (An ordinary teacher or lecturer is not a professor.)

Task 2. Read these sentences spoken by university students. What is each person studying?

1. I'm concentrating on Le Corbusier and Frank Lloyd Wright. __architecture__.

2. We have to know every bone in a person's body. _______________

3. The way we use fertilisers is much more precise than 20 years ago. _______________

4. We're going to concentrate on Freud and Jung this term. _______________

5. I've been reading some books on time management. _______________

6. Expressionism was really a reaction to the work of the Impressionists. _______________

7. We've spent a lot of time on American foreign policy. _______________

8. You must know this case; it's one of the most famous in legal history. _______________

Task 3. What do you call:

1. the money some students receive if they get a place at university?

2. the qualification you get at the end of university?

3. the name we give students during this period at university?

4. teachers at university?

5. students when they have completed their first degree?

6. students studying for a second, higher degree?

7. the study of one subject in great depth and detail, often to get new information?

8. the talks/lessons that students go to while they are at university?

Task 4. Replace the underlined verbs with less formal verbs that have the same meaning in the context.

1. Is it very difficult to obtain a place at university?

2. You have to pass exams before you can enter university.

3. He's studying physics, I think.

4. Did she receive a grant for her course?

5. The course continues for three years.

Task 5. Fill in the gaps with a suitable word.

1. My brother is 20. He's still _______________ university in York.

2. She's got a degree _______________ economics.

3. He's _______________ research _______________ various types of nervous disorder.

4. She's already got a BA. She's doing a _______________ degree now.

5. Who is the professor in your _______________?

Task 6. Answer these questions about your country.

1. Do you need to pass examinations before you can go to university?

2. Do some students get a grant to study at university?

3. Is the tuition free if you go to university?

4. Do most degree courses last three years?

5. What is your equivalent of the British ВA or BSc?

6. Do you have similar postgraduate degrees in your country?

Task 7. Read the text below and decide which answer A, B, C or D best fits each space. There is an example at the beginning (0).

THE OPEN UNIVERSITY

The Open University was created in 1968 to (0) _____A_____ people who cannot afford to (1) __________ regular courses of study, the opportunity of studying and (2) __________

a university diploma or degree. They study at home and their academic performance is assessed by (3) __________ of written examinations or project work. Most Open University students (4) __________ in study while also holding down a job or coping with a busy home life. They study in order to update their job skills or for personal (5) __________.

At the heart of most courses is a (6) __________ of specially written and professionally printed textbooks and workbooks which students receive by post. On many of the courses, students are (7) __________ to watch television programmes on the BBC network, which are usually broadcast in the (8) __________ hours of the morning. The (9) __________ of these programmes is to develop and broaden the study experience, so that students do not have to (10) __________ only on the printed material they are sent.

Students are (11) __________ with all the notes and books they need and, in (12) __________, some courses also include audio and video cassettes and computer software. However, studying at the Open University can be a (13) __________ because students have few opportunities to (14) __________ each other. That is why the University encourages students to set (15) __________ and run informal study groups themselves.

1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7) 8) 9) 10) 11) 12) 13) 14) 15)

present managing method fit delight unit expected first cause rely given addition fight introduce out

assist claiming means take satisfaction club needed initial reason believe provided particular struggle know in

attend reaching route put joy set hoped starting end trust posted advance battle meet up

apply obtaining system join challenge heap considered early aim confide handed return pressure speak off

Task 8. Choose the most appropriate highlighted word or expression in the following sentences. There is an example at the beginning (0).

0. A young child who goes to school is called a pupil / student.

1. A class at university is better know as a lesson / lecture.

2. Money which is given to a student to help them study is called a fee / grant.

3. The people who work at a school or college are called the crew / staff.

4. A person who has successfully completed a course at university is called a graduate / an undergraduate.

5. A teacher who gives talks to large groups of people at university is called a tutor / lecturer.

6. In Britain, the academic year is divided into three semesters / terms.

7. Courses in computer studies, retail management and other job training skills are known as vocational / postgraduate training courses.

8. You need a lot of self-discipline / self-control if you want to succeed at university.

9. Before an exam, you need to remember / revise everything for a few weeks.

10. I always used to get terrible marks / scores for my geography homework when I was at school.

11. Did you have to wear a uniform / an outfit when you went to school?

12. When I go to university, I want to do / study for a degree in Information Technology.

13. Don't forget to do / make notes during the lesson.

14. I didn't go to German lessons, but I managed to pick some up / put some by when I was working in Berlin.

Task 9. In the table below you will find different words used to describe written work for courses. Study them carefully and then correct the wrong usage these words in the following sentences.

composition	could be just 50-100 words, often used to refer to children's work
essay	longer than a composition, more serious, hundreds or even thousands of words
assignment	a long essay, often part of a course, usually thousands of words
project	like an assignment, but emphasis on student's own material and topic
portfolio	a collection of individual pieces of work, not necessarily written
dissertation	a long, research-based work, perhaps 10-15,000 words, for a degree or diploma
thesis	a very long, original, research-based work, perhaps 80-100,000 words, for a higher degree (e.g. PhD)

1. His PhD assignment was 90,000 words long and was on the history of US place names.

2. Little Martha did her first dissertation in school today. It was called 'My family'.

3. We have to hand in an essay at the end of the course. It can consist of up to five different pieces of work.

4. The teacher gave us the title of this week's project today. We have to write 1,000 words on the topic of 'If I ruled the world' and hand it in next Monday.

5. At the end of this course you have to do a 5,000-word thesis which will he assessed, and the grade will contribute to your final degree.

6. I think I'll do a study of people's personal banking habits for my MSc composition. It has to be about 12,000 words.

7. I've chosen to do the portfolio instead of the two exams, because I like to do one single piece of work where I can research something that interests me personally.

Task 10. Read the following passages. Try to figure out the meaning of the highlighted words. Find Russian equivalents for the words. Make up your own sentences using any 10 words you find most useful.

The writing process and evaluation

It's a good idea to start with a mind-map when preparing an essay. Always write a first draft before writing up the final version. Your essay should be all your own work; plagiarism is a very serious offence in most colleges and universities. There is usually a deadline. After the essay is submitted, it will be assessed and usually you can get feedback.

Aspects of higher academic study

University under-graduates carry out (do) research and are expected to read academic journals [note: not magazine], which publish papers/articles on specialised subjects. Academic study can be very demanding and intensive, and some students drop out, but the majority survive till finals.

Answer these questions:

1. What do we call the first attempt at writing something, e.g. an essay?

2. What word means 'the date by which you must do something'?

3. What word means 'using someone else's ideas as if they were yours'?

4. What are more formal words for 'to hand in' and for 'to mark'?

5. What verb do we use when someone doesn't complete their course?

6. What is another word for an academic article? Where can you read them?

7. What word means 'the comments you get back from the teacher about your work'?

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