Oral Exercises to the Texts

1. Answer the following questions:

1. What are the three stages of education in Great Britain?

2. What is the age for compulsory secondary education?

3. What is the main difference between maintained and private schools?

4. Describe primary stage of school education in Great Britain.

5. Describe secondary education in Great Britain.

6. What have you learned about different types of secondary schools?

Text 5 post-school education

1

At the age of 16 young people can choose their further education at school or outside school. They can continue studying at school until the age of 18. They can leave school and continue their education in various colleges, polytechnics and vocationally oriented schools, such as drama schools, art schools, ballet [´bælei] schools or schools of librarianship and others. The most part of these institutions are private, i.e. fee-charging.

These institutions do not give higher education, they prepare a variety of professions for industry and commerce: shorthand, typing, book-keeping and many others.

2

The UK post-school institutions of higher education are universities, polytechnics and other higher education colleges.

There are 46 universities in the country. Admission to universities is by examination or selection (interviews). British students get grants from their local education authority.

A university graduate leaves with a degree. It usually takes three years to get a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree. A Master of Arts or Master of Science degree may be got in one or two additional years.

Universities are centres of research as well as teaching and many postgraduates are engaged in research for higher degrees. The highest academic degree is the Doctor of Philosophy. It may take any number of years to finish the original research work necessary to get this degree.

British universities greatly differ from each other. They differ in date of foundation, size, history, traditions and general organization.

Vocabulary

admission — поступление

Bachelor of Arts (BA), Bachelor of Science (BS) degree —степень бакалавра

book-keeping — бухгалтерия

commerce — торговля, коммерция

Doctor of Philosophy — “доктор философии” в той или иной области (“доктор философии в медицине”, “доктор философии в физике”)

fee-charging — платный

graduate — выпускник

grant — стипендия

Master of Arts (MA), Master of Science (MS) — степень магистра

postgraduate — аспирант

research — (научная) исследовательская работа

shorthand — стенография

typing — машинопись, переписка на машинке

vocational — профессиональный

Written Exercises to the Text

1. Translate the sentences with the words of the Vocabulary into Russian.

2. Find in the text the English equivalents for:

1) могут выбрать; 2) такие как...; 3) большая часть этих учебных заведений; 4) и многие другие; 5) получают стипендии; 6) обычно требуется три года, чтобы получить степень бакалавра; 7) еще через два-три года; 8) многие аспиранты занимаются научной работой; 9) британские университеты сильно отличаются друг от друга.

Oral Exercises to the Text

1. Agree or disagree with the following statements:

1. Pupils can continue studying at school until the age of 20.

2. All colleges, polytechnics and vocationally oriented schools are free of charge.

3. Polytechnics and vocationally oriented schools give higher education.

4. British students do not get grants.

5. It usually takes 5 years to get a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree.