1. The undergraduate course — последний год обучения в уни­верситете

2. Degree examination — экзамен на степень

3. Honours degree — степень с отличием; Pass degree — степень без отличия

SCIENCE IN BRITAIN

Learned societies ¹ and independent scientific institu­tions play a large part in promoting the sciences in Britain, although they do very little actual research.

Most pure research is conducted in the universities, which also play an essential part in maintaining the supply of trained specialists. The learned societies play an impor­tant part in the discussion and publication of the results of research.

At present there are over 900 learned scientific societies in Britain with approximately 400 scientific publications.

During the recent years there has been a considerable expansion of scientific and technological training and re­search within the universities. Most universities have the departments of engineering, some of them including chem­ical, aeronautical and production engineering.² Univer­sities in industrial centres have long been known for studies relating to their local industries. All universities and uni­versity colleges have laboratories or research departments.

The past years have seen appreciable expansion of re­search in human sciences,⁴ including anthropology, soci­ology and psychology.

The traditional method of scientific publication, in which results are written in papers and published in jour -nals, is still the main means of communication among scien­tists. Thejeading learned societies have for long been im­portant agencies for communicating scientific information. The most eminent of the learned societies are:

The Royal Society which was founded in 1660. Its present activities include the holding of the scientific meetings, publication of research work, mainly in the "Philosophical Transactions" and the "Proceedings", the delivery of lec­tures, the presentation of medals. Although an independent corporation, the Society has always had a special relation­ship with the government.

The Royal Society of Arts which was founded in 1754. Its principal object has been to promote the progress of all departments of science. It deals with scientific, artistic, technical, industrial and commercial problems. The Society regularly holds meetings and publishes a monthly journal.

The British Association for the Advancement of Science which was founded in 1831 to promote general interest in science and its application. One of its chief activities is the annual meetings attended by many young students as well as by eminent scientists. Its 14 sections cover the whole range of pure and applied sciences and there is a division for studying the social and international relations of science.

Notes

1. Learned societies — научные общества

2. Production engineering — организация производственного процесса

3. Human sciences — гуманитарные науки

SPORT

The English are fond of sports and regard themselves as good sportsmen. The most favourite sports and games are:

Cricket, the national game, is very popular in England and as a sport is to be seen best of all in the games between small clubs and village teams. The main matches played between .counties last for up to three days, with six hours' play on each day. Cricket demands sunny weather, plenty of time to spare and a comfortable chair for the spectator. The exact date of the origin of the game is not known but it was played already in the sixteenth century. Cricket is a difficult game for foreigners to understand and still more difficult to explain.

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Football which began in England in the 19th century has spread all over the world only in the next century. The Football Association in England was formed in 1863. It organizes various matches and competitions, including international matches, arranges training promising young players, etc.

There are plenty of amateur associations (known as "soccer") clubs, but professional football is big business.

For the mass of the British public the eight months of the football season are more important than the four months of cricket.

Rugby Football (or "rugger") is played with an egg-shaped ball, which may be carried and thrown (but not forward). If a player is carrying the ball, he may be made to fall down. Each team has fifteen players, who spend time lying in the mud or on top of each other. This game was developed at Rugby School, the famous Public School, and is favoured especially by the middle class people.

Horse Racing. Next to football, the chief spectator sport in English life is horse racing. There are a number of race tracks all over the country, and each of these has a certain number of "meetings" every year, each meeting consisting of several days of racing.

LONDON AND ITS PLACES OF INTEREST

If you happen to be on a visit to England, it will be of great use for you to know a few facts about the capital of the country whose language you are studying.

London today stretches for nearly 30 miles from north to south and for nearly 30 miles from east to west. This is the area known as "Greater London" with a population of nine million.

If you fly low over London in a helicopter, for example, you will see below you the winding line of the river Thames flowing from west to east and dividing London into two parts known as the north bank and the south bank.

Those who come to learn London's history will find¹ much to interest them in the City, the heart of the business and financial life Of the country. Here most of the streets are narrow and run down to the Thames, the traffic is slow. It is a very small part of London, only one square mile in area but it is one of the busiest parts of the capital. High office buildings stand on either side of the narrow streets, ell business firms are concentrated here.

; The most striking building in the City today is St. Paul's Cathedral designed by Wren, a famous English architect of the 17th century. People say that the Cathedral (s the finest Renaissance church in Europe.

About two miles westward is another part of London that now is called the West End. Here you will see West­minster Abbey, at which all British kings and queens are crowned. It dates back to 1049. Many famous people are buried in the Abbey, among them Newton, Darwin, Dickens and Kipling.

Across the road from Westminster Abbey are the Houses of Parliament with its famous Big Ben, a huge clock built just over a century ago. In this part of London and fur­ther west, are the finest theatres, cinemas, and concert halls, large museums, hotels, restaurants, the most famous shops and numerous parks. That is the part where the rich live.

To the east of the City is the Port of London. Here, today, are miles and miles of docks and the great industrial areas that depend upon shipping. This is the East End of London, unattractive in appearance, but very important to the country's commerce. The streets, here, are narrow and dirty, the houses are overcrowded. That is the world of poverty, unemployment and disease.

It is certain that a foreigner must be surprised by the sight of London. It will seem noisy, overcrowded and filled with undisciplined-looking buildings.¹

On the other hand, London is very attractive for tour­ists. It's very old and full of historical places, full of cus­toms and traditions. Englishmen themselves are a mixture of past and present, of the old-fashioned and the very modern.

Visitors are usually greatly surprised by the number of bridges across the river. The capital has 14 bridges, the fa­mous London Bridge being the biggest among them.

The streets of London are always of great interest to tourists. In some parts of London they are very much alike, as the houses are the same in style and colour. The houses are not big, they are mostly two-storeyed buildings with many front doors and many little gardens.

There is a lot of traffic in the streets of the town: endless lines of buses, many of which are double-deckers,² motor cars and taxis. The traffic regulations in London dif­fer from ours: they drive on the left side on the left side of the road instead

If,

of the right. And when you try to cross the road, you feel that you need eyes all round your head."

The quickest way to get about modern London is thi Underground. It seems that everyone in the London Under* ground is always in a hurry. Men are running fast, carrying their bags, umbrellas and newspapers. They are busy Londoners, they are "saving time".

Notes