4.2. Answer the following questions:

1. What is Moscow?

2. Is Moscow the largest political, educational and cultural centre of the country?

3. Where is the seat of our Government?

4. Is the Supreme Court situated in Moscow or in St.-Petersburg?

5. Where is the Constitutional Court situated?

6. When was Moscow founded?

7. How old is our capital now?

8. Who founded Moscow?

9. What is the heart of Moscow?

10. What places of interest are in Red Square?

11. What can you see on the territory of the Kremlin?

12. What is the symbol of our country?

13. Where can you see the famous golden Cap of Monomakh?

14. When was the St. Basil’s Cathedral built?

15. Where is the State Historical Museum of Russia?

16. Who designed the building of the Historical Museum?

17. Is Moscow University one of the highest and original buildings in Moscow?

18. Is transport a serious problem for Moscow?

19. What is the most convenient means of transport in Moscow?

20. Are there 12 railway stations in Moscow?

4.3. Choose the right variant using the text:

1. Moscow is the capital of …

a) Russia

b) Belarus

c) Ukraine

2. Moscow is situated on the …

a) Oka River

b) Moskva Rriver

c) Volga River

3. Moscow was founded in …

a) 1147

b) 1158

c) 1566

4. Moscow was founded by …

a) Vladimir Monomakh

b) Yuri Dolgoruki

c) Ivan Kalita

5. The State Historical Museum is situated …

a) in the Kremlin

b) on the bank of the Moskva river

c) in Red Square

6. The first Russian University was founded in …

a) St. Petersburg

b) Saratov

c) Moscow

7. The Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow was designed by …

a) Lomonosov

b) Bové

c) Shervud

Topic 5. Higher education in Russia

5.1. Read and translate the text:

Higher education plays an important role in the life of any country as it provides the country with highly-qualified specialists for future development and progress. It trains people to become engineers, doctors, architects, teachers and so on..

Every citizen of Russia has the right to education. Every boy or girl must get secondary education. After finishing the 11th form of secondary school or lyceum, gymnasium or college young people can go on in higher education.

Higher educational institutions, that is, universities, institutes, and academies have full-time, part-time (or evening) and distance education system. The evening and distance education departments give their students an opportunity to study without leaving their jobs. Some students of full-time departments get grants. Most of the students have to pay for their education.

The academic year in Russian higher schools begins at the beginning of September and ends in June. The academic year is divided into two semesters: the autumn and the spring. At the end of each semester students take their exams. Twice a year students have holidays.

The first- and second-year students obtain knowledge in the fundamental sciences. Specialization usually begins in the third year. Students get more advanced knowledge and begin to concentrate on their special interests so to say, their «major» subjects.

There are two levels of higher education in Russia now: Basic higher education (4 years) leading to the Bachelor's degree, the first university level degree. This is equivalent to the B.S. and B.A. degree in the USA or Western Europe. Then the students may go on with their studies and in a year or two of further study and research get the Master’s degree. This is equivalent to the M.S. and M.A. in the USA or Western Europe.

The profound study of theory is accompanied by practical training, first in specially equipped laboratories and workshops, then in various plants. Besides their studies students carry on research in different fields of science and technology and take part in students’ scientific and technical conferences where they make reports on their investigations.

The main task of Russian higher schools is to educate creatively minded young specialists who will work in various fields of science and technology and other branches of the national economy. They can further enrich their mind by practical experience and by studying and reading Russian and foreign special literature. Reading scientific and technical literature makes it possible to get acquainted engineers and researchers with the knowledge of all the latest achievements of modern science and technology throughout the world. That is why the study of foreign languages is included in the program of all higher schools.

Higher Education is the way to success.

Topical Vocabulary

1) higher education	высшее образование
2) to provide	обеспечивать
3) to train	готовить (специалистов)
4) citizen	гражданин
5) to get secondary education	получить среднее образование
6) right to education	право на образование
7) to go on in higher education	продолжать обучение в вузе
8) to enter the higher school	поступать в вуз
9) full-time study	очная форма обучения
10) part-time or evening study вечерняя форма обучения	вечерняя форма обучения
11) distance education system	система дистанционного обучения
12) to get grant	получать стипендию
13) academic year	учебный год
14) to be divided into	делиться на (семестры)
15) to take exams	сдавать экзамены
16) to obtain knowledge in the fundamental sciences	получать знания по базовым предметам
17) advanced knowledge	углубленные знания
18) Bachelor's degree	степень бакалавра
19) Bachelor of Science (B.S.)	бакалавр естественных наук
20) Bachelor of Art (B.A.)	бакалавр гуманитарных наук
21) Master’s degree	степень магистра
22) Master of Science (M.S.)	магистр естественных наук
23) Master of Art (M.A.)	магистр гуманитарных наук
24) profound study	глубокое изучение
25) to be accompanied by	сопровождаться
26) practical training	практические занятия
27) first	сначала
28) then	затем
29) specially equipped laboratories and workshops	специально оборудованные лаборатории и мастерские
30) plant	завод, предприятие
31) to carry on research	вести научные исследования
32) different fields of science and technology	различные области науки и техники
33) to take part in	принимать участие в (чем-л.)
34) to make report on	делать доклад (сообщение) по
35) investigation	исследование
36) to play an important part	играть важную роль
37) highly-qualified specialists	высококвалифицированные специалисты
38) further development	дальнейшее развитие
39) that is why	вот почему
40) main task	главная задача
41) to educate creatively minded young specialists	готовить творчески мыслящих молодых специалистов
42) to enrich one‘s mind	обогащать ум
43) practical experience	практический опыт
44) researcher	исследователь
45) the latest achievements	последние достижения
46) throughout the world	во всем мире
47) to be included in the program	быть включенным в программу
48) to study without leaving their job	учиться без отрыва от производства (работы)
49) to get acquainted	знакомить