References

the University of London - Лондонский уни­верситет (основан в 1836 году, один из старейших университетов Ве­ликобритании; состоит из более 30 независимых колледжей и ин­ститутов; до 1900 года в него не производился набор студентов; функ­цией университета было присуждение степеней студентам других университетов, не обладавших таким правом)

В. A. , B. Sc- бакалавр искусств, бакалавр наук (ученые степени, присуждаемые большинству студентов по завер­шении полного курса обучения по, соответственно, гуманитарным наукам и искусствам или естественным наукам; в университетах Оксбриджа и в ряде вновь открытых университетов данные степени при­суждаются по завершении части курса обучения)

М. A. , M. Sc. - магистр искусств, магистр наук (ученые степени, присуждаемые в университетах Оксбриджа по за­вершении полного курса обучения по, соответственно, гуманитар­ным наукам и искусствам и естественным наукам; в других универ­ситетах Великобритании - высшие ученые степени, которые может получить выпускник данного университета)

Task 2. Supply answers to the following questions:

1. What is the percentage of a) men and women students in British universities? b) students studying arts subjects and sciences?

2. What is a graduate?

3. What is the duration of terms and vacations in a British university?

4. What do the abbreviations B. A. B. Sc., M. A. and M. Sc. stand for? When can these degrees be received by a student?

Task 3. Discussion

1. Explain why, in your opinion, women constitute only one-quarter of full-time students in Great Britain.

2. Discuss differences in systems of education provided by London University and the universities of Oxford and Cambridge.

Text 6 moral principles and rules of gentlemanly behaviour are part of the educational process

Task. Read and translate the text.

For the first time in the history of Eton College, one of the world's most famous boys' preparatory school, it can count a Russian national part of its teaching staff

Petr Reznikov is the head of the Russian language and literature depart­ment at Eton College. He applied for the position in response to an ad in The Times. At those times, Reznikov was teacing at a private school in Straffordshire, a country in central England. It turned out that he was chosen ahead of some 20 British teachers who had applied for the same position. In an interview with Moskovskie Novosti, Petr Reznikov talks about the changes that have occurred at Eton.

Is it true that Eton is losing its status as an elite school?

The school is financially inde­pendent, which enables it to pro­vide scholarships to gifted chil­dren whose parents cannot afford to pay tuition fees. For example, this year, the principal announced that eight scholarship students (rather than the usual four) would be admitted to the Sixth Form. To do that, they need to pass exams with flying colors. This is a chal­lenging task for children from ordinary families. Entrance exam­inations for Eton require a good knowledge of French, Latin, and a number of other subjects, many of which are not taught at state schools that are maintained at public expense. This curriculum gap creates serious difficulties. There are probably not more than 200 scholarship students among Eton's 1,300 boys. And of course English is the greatest barrier for foreign applicants. I am sure that if Russian children could speak English as fluently as the natives, they would have no problem entering the school.

How does the Eton curriculum differ from the curricula of maintained schools - public schools in the U.S. sense?

We teach the same basic subjects: English, literature, history, mathe­matics, physics, foreign languages, etc. Probably the main difference is that in addition to core subjects, there is a wide selection of extras. For example, our department teaches 10 foreign languages. Electives also include sports, music, drama, oratory, etc.

There are about 50 interest groups and societies at Eton – from our Slavic society, which open to all those interested in Slavic culture and languages, to connoisseurs of English tea, photography, and arts. Every evening, some luminary or other comes from London or other places to meet and talk with students. Eton also has some 30 sports to choose from. The college also has its own the­ater, and students may attend con­certs and excursions, including abroad.

Boys' schools are known for their brutal hazing practices. Have there been any such inci­dents at Eton?

I have never heard about this. There is a well thought through system of relations between stu­dents, as well as between students and teachers. These relations are extremely trustful. We know exact­ly what is going on here. This also applies to the students' living con­ditions. Every boy has a separate room from the first till the last year of studies. In a certain sense, this is well in line with the famous English principle: My home is my castle. There are 25 Houses at Eton, each with its centuries old traditions. This is related, in partic­ular, to the color of caps, hats, socks, and soccer uniforms.

What is the social makeup of the student body?

According to my predecessor, who has worked at Eton for 40 years, in the past, 99 percent of students were from aristocratic families. Now the situation has changed drastically. Whereas in the past, there was one student from a middle-class family for every 19 offspring of dukes, earls, or barons, today, most of the stu­dents come from the families of lawyers, doctors, businessmen, politicians, scientists, and aca­demics.

Are there any children from working class families?

Very few. As a general rule, they constitute a very small proportion of our scholarship students who showed outstanding ability at entrance examinations. Another reason is that the majority of our students get to Eton from private preparatory schools where there are practically no children with working class backgrounds.

How many foreign students are there at Eton, specifically from Russia?

All private schools in England fol­low the 10 percent rule, which means that the share of foreign stu­dents should not exceed 10 per­cent. At Eton, I believe, it is well below 10 percent. But the number of students from Russia is enor­mous by Eton standards: four. In the past, there was never more than one. Unfortunately, I cannot reveal their names. I will only say that they are not the children of oli­garchs or high-profile politicians. Their parents belong to the middle class and they live in Russia: busi­nessmen, media people, and civil servants. Incidentally, three of them are here on scholarships.

Not so long ago, I studied Eton archives and found that several interesting people from Russia studied or worked there at differ­ent times. In the 18th century, Alexander Kazans, an out-of-wedlock son of Peter the Great, taught art here. As is known, Peter the Great lived in England in 1698, working in the shipyards. Kazans, who became a painter, was his direct descendant.

In 1974, Alexander Solzhinisyn's son, Yermolai, studied here for one year. Not long ago, Marius Stravinsky, a great grandson of Igor Stravinsky, left Eton.

They say that Eton English markedly differs from Standard English.

Indeed, many terms that are used here are incomprehensible outside the school. For example the word "lesson" or "class" used at Eton. "Division" is instead. In the 15th century classroom was separated wooden division, hence the which is confusing to the uninitiated. There are hundreds: thousands of such examples. There are many archaisms "Eton English." Newly employed teachers are issued a special Eton dictionary. This language tradition has remained unchanged for the past 500 years.

Has the school preserved its importance in the British education system that it had, before World War II.

Like any old educational establishment, Eton has gone though different periods. But to many people, the name still has a magic ring. When I go to some international conference and say that I work at Eton, I immediately feel interest and respect. Eton traditions are not about ossified conservatism. The school uses modern, state-of-the-art teaching methodologies, but the most important thing of course are the moral principles and rules of gentlemanly behavior that are part of the education process.

Eton College was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI. The College originally had 70 King's Scholars or 'Collegers' who lived in the College and were educated free, and a small number of 'Oppidans' who lived in the town of Eton and paid for their education.

Eton is a full boarding school committed to:

- promoting the best habits of independent thought, learning, and research in its boys;

- providing a broadly based education designed to enable all boys to discover their strengths, and to make the most of their talents within Eton and beyond;

- engendering respect for individuality, difference, and the contribution that each boy makes to the life of the school and the community;

- supporting pastoral care that nurtures physical health, emotional maturity and spiritual richness;

- and fostering self-confidence, enthusiasm, perseverance, tolerance and integrity Today it is a secondary school (a 'high school' in the American sense) for approxi­mately 1,290 boys between the ages of 13 and 18, all of whom are boarders. There are now some 1,280 boys in the School aged between 13 and 18, most of them resident in the United Kingdom but with some from overseas: rather more than 1,200 Oppidans in addition to the 70 Collegers. Almost 20% of the boys in the School receive financial assistance by means of scholarships and bursaries. Every boy at Eton is a boarder in a House of about 50. Boarding requires a boy to take responsibility for his own life and to get on with a community of other people. It also provides him with a secure base and a focus of loyalty in a very large school, as well as an opportunity for exercising responsibility and leadership in a community. Each House is presided over by a House Master, who is responsible for the academic and personal welfare of his boys and for dealings with their parents. The House Master is assisted by a 'Dame', who looks after the health of the boys and the domestic affairs of the House. Every boy also has an academic 'Tutor', whom he sees regularly, and has access to a range of medical, pastoral, and counseling services.

Eton is a religious foundation and religion continues to play a central role in the life of the community. Although the vast majority of boys belong to the Church of England, boys with many different religious affiliations attend Eton, and wherever possible we provide facilities to allow boys to practice and pursue: their own beliefs.

Entry to Eton

At any one time there are almost 1,300 boys in the School, almost all of whom joined the School at age 13. The School's entry system has evolved significantly during the past few decades. Up until the sixties, virtually every Etonian had been registered at birth on a 'House List', which guaranteed him a place in the School so long as he could pass the Common Entrance examination at or around age. In the interests of fairness and likewise of the School, we radically reformed the system. A boy could now be registered on the 'General List': if he came though a selection procedure when he was 10 or 11 he had a guaranteed place in the School, so long as he could pass the Common Entrance examination of course. The House List system remained in place, but accounted for only about half of our entrants.

A few years ago, and for the same reasons, we made further radical reforms.

A boy who now wishes to join the School at the age of 13 must be registered the Eton List, must come through a selection procedure when he is about 11, and must subsequently pass the Common Entrance examination. Throughout these reforms, we have continued to accept Scholars (King's Scholars, Junior Scholars Music Scholars) with virtually no preliminary registration. And in recent year we have been accepting a few Sixth Form Entrants with again virtually no preliminary registration.

THE SYSTEM OF EDUCATION