II. Reading and Comprehension

Exercise 6. Read the text without a dictionary (time limit is 10 minutes). Do the test.

School and University life in the usa

Americans take great pride in their schools, and want their children to have the best possible education. Only one per cent of the population can’t read or write, compared to 20 per cent a century ago. There are more than 57 million students enrolled in schools and universities. Today there is a strong emphasis on science, mathematics and foreign languages. Television and motion pictures are widely used in teaching.

American children begin to go to school when they are six years old. The first school is called elementary or grade school. In elementary schools, as in the other schools in the USA, there are lessons every day, except Saturdays and Sundays.

At the age of 12 children go to secondary school. There are two kinds of secondary or high schools in the USA: Junior High Schools are for children from 12 to 15; Senior High School are for students from 15 to 18 years of age. In all secondary schools the schoolchildren are called “students”.

Many American schoolchildren finish only Junior High schools because they must begin working to help their families. The certificate of the Junior High School does not allow them to enter collage or University.

In American High Schools there are two kinds of school subjects: subjects which are compulsory for all students. These subjects are English, physical education, social science. But there are also elective subjects. These are the subjects which some students learn and others do not learn if they don’t like them or think that they do not need them. Among elective subjects are mathematics, physics, chemistry, foreign languages, history and others. Boys and girls in the same class usually learn different subjects. American children finish school without any examinations.

Students who want further education can choose between two-year or four-year colleges. Students in two-year programs, which are usually offered at community collages, can earn an associate degree (A.A./A.S.). Students in four-year colleges can earn a bachelor’s degree (B.A./B.S.). Some professions require graduate degree such as the master’s degree (M.A./M.S.) or a doctorate (Ph.D./M.D./Ed.D.) Many people study part-time for these degrees while they work full-time in their chosen professions.

Some students do not go to college after high school but study in technical or special trade schools. These schools usually do not give degrees but prepare students for specialized jobs.

Exercise 7. Find the right ending of the sentences.

1) American children begin to go to school when they are …

a) 7 years old

b) 6 years old

c) 5 years old

2) The first school in America is called ….

a) Junior School

b) Elementary School

c) Infant School

3) In American high School there are two kinds of school subjects ….

a) general and special

b) compulsory and elective

c) exact sciences and the humanities

4) The certificate of the Junior High School …..

a) allows American schoolchildren to enter college

b) doesn’t allow American schoolchildren to enter college or University

c) allows American schoolchildren to enter the University

5) Technical and special trade schools …

a) don’t give degrees but prepare students for specialized job

b) give degrees but don’t prepare students for specialized job

c) give degrees and prepare students for specialized job

Exercise 8. Agree or disagree with the following statements.

1). American children finish school without any examinations.

2). In all secondary schools the schoolchildren are called “students”.

3). Many Americans finish only Junior High School because they don’t want to get further education.

Exercise 9. Choose the correct answer to the following questions.