4. Read the text and fill in the gaps with the words derived from the capitalized words. Decide what the Dream Means to You.

Dreams that are clear with (1)recognizable objects and events are RECOGNIZE

very (2)useful. Dreams about real life issues can help you find an USE

(3)explanation and solution. History is filled with the (4)inventions EXPLAIN/INVENT

begun in dreams, from (5)scientists to fashion (6)creators. Dreams SCIENCE/CREATE

often come to us as a metaphor, like a puzzle awaiting us to piece

it together. It's harder to understand the (7)meaning of an abstract MEAN

dream than to interpret one with real (8)connections to your waking life. CONNECT

Pay attention to the (9)feelings the dream awakens. There's no one way FEEL

to interpret them. Figure out what makes sense in terms of your

present (10)emotional state. EMOTION

Writing

4. You have got an e-mail from your English–speaking pen friend about his/her dream which he/she liked very much. Write him/her a letter and answer his/her three questions. Write 80-100 words.

Do you believe in dreams? Can you remember your dreams? Do you think dreams have meaning and can be realized in real life?

4. You’ve got a letter from your English speaking pen-friend.

… In Scotland I most of all liked our excursion to Loch Ness. Unfortunately I wasn’t lucky to see the monster and I was disappointed as I had read so much about it. Do you believe in mythical creatures? What books have you read or films have you seen about mysterious creatures? Do you think they exist now?

Write her/him a letter and answer her/his questions. Write 100-120 words.

Module 4 Reading

2. A) Read the text. Match the titles to the paragraphs a-g. One title is extra.

New Computer School Makes French Students Teach Themselves

8. In Search of New Talents C

9. School Founder’s Basic Views E

3. Admission Rules B

4. State Support -

5. All are Equal G

6. Why the number in the name? A

7. Education and Employment D

8. The Innovative System F

A

A newly opened computer school in Paris is called 42. Why 42? In “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy,” the science-fiction novel by Douglas Adams, which is a favourite of technology types in France, the number 42 is proclaimed the “Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe and Everything.” The school was founded by a telecom magnate who says the French education system is failing young people.

B

This year 800 students out of 20000 applicants are going to be accepted to the new school. The process of selection is very intensive. The first stage is cognitive skill tests online. Those who pass them are invited to the month-long camp in Paris where the potential students are challenged with computer problems for 15 hours a day.

C

The only criteria for applying is to be between the ages of 18 and 30. You don't need money and you don't need a particular level of academic achievement. A third of the applicants don't even have high school diplomas. The school authorities are not looking for how much students know but how they think. One of the schools main goals is to unearth talents in poor areas where children don't fit into the traditional French academic education.

D

Today youth unemployment in France is at a 14-year high. At the same time, French companies cannot find enough IT specialists and thousands of young computer enthusiasts can't get training. That prompted 42's founder Xavier Niel to invest $90 million of his own money in the computer school.

E

Niel, the creator of France's third largest telecommunications company, explained the current situation and his position: “If you're the son of a blue collar worker, you're going to be a blue collar worker. Children of elites stay elite. We have 200,000 kids a year who drop out of the French school system and have no hope. They become a drag on society. We want to help these young people to take control of their lives.”

F

The new school’s strategy is to make students learn by solving problems, not to teach them stuff because nobody knows the problems in the future. There are no lectures or traditional teachers, only group projects and “friendly organizers” wearing T-shirts. So, they are creating students able to learn by themselves. They will build their talents and learn from each other.

G

There's no social or national discrimination at this school, because getting in isn't based on one’s education level or social status. It's a true melting pot. Even though 42 doesn't yet offer a recognized diploma, potential students feel sure it will prepare them to face the future better.

b) Read the text and mark the statements True (T), False (F), Not Stated (NS).

1. A computer school in Paris was first founded in 1942. F

2. 42 is a magically powerful number for technology science fiction lovers in Paris. T

3. It’s difficult to pass the entrance tests to the 42 school. T

4. The applicants are offered a project to make. NS

5. The course is expensive. F

6. Today it’s difficult for IT specialists in France to find jobs. F

7. Self-learning is one of the main pedagogical approaches in the new school. T

8. International students are also invited to 42. NS