Vocabulary (positive/negative). Useful patterns

Building/classrooms:

(+) brightly painted/decorated, spacious, comfortable, modern, impressive, cozy;

(-) cramped, gloomy, noisy, old-fashioned, tasteless;

• not far from…/within walking distance of the centre/quite close to… /it is about 10 minutes walk from…;

• it looks (seems) well-organized;

• it gives you the impression of being…;

• in general, it is a very welcoming place;

• it overlooks the garden/noisy street so…;

• it has excellent facilities including…;

• the chairs are very uncomfortable…

Groupmates:

(+) friendly, funny, helpful, confident, highly-gifted;

(-) boring, noisy;

• my groupmates are friendly and we have a lot of fun together;

•to gain experience, to experience joy/happiness/excitement/disappointment/fear;

• my problem is with…;

Teachers:

(+) encouraging, helpful, motivating, stimulating, well organized, qualified, experienced, lenient;

(-) boring, strict, demanding, irritable, lose one’s temper;

• the teachers are encouraging and motivating, so I’m learning a lot;

• sometimes the teachers are very demanding and I have a lot of homework to do;

• there is a friendly/informal;/uncomfortable… atmosphere there;

Lessons:

(+) interesting, motivating, well-organized, hard-working atmosphere, stimulating

(-) long, boring, noisy, disorganized;

• different methods and activities are used/modern teaching techniques and aids are employed;

Possible changes at the Academy:

• the teachers wouldn’t force their ideas on the students;

• students would be able to choose subjects and teachers;

• a student council would participate in taking decisions on …;

• a lot of … and less…;

• As a result the atmosphere would be more relaxed, less stressful.

Now read the text.

Studying at University in the uk

Most big towns in Britain have both a university and a college of higher education. There are 91 universities in Britain and 47 colleges of higher education.

If you want to go to (=enter) university, you must first pass examinations that most students take at the age of eighteen (called «A»/Advanced/ levels). Most students take three A levels (three examinations in three different subjects) and they must do well in order to get/obtain a place at university because the places are limited. Competition to get into one of Britain’s universities is fierce and not everyone who gets A-levels can go. Grades at A-level go from A, the highest grade, to E. At the moment, approximately 25-30% of young adults go to university in Britain. Students apply to universities months before they take their A-levels. The students are given a personal interview and the universities then decide which students they want. They offer them a place which depends on A-level results. The more popular the university, the higher the grades it will ask for.

If you get a place at university, the tuition (=the teaching) is free, and some students also get (=receive) a grant (=money to pay for living expenses, e.g. food and accommodation) as well. Students at university are called undergraduates while they are studying for their first degree.

Most university courses last (=go on for/continue for) three years, some courses last four years, and one or two courses, e.g. medicine, may be even longer. During this period students can say that they are doing/studying history, or doing/studying for a degree in history, for example. Undergraduates – students who are studying for degrees go to large formal lectures but most of the work takes place in tutorials – lessons in groups of ten or more when the students discuss their work with the lecturer.

When they finish the course and pass their examinations, they receive a degree (the qualification when you complete a university course successfully). This can be a BA (=Bachelor of Arts) or a BSc (=Bachelor of Science).

When you complete your first degree, you are a graduate. (In the US, students also use this word as a verb and say, they «graduated in history» or «graduated in chemistry», for example. Some students then go on to do a second course or degree (postgraduate course/postgraduate degree). These students are then postgraduates. There are usually three possible degrees:

MA (Master of Arts) or MSc (Master of Science); usually one year;

MPhil (Master of Philosophy); usually two years;

PhD (Doctor of Philosophy); at least three years.

(from “English Learner’s Digest”)