From Ex. 1, p. 166-167

• to excel in/at sth – to be outstandingly good or proficient at sth; e.g. We believe that everyone should be given the opportunity to excel in education in order to secure a safe future for themselves.( thesundayschool.org.uk)

excellence, n. - (U.); e.g. NYS Scholarships for Academic Excellence provide up to $1,500 per year for up to five years of undergraduate study in New York State. (www.hesc.ny.gov)

• perseverance, n. - (U.) determination to keep trying to achieve sth over a long period in spite of difficulties; e.g. “The difference between perseverance and obstinacy is that one comes from a strong will, and the other comes from a strong won't.” (H.W. Beecher)

• morale, n. - (U.) the level of confidence and enthusiasm that people have, esp. people who work together, who belong to the same team etc; to boost / raise / keep up / restore morale; e.g. low / high staff morale

NOTE: The moral of a story is the lesson that story teaches about how to behave in the world. Add an "e" and you have morale: the spirit a group has that makes them want to succeed. It's a sense of well-being that comes from confidence, usefulness, and purpose.

COMPARE: “Saudi Arabia blocked access to Facebook on moral grounds.” AND “Perks keep morale high at Michigan's top workplaces.”

• to prejudice sb against sb/sth - to influence sb so that they have an unfair or unreasonable opinion about sb/sth; e.g. An accused murderer is worried that his gigantic neck tattoo reading “Murder” might prejudice the jury. (The Daily Caller)

Search the Vocabulary Commentary for the equivalents of the following:

1) бегло просматривать / поверхностно знакомиться;

2) бросающий вызов традициям и авторитетам / критически настроенный / мятежный / дерзкий;

3) за счет / ценой экономического благосостояния;

4) избавить от необходимости писать;

5) изгой общества;

6) искать «кратчайший путь» / самый легкий способ;

7) не хочется / лень;

8) настойчивость / упорство / стойкость;

9) настраивать против / создавать предвзятое мнение;

10) не появиться на работе;

11) ограниченный / недалёкий / с предрассудками / необъективный / предвзятый / узколобый;

12) отличиться / добиться блестящих результатов в учебе;

13) поднимать моральный / боевой дух;

14) пролистывать / бегло просматривать;

15) стипендия, назначаемая за блестящие / выдающиеся успехи в учебе;

16) установить баланс / найти компромисс / удачно совмещать;

17) широких взглядов / восприимчивый (к новым идеям) / непредубеждённый.

Vocabulary Exercises

1. Translate the following English phrases from the text “How I Got My First-Class Degree” into Russian:

1) did not give up my life for study;

2) I was usually behind with my reading;

3) I was occasionally mystified by the syllabus;

4) sometimes I couldn’t be bothered to go to university;

5) to have a feel for the education market and really sell your inspirations;

6) customers who fell into two broad categories;

7) to pull down monuments;

8) to rake over familiar ground;

9) every book on my reading list was out on long loan from the university library;

10) I sought shortcuts;

11) to skim the index;

12) to pluck out what was needed;

13) I prefer to be spontaneous and open-minded;

14) to strike the right balance between working and enjoying yourself.