Vocabulary:

nobility – знать, дворянство;

nobleman – дворянин;

spinning frame – прядильная машина;

hydraulics – гидравлика;

steam machine -паровая машина;

flood – наводнение;

Factory of securities – фабрика ценных бумаг.

		Augustine Betankour
1	The dates of life	– ­14.07.1824
2	The place of birth
3	The family background
4	Education
5	Places of work and appointments
7	Great moments of the life
8	Spheres of activity	Engineering, mechanics, drawing, teaching, inventing, etc.
9	Date and place of death	14.07.1824 in St. Petersburg, he is buried now in Alexander Nevsky Laura

Lesson 20

1. Грамматика: употребление частей речи и их грамматических форм в устной речи.

2. Высшее образование в России.

1. Составьте диалоги по следующим схемам:

   1. a question – agreement:

- The system of higher education in Russia is very complicated.

- Yes, I quite agree with you (You are right. I really think so.). There are two ways of obtaining the university degree.

1.2. a question – disagreement:

- The process of reforming higher education in Russia is very slow.

- No, I don`t agree with you (I don`t think so. I`m afraid you are mistaken.). A lot of changes are under way.

1.3. a guestion – an answer:

- What diploma does the university provide?

- The university provides either a diploma of a specialist or the Bachelor degree.

1.4. a guestion – a guestion:

- How long does the course of study last?

- Do you mean a specialist program?

1.5. information – a question:

- A lot of changes in Russian education are under way.

- What changes are the most important?

1. Education in Russia

- What did you do after finishing secondary school?

- After finishing secondary school I went on to further education. I successfully passed the Unified State Exams and became an applicant for entry. I didn`t have to take competitive examinations at the University.

- What do you know about the system of higher education in Russia?

- Russian educational policy is a combination of economic and social objectives. In the terms of the ratio of students to the total population Russia ranks among the top ten countries in the world. There are a lot universities and colleges in Russia. They teach almost in all subject areas: Arts, Sciences, Law, Engineering, etc. Higher educational institutions are headed by Rectors. Vice-rectors are in charge of the academic and scientific work. The Departments are headed by the Deans. There are subdivisions within Departments.

- What do you know about the programs of study?

- Higher educational institutions train students in two types of programs. The first way is as follows. After four years of study a university graduate will get the Bachelor`s Degree. He can continue his study for two years to take his Master's Degree. The other program provides for a diploma of the specialist after completing five years of study. In either program a student is trained in one specialization. In order to receive a university degree a student writes a graduate paper. The graduates can also continue their education and write dissertations for advanced degrees. After three years of post-graduate research work and the presentation of the dissertation it is possible to obtain the candidate degree. The next stage is the Doctor's Degree which requires much more research work and defending the Doctor`s dissertation.

- Why is the system of higher education in Russia so complicated?

- In Russia the process of the integration and reformation of higher education, based on principles of the Bologna Declaration, is under way. For the past several years Russian education has gained high dynamics of development in the course of global and European trends. The following new developments are a serious evidence of these trends: the introduction of the Unified State Exams, steady strive for providing equal opportunity in obtaining higher education by any individual, highly increased independency of the education institutions. Some new important developments are still in the discussion process, whereas, at the same time, the new specific methods are already being chosen to be implemented: the new system of knowledge and workload assessment; strong reinforcement of quality assurance in education; modern types of state financial support. In the course of these changes the implementation of two-tier degree structure in higher education has been launched.

- How can you evaluate these new trends and developments from your point of view?

- Let me note that Russian education, by its nature, is one of the most sensitive areas of our culture to the improvements and new ideas. The Russian youth is treasuring European values in accordance with its cultural wealth. Based on these grounds, further integration with Europe in the education area is a realistic goal.