Методическое пособие 485
.pdfHigher education can also be obtained through the Open University which offers extension courses. They are taught through correspondence, television and radio and video programmes. The Open University also sponsors local study centres and residential summer schools. The purpose of the Open University is to reach people who may not ordinarily be qualified for university study.
WRITING TASK
Write about one of the foremost universities of your home town. What is the oldest higher school in Voronezh?
TRANSLATION 3.
University Education in Britain
Not all universities in Britain are equal. They differ from one another in history, tradition, and academic organization. Oxford and Cambridge, the oldest universities, are world-known for their academic excellence. The University of London has the size and breadth to rank among the UK’s top universities. A university usually consists of colleges. The departments of the colleges are organized into faculties. A university programme consists of a series of lectures, seminars and laboratory classes, which in total account for about 15 hours per week.
Lectures are given to large groups of students (from 20 to 200). Seminars are much smaller than lecture classes and in some departments can be on a one-to-one basis (one member of staff and one student).
Students prepare work in advance for seminars. And this can take the form of a topic for discussion by writing essays or by solving problems.
Lectures, seminars are one hour in length, laboratory classes last two or three hours. The academic year is split into three terms. The first two terms last for twenty four weeks in total. The third term lasts for six weeks.
WRITING TASK
Write about your university programme. In what form do you prepare work for seminars?
TRANSLATION 4.
Colleges, Faculties and Departments
All universities usually have both faculties and departments (кафедра). The faculties are arts, law, medicine, science and theology. The departments include engineering, economics, commerce, agriculture, music and technology.
At the head of each faculty there is a professor. A staff of teachers called lecturers (преподаватель университета) gives lectures to large numbers of students or study with small groups.
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There are many types of colleges in England. There are colleges within universities. There are teachers’ training colleges, technical colleges of various types, colleges of arts and commerce. Colleges give a specialized training. Those who wish to become teachers spend three years at a teachers’ training college. They study various subjects and learn how to teach, and after that they have practice teaching at schools.
The University of Oxford was the first university in Britain. It was organized in the 12th century as a federation of colleges. They are governed by their own teaching staff known as “Fellows”. The oldest college, University College, was founded in 1249. Today, Oxford University consists of 35 separate colleges.
Cambridge University is also organized as a federation of colleges. Cambridge was established by scholars from Oxford in 1208. The oldest college Peterhouse, was founded in 1284. The largest college, Trinity, was founded by King Henry VIII in 1546.
WRITING TASK
Write about the first university in Russia (Moscow University). When was it founded?
TRANSLATION 5.
US Universities
Harvard University is a private coeducational institution of higher education, the oldest in the United States. In 1636 a college was founded. It was named in 1639 for English clergyman John Harvard, its first sponsor. From its earliest days Harvard established and maintained a tradition of academic excellence and the training of citizens for national public services. Many US presidents attended Harvard: John Adams, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and John F. Kennedy.
Yale University is a private coeducational institution of higher education in New Haven, Connecticut. Yale is the third oldest institution in the United States. It was founded in 1701. Each of the 12 colleges accommodates approximately 250 students and has its own library, living and dining facilities. It is headed by a master and dean, who are both university faculty members. The first professional school established at Yale was the School of Medicine; other graduate divisions are the schools of architecture, art, divinity, drama, engineering, forestry and environmental studies, law, music, and organization and management.
WRITING TASK
Write about graduate divisions at you faculty. What graduate division do you prefer?
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TRANSLATION 6.
Distance Education
Distance education over the world has a history of more than 100 years. But it gained popularity only after 1970’s. Many countries like China, England, Japan, Russia, Spain and the USA use this method, especially in higher education. For example, the Open University in England has more than 80,000 students who take about 140 courses per year. This university has 260 local teaching and 13 regional information centres.
Such factors as age, place, and daily activity do not serve as limiting factors in distance education. Distance education has two main advantages over traditional education. The first advantage is a solution to the problem of teaching staff shortage and the second one is the low cost of education which gives many people an opportunity to receive higher education. It is a system of education for different people at any age. This education allows each student to have an individual scheme of study.
WRITING TASK
Write about the disadvantages of distance education. Does our university use method of distance education?
Unit 3
Тексты по теме «Our Country and the World»
ТЕМАТИКА ОБЩЕНИЯ: 1. Выдающиеся памятники культуры в странах мира.
2.Национальные традиции России и других стран мира.
3.Родной край. Достопримечательности разных стран.
4.Выдающиеся деятели искусства разных стран и культур.
TRANSLATION 1.
English-Speaking Countries: Culture and Traditions
The word “culture” has a number of meanings. It often refers to music, literature, art, and higher education. It also means the customs of a society and the way in which people interact with each other.
Every culture has certain basic ideas which everyone accepted for granted. These are fundamental things that everyone knows from his or her childhood, and which are automatic to the people who live in that culture. They include everything from the common courtesies (правила вежливости) and details of daily life to the deeper issues of a person's place in society, of family, of life.
When a person enters a new culture, the basic customs and ideas that he or she automatically accepted may no longer be true. The person faces a new set of customs and attitudes to try to understand.
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Certain types of behavior are expected in English-speaking countries. The Americans like to speak about their home, colleges and achievements. Nicknames are much more often used in the USA than in Britain.
People in both countries consider time as an expensive object or material. They talk about it in many different ways. They save it, waste it, spend it, kill it. They have free time, leisure time, spare time. They invest in it and carefully budget it. Be polite and friendly in public places. Daily showers and a fresh set of clothes are the norm. Smile and people will smile with you.
WRITING TASK
Write about polite behavior in our country. What is the meaning of the word “culture”?
TRANSLATION 2.
Cultural Differences
Knowledge of differences between cultures is one of the essential key skills that modern people need to possess in order to work and learn effectively. It is important to know cultural differences in order not to offend people of other culture or be misunderstood.
The value system of culture is very important. The value systems of culture shape public behaviours and beliefs. It is difficult to accept that one's own ways of behaving, which seem perfectly normal, can be seen as strange and even rude in another culture. But if a person does not try to observe his or her own culture objectively and does not have an understanding of why other cultures do things differently, it is inevitable that cultural mistakes will be made.
WRITING TASK
Write about strange behaviour of other people. Do you think that our own ways of behaving are perfectly normal?
TRANSLATION 3.
The United States of America (the USA)
The United States of America is the fourth largest country in the world after Russia, Canada and China. The USA occupies the southern part of North America and stretches from the Pacific to the Atlantic Ocean. The total area of the country is 9 million square kilometres. The population is about 230 million people.
The country is washed by three oceans: the Arctic, the Pacific and the Atlantic. The country has many lakes, including the Great Lakes and many rivers, the longest of which are the Mississippi, the Missouri and others. The highest mountains are the Rocky Mountains.
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The USA is rich in natural and mineral resources: oil, gas, iron ore, coal and various metals.
The USA is a highly developed industrial and agricultural country. The main industrial branches are aircraft, automobile, electronic, metallurgical, chemical and many others.
The United States of America is a federal state and a parliamentary republic, headed by the President. The President is elected for a 4-year term and not more than two times.
The USA is made up of 50 states and the District of Columbia, a special federal area where the capital of the country, Washington, is situated. Washington is the center of federal government but each state has its own capital and its own government. The highest legislative power belongs to the Congress, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The highest executive power belongs to the President.
There are two main political parties in the United States: the Democratic Party (their symbol is a donkey), and the Republican Party (their symbol is an elephant).
Christopher Columbus discovered the American continent in 1492. But for the Europeans the history of America started in the 17th century when in the year 1620, a ship named the “Mayflower” brought 102 Englishmen, women and children to the rocky coast. The Pilgrims landed and founded the colony they called Plymouth. The ship’s passengers were Puritans (Pilgrims – as they are usually known) members of a religious sect which was unpopular in Britain because its members wanted to reform the Church of England. They came to America to found a community where they could practice their religion without interference. The people living there were Native Americans (American Indians).
The Declaration of Independence was proclaimed in 1776. The war with Britain lasted eight years. The Louisiana region was bought from France in 1803. California was taken from Mexico in 1848.Alaska was bought from Russia in 1867.
Thirty-five million immigrants from Europe went to the United States in the nineteenth century. Slavery grew in the South. There was the Civil War between North and South for five years. By the end of the nineteenth century the United States became an industrial nation.
An American dream is to start with nothing, to work hard, and than to make a fortune and to be successful. The famous Americans are Abraham Lincoln – the man who freed the slaves; Charlie Chaplin – the man who makes you laugh; Ernest Hemingway – the man of letter and adventure; Martin Luther King – the man who was proud to be black; David Rockefeller – the man who made money from nothing; John F. Kennedy – the President whose murder shocked the world.
WRITING TASK
Write about one of the states of the USA (its geographical position, economy and the administrative structure). What country would you like to visit the UK or the USA? Give your reasons.
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TRANSLATION 4.
Canada
Canada occupies a great part of the North American Continent. The area is 9 million square kilometres and is the second largest country in the world. The population of Canada is 24 million people. English and French are the official languages of Canada and have equal rights. Canada is a federation of ten provinces and two northern territories. Ottawa is the capital of the country.
There are many lakes in Canada. The biggest of them are the Great Lakes which are on the US-Canada border. Niagara Falls attract a lot of tourists from all over the world.
Canada is a highly developed industrial and agricultural country. It is a world leader in the production of nickel, asbestos and other minerals. Canada has an ideal climate for growing wheat and barley. It is among the world's leading wheat producers and is second in the export of wheat.
WRITING TASK
Write about Canada's political status. Would you like to visit Niagara Falls?
TRANSLATION 5.
Australia
Australia geographically is the sixth-largest country in the world and the only one to occupy the entire continent. Its neighbouring countries include New Zealand to the southeast and Indonesia to the north.
The Commonwealth (содружество) of Australia is a Constitutional monarchy. The Queen of Australia is considered to be the Head of State. But under the Australian constitution the role of the Queen is almost entirely ceremonial. The highest executive power belongs to the Cabinet, whose members are chosen by the governing party or by the Prime Minister.
Australia is divided into six states. Most of the Australian population descends from the 19th and 20th century immigrants mostly from Great Britain and Ireland, but from other countries in later years.
English is the main official and spoken language in Australia. A considerable number of first and second-generation immigrants are bilingual.
Much of Australia's culture comes from Europe and more recently America, but distinctive Australian features have come from the environment, aborigine culture, and the influence of Australia's neighbours.
WRITING TASK
Write about the roots of Australian culture. Why are there so many bilinguals in Australia?
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TRANSLATION 6.
Malta
Today, Malta is a popular holiday island in the Mediterranean Sea, but it was not always an island: thousands of years ago, there was a large desert between Europe and Africa, but at that time there were no people there.
Between 7000 and 5000 BC, people travelled across the sea to Malta. They built the famous temples on the island. People used the island's natural harbours for their ships, and they also traded with other countries around the Mediterranean from these harbours. During the Roman Empire, Rome also controlled the island for seven centuries.
The Arabs lived there for two centuries and gave the modern Maltese language many words. The Spanish, the French and the British all came and left the island, and, finally, in 1964, Malta became independent and can make its own laws and protect its own people.
WRITING TASK
Write about any holiday island and its people. Would you like to live on a holiday island?
TRANSLATION 7.
Iceland
Iceland, the island in the North Atlantic is larger than England and Wales, but few people live here – only about 290,000, with over half in the capital city, Reykjavik. Iceland is a country of amazing landscapes – blue lakes and lagoons, fast rivers and waterfalls, mountains and volcanoes that erupt frequently.
Mount Hekla, in the south of the country, has erupted sixteen times in the last thousand years, and, in one of the most violent eruptions of recent times, the volcano on the island of Heymaey almost destroyed the town in 1973.
WRITING TASK
Write about the dramatic and peaceful life of the island, which is known for its amazing landscapes. Is it necessary to protect such places?
Unit 4
Тексты по теме «Our City»
ТЕМАТИКА ОБЩЕНИЯ: 1.Общее и различное в странах и национальных культурах.
2.Международный туризм.
3.Мировые достижения в искусстве и архитектуре.
4.Мир природы. Охрана окружающей среды.
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TRANSLATION 1.
Moscow
Moscow is the capital of the Russian Federation, located on the banks of the Moskva River in the west of the country. Moscow is one of the most beautiful cities in the world.
Moscow was founded in 1147 by the prince Yury Dolgoruky. After 12371238, when the Mongols burned the city to the ground and killed its inhabitants, Moscow recovered and became the capital of an independent principality (княжество). In 1480, Ivan III had finally broken the Russians free from Tatar control and Moscow became the capital of an empire.
The Kremlin and the Red Square are in the centre of Moscow. The Kremlin is the oldest part of the city. It was built under the tsar Ivan III in the fifteenth century. The Kremlin has a red brick wall, up to 21 metres in height with 19 towers that surrounds palaces, cathedrals and other monuments. St. Basil’s Cathedral, a masterpiece of Russian architecture was built in 1561 to celebrate Russian victory over Kazan khanate (ханство).
Now, Moscow is one of the largest cities in Europe. Its total area is 9 hundred square kilometers and still is growing up. The population of the city is about 10 million people. Moscow is the economic, political and cultural centre of Russia.
Moscow is a city of students. There are over 80 higher educational institutions, including several universities; the most famous of them is the Moscow State University.
Moscow is famous for its theatres and museums. The Bolshoy Theatre, the Pushkin Museum of the Fine Arts, the Tretyakov Gallery and others are well known all over the world.
Moscow has a modern underground system (Metro) famous for its beautiful marble-walled stations. The first line of the Metro was built in 1935.
WRITING TASK
Write a description of one of the places of interest in Moscow. What places of interest would you like to see?
TRANSLATION 2.
Washington, D.C.
The capital of the United States of America is Washington. It was named after the first President of the United States – George Washington. It is situated on the Potomac River in the District of Columbia. The district is a piece of land, which does not belong to any one state but to all the states. The district is named in honour of Christopher Columbus, the discoverer of America.
Washington was founded in 1791 as the capital. Washington is not a very large city, but it is very important. The population of the city is nearly one million people.
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Washington has one major business and that business is government. Washington has many historical places. The White House, the official residence of the President of the United States is the oldest public structure in the capital. It was built in 1799. There are more than hundred rooms in the White House. The largest room in this building is the East Room, the scene of state receptions. On the second floor, one can find the Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863, which gave freedom to black slaves in the States.
In the centre of the city, on the Capitol Hill, the highest point of the city there is the Capitol, the home of American Congress. It is the largest and tallest building with white marble columns. There is a law in Washington against building structures higher than the Capitol. George Washington laid the corner stone of the Capitol on September 18, 1793. Not far from the Capitol there is the Library of Congress, which holds five million books.
Other landmarks of Washington are memorials, dedicated to three American Presidents. They are the Washington Memorial, built in honour of the first American President, the Lincoln Memorial, which is devoted to the memory of the sixteenth President of the USA, the author of the Emancipation Proclamation, which gave freedom to Negro slaves in the US, and the Jefferson Memorial, built in the memory of the third President of the USA, who was the author of the Declaration of Independence.
Many people consider Washington to be one of the most beautiful cities in the world. There are many parks, wide streets and impressive buildings. The capital has world-known art galleries, museums and monuments.
WRITING TASK
Write a description of one of the places of interest in Washington. What museum would you like to visit?
TRANSLATION 3.
New York
New York is one of the largest cities in the World. The population of the city is 12 million people. It is the capital of New York State. New York is situated on the Hudson River.
Some call New York a poem in stone and steel, others a soulless monster. It is unlike any other city in the world.
The centre of New York is Manhattan Island. In 1609 the English explorer Henry Hudson entered the river which now bears his name and there in the mouth of this river lay an island the Indians called Manhattan. Hudson’s sponsors, the Dutch, arrived there in 1624 and purchased the island from the Indians for the equivalent of twenty four dollars. That transaction remains the most famous deal of all time. Over the next fifty years ownership of the property would change hands several times
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between the Dutch – who called it New Amsterdam – and the British who named it New York, after the Duke of York, brother of then King Charles II.
New York quickly became one of the largest ports in the world.
New York attracts people from all over the world. Hundreds of thousands of them settled down in that city. Emigrants from seventy countries and all the continents of the world, all speaking their own languages, make up this «Modern Babylon».
New York is the world’s centre of trade, finance, the arts, publishing, entertainment, sports and tourism. Twenty-three million visitors explore the city each year. In numbers and variety the museums of New York seem to overpower the imaginations of the millions who visit them each year. There are four hundred art galleries and the largest is the Metropolitan Museum of Art. New York’s theatres are for every taste and pocketbook. The prestigious is the Metropolitan Opera House.
New York is a city of skyscrapers. The highest skyscraper is the Empire State Building, completed in 1931. It has 102 storeys and its height is 380 metres.
Wall Street is the financial heart of the USA. The National Bank is situated there. Broadway is the longest street in the city, 29 kilometres long. Broadway is the street of the best known theatres and cinemas.
WRITING TASK
Write about the «Modern Babylon». What are advantages and disadvantages of living in such big cities?
TRANSLATION 4.
Technology and Culture
Changes in technology bring changes in culture. A good example is the car. Before cars and buses, most people couldn’t live far from their work, so there were two types of people: town people and country people, with two different cultures. But in the 1900s, town workers could get the bus or drive to work. So people started to live in new suburbs (areas between the town and the country). Life in the suburbs was different from town life and country life, so a new culture grew up – suburban culture.
Cars changed town culture, too. Before cars and buses, walking was the main way of getting around, and most people never went far from their homes. So people often saw their neighbours in the street. Most people knew every family in their street and could name every person. Cars changed that. Now, for the first time in history, most of us do not know the people in our street.
WRITING TASK
Write about the changes in technology. What type of a person are you: town person or country person?
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