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Файл:Перевод и реферирование общественно-политических текстов из средств массовой информации. Учебное пособие
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Unit
10
Read and translate the article
How technology can make up for bad,
absent teachers in poor-country schools
“Books will soon be obsolete in schools,” Thomas Edison announced in
1913: they would, he believed, soon be replaced by silent films. Each new wave
of information technology – radio, television, computers – has led to similar
predictions. And each time, the old technologies of books, classrooms and teachers
have proved startlingly resilient.
Like teachers, digital educational technology comes in many forms, from
wonderful to appalling. But, used properly, it now deserves more prominence in
schools – especially in poor countries where human teachers are often ignorant,
absent or both.
Truant teachers
The UN’s Millennium Development Goals included the ambition that by 2015
all the world’s children would complete primary school. This has largely been
achieved: nine out of ten children are now enrolled. Alas, the figure is not as
impressive as it sounds. Even though most of the world’s children go to school, an
awful lot of them learn pretty much nothing there. According to a recent World Bank
study of seven sub-Saharan African countries, half of nine-year-olds cannot read
a simple word and three-quarters cannot read a simple sentence. The reason is
terrible teaching. The same study found that only 7% of teachers had the minimum
knowledge needed to teach reading and writing effectively. When classrooms were
inspected to see whether a teacher was present, half the time the answer was no.
Paying teachers more, in the hope of recruiting better ones, is not the answer.
In poor countries, teachers are well paid by local standards – annual salaries are
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Перевод и реферирование общественно-политических текстов из средств массовой информации
four times GDP per person in India and five times in Kenya and Nigeria. (In OECD
countries, teachers are paid between 75% and 150% of GDP per person.) Nor
does raising or reducing pay seem to make much difference: neither a sharp cut
in Pakistan in the late 1990s nor a sharp increase in Indonesia after 2005 had any
impact on learning outcomes.
As for absenteeism, if expensive teachers do not turn up to class, governments
would, surely, sack them? Easier said than done. Poor governments often lack the
wherewithal to check on teachers in distant villages. And in many countries, teachers’
unions are powerful and governments fear their wrath, so members’ jobs are safe.
Several recent studies suggest ED-tech can help. It seems to bring about
bigger improvements in poor countries than in rich ones. In a study of a range
of interventions in poor countries – including smaller class sizes, nutritional
supplements, deworming and incentives for teachers and pupils – tech had the
biggest effect.
Some of the scarce resources being spent on teachers could therefore be
better spent on ED-tech. That does not mean dumping computers on schools in the
hope that children will understand how to use them, a folly on which plenty of money
has been wasted. Instead, it means providing schools with software that children
can use with minimal help from an adult, that gets things right more often than the
teachers do, that adjusts itself to the child’s ability, that sends teachers prompts
about what they are supposed to be teaching and that allows the authorities to
check on whether the teacher is in the classroom.
Sceptics may wonder whether the poorest places have the necessary
infrastructure. But Africa is electrifying apace – in Kenya, electricity coverage has gone
up from 27% to 55% of households in three years. Where the grid is not available,
solar chargers can work. Schools do not need internet access. Devices can be taken
to where there is a connection to upload or download the necessary information. Cost
does not have to be a huge problem either. Tusome (“let’s read” in Kiswahili), one of
the most successful schemes, costs around $4 per child per year in Kenya, where it is
being rolled out across public primary schools. The biggest issue is the government’s
commitment: where it is enthusiastic, the chances of success are good.
Technology is no panacea. Good traditional teachers are not obsolete, and
are never likely to be. And authorities need to hold teachers to account. But EDtech can help greatly—by monitoring pupils and teachers alike, assisting the best
teachers and, most important, making up for the failings of the worst. [54]
The Economist
November 15, 2018
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Unit 10. How technology can make up for bad, absent teachers in poor-country schools
Vocabulary Practice
1. Give Russian equivalents to the following words and phrases from the article.
Be obsolete, startlingly resilient, digital educational technology, appalling,
prominence, truant teachers, be enrolled, annual salaries, absenteeism,
wherewithal, nutritional supplements, scarce resources, solar chargers.
2. Fill the gaps with the missing prepositions in the following wordings.
1) replaced … silent films
2) according … a recent World Bank study
3) teachers are well paid … local standards
4) impact … learning outcomes
5) turn … to class
6) a study … a range … interventions
7) dumping computers … schools in the hope that children will understand
8) teachers prompts … what they are supposed to be teaching
9) to hold teachers … account
10) making … for the failings … the worst
3. Explain and expand on the following sentences from the text.
1) “Books will soon be obsolete in schools”
2) Most of the world’s children go to school, an awful lot of them learn pretty
much nothing there.
3) Paying teachers more, in the hope of recruiting better ones, is not the
answer.
4) Schools do not need internet access
5) The biggest issue is the government’s commitment: where it is enthusiastic,
the chances of success are good.
6) Good traditional teachers are not obsolete, and are never likely to be.
4. Give а summary of the arguments on “how technology can make up for bad”.
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Перевод и реферирование общественно-политических текстов из средств массовой информации
5. Match the words from columns A and B to make word combinations.
A
silent
information
learning
minimum
scarce
nutritional
necessary
poor
internet
distant
solar
B
knowledge
villages
countries
supplements
chargers
films
information
outcomes
resources
technology
access
6. Translate the text into English.
Новый учебный год во Франции
Новый учебный год во Франции для 12 млн школьников и 840 тысяч учителей начался с ряда реформ. Неспроста многие политики, как справа, так и
слева, уделяют всему, что связано с образованием, пристальное внимание.
Ведь школа – та тема, которая вместе с проблемой занятости, как считается во Франции, всегда оказывается в центре любой президентской предвыборной кампании. Потому министерство образования наметило ряд реформ,
которые должны, по его мнению, продемонстрировать растущий интерес
властей к школе. Некоторые из них уже осуществляются, другие – в процессе
обсуждения.
Пожалуй, самым продвинутым шагом можно назвать курс на «персонализацию образования». Здесь целый ряд нововведений. Во-первых, расширение сети пансионатов для одаренных детей из малообеспеченных семей.
Распахнули двери спецшколы для трудных подростков, которых выгнали отовсюду или из-за неуспеваемости или из-за поведения. В этих школах строгие
порядки, а главное, опытные преподаватели, которые умеют справляться с
ершистой публикой.
Персонализация – это и план «Эклер». Что это такое? Особые права,
которые получают в виде эксперимента около 300 коллежей и 30 лицеев. Так,
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Unit 10. How technology can make up for bad, absent teachers in poor-country schools
дирекция может самостоятельно подбирать если не всех, то значительную
часть преподавателей. Причем их изначально нацеливают на индивидуальный подход к ученикам, а в работе допускается применение нестандартных,
адаптированных к конкретной ситуации педагогических методик.
Полным ходом идет внедрение в учебный процесс современных технологий. Уже местами внедряется «электронный дневник», который должен в
перспективе заменить обычный бумажный. Родители получают возможность
следить за домашними заданиями своих чад и оценками в реальном времени, а также общаться с учителями через Интернет.
А вот коллежу «Ле Боеси», что в местечке Муасси-Крамейль (департамент Сена и Марна) местные власти подарили электронную доску. Этот
коллеж – 1 из 15, которые включены генеральным советом департамента по
активной «электронизации» школ Сены и Марны, на что уже потрачено около
300 тысяч евро [19].
Вячеслав Прокофьев
Российская газета – Неделя №5576 (200)
08.09.2011
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Unit
11 Read and translate the article
Read and translate the article
The case for multilateralism
Countries should remain open if they want to reap the benefits of innovation,
says Bill Gates.
I have been working in global health and development for almost two decades.
In that time, I have seen the world make phenomenal progress. Child mortality
has more than halved since 1990. The percentage of desperately poor people in
the world has fallen from 36% to 8% in the same period. Deaths from HIV have
plummeted since their peak in the early 2000s. The list of achievements goes on.
I often explain these successes with a single word: innovation. New vaccines
saved millions of children from deadly diseases, and new treatments made
it possible to live with HIV. But of course that’s not the whole story. Lifesaving
interventions do not deliver themselves, and living standards do not simply rise
on their own. These things happen because political leaders make them a priority,
government experts get together to share best practices, and we build up the
global institutions that make these breakthroughs available to those who need
them most.
In other words, progress is not inevitable. It is the result of a series of choices.
It happens because people from around the world decide to work together on
solving global problems.
This is one reason why I’m concerned about the current trend – in America and
Europe – toward retreating from the open, multilateral approach that has driven
so much progress. If governments start withdrawing from their engagement in the
world, it will slow and possibly reverse the progress we’re making to save lives and
lift people out of poverty. For those of us who care about making the world a safer
and more equitable place, it is the wrong choice.
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Unit 11. The case for multilateralism
One example is the fight against HIV. America and countries throughout
Europe have been at the forefront of this effort, with impressive results. Millions of
people living with HIV receive lifesaving medicine thanks to funding from America
and Europe – more than 11m people from America’s PEPFAR program alone.
“I’m concerned about the current trend in America and Europe toward retreating
from the open, multilateral approach that has driven so much progress”.
That progress would be at risk if governments cut back on funding. Without
medicine, people living with HIV would die. Similarly, reducing prevention efforts
would mean the epidemic could make a comeback in sub-Saharan Africa. A
report issued by our foundation last year predicted that a 10% reduction in global
funding for AIDS treatment and prevention could cause an additional 5m deaths
by 2030.
On the other hand, keeping up the progress in health and development can help
alleviate the problems that make people want to withdraw in the first place. Take
mass migration: when we work together to help low-income countries strengthen
their food and farming systems, we tackle some of the root causes of migration and
instability. If you want fewer people to be forced from their homes, cutting back on
joint efforts to help them improve their lives will be counterproductive.
Demographic trends are another reason that global co-operation is so
important. Today more babies are being born in the places where it’s hardest to
lead a healthy and productive life. If current trends continue, the number of poor
people in the world will stop falling and could even start to rise. By the middle of this
century, just two countries – Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of Congo – will
be home to 40% of extremely poor people in the world.
This makes it all the more important to create opportunities for young people
by investing in their health and education. It will take a global effort—no one country
can do it alone.
“If governments start withdrawing from their engagement in the world, it will
slow and possibly reverse the progress we’re making to save lives and lift people
out of poverty”.
Nor is this simply a question of funding. It is about which countries are going
to lead the world in the future. Americans and Europeans have benefited greatly
from shaping institutions like the United Nations and the World Bank, and while
these organisations are hardly perfect, they are still essential to solving the world’s
problems. Countries like Kenya, Senegal and Vietnam deserve enormous credit for
their own growth, but trade and technical assistance led by America and Europe
played a key part too.
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Перевод и реферирование общественно-политических текстов из средств массовой информации
Of course, disease and poverty are not the only major problems that require
global co-operation. Climate change is another. While there has been a lot of
progress in driving down the cost of today’s renewables and stepping up research
on clean energy, we don’t yet have all the tools we need to stop climate change.
It’s going to take innovation in every major area that touches on climate change:
transport, agriculture, electricity, building materials, and manufacturing.
But this can happen only when scientists, policymakers and investors work
together across borders. I am involved with one investment fund that has raised
more than $1bn to help companies take promising clean-energy ideas out of the
lab and into the marketplace. Raising more barriers between countries would make
that work harder.
“[This is not] simply a question of funding. It is about which countries are going
to lead the world in the future”
There are still more examples of how innovation will solve problems and
improve lives. Sophisticated software that can create personalized lessons will
drive down the cost of a good education. Software will be able to diagnose a wide
range of physical and mental health problems and recommend a mix of treatments
specific to each patient’s needs. New medications will help end obesity and solve
the opioid crisis.
In the past, breakthroughs like these generally came from two places: Europe
and America. This is no longer the case. Great inventions might just as easily come
from China, India, South Africa or Brazil. The best way to guarantee that everyone
will be able to benefit from these ideas is to maintain strong ties around the world.
For anyone who wants to shape the future, it is the right choice. [38]
Bill Gates
The Economist
October 3, 2018
Vocabulary Practice
1. Give Russian equivalents to the following words and phrases from the article.
Multilateralism, child mortality, to plummet, deadly diseases, lifesaving
interventions, breakthrough, inevitable, multilateral approach, at the forefront, to
alleviate, joint efforts, poverty, renewables, sophisticated software.
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Unit 11. The case for multilateralism
2. Fill the gaps with the missing prepositions in the following wordings.
1) we build … the global institutions
2) to be forced … their homes
3) the percentage has fallen … 36% … 8%
4) concerned … the current trend
5) people living … HIV
6) The list … achievements goes …
7) driving … the cost … today’s renewables
8) home to 40% … extremely poor people in the world
3. Comment on the following quotations from the text.
“Countries should remain open if they want to reap the benefits of innovation”
“I’m concerned about the current trend in America and Europe toward retreating
from the open, multilateral approach that has driven so much progress”.
“If governments start withdrawing from their engagement in the world, it will
slow and possibly reverse the progress we’re making to save lives and lift people
out of poverty”.
“[This is not] simply a question of funding. It is about which countries are going
to lead the world in the future”
Bill Gates
4. Look for words and expressions in the article which are suitable for the following
explanations.
1) the action or process of saving another person’s life, especially from
drowning
2) a sudden, dramatic, and important discovery or development
3) agreed upon or participated in by three or more parties, especially the
governments of different countries
4) having the opposite of the desired effect
5) leave or come back from a particular place or position
6) a source of energy that is not depleted by use, such as water, wind, or solar
power
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Перевод и реферирование общественно-политических текстов из средств массовой информации
7) (of a machine, system, or technique) developed to a high degree of
complexity
8) going in or turned toward the direction opposite to that previously stated
5. Write a summary of the article.
6. Translate the text into English.
Глава ООН объявил о запуске глобальной сети по миграции
В международной конференции ООН по миграции, которая в понедельник стартует в Марракеше, примут участие представители 159 государств.
100 делегаций будут представлены на уровне глав государств, правительств
или министров. Они прибывают в этот марокканский город с тем, чтобы уже
завтра утром принять Глобальный договор, призванный обеспечить управление миграционными потоками в интересах самих мигрантов и государств.
«Мы находимся на пороге чрезвычайно важного события, призванного
обеспечить более эффективное управление процессами международной миграции – острейшей проблемы нашего времени», – заявила в воскресенье в
Марракеше на пресс-конференции для журналистов Специальный представитель Генерального секретаря ООН по миграции и Генеральный секретарь
конференции Луиза Арбур. Она подчеркнула важность многостороннего сотрудничества в этой сфере, которое должно строиться на принципах консенсуса и взаимоуважения с учетом национальных и региональных особенностей.
Запуск Глобальной сети по миграции
Сегодня накануне официального открытия конференции Генеральный
секретарь ООН Антониу Гутерриш объявил о запуске «глобальной сети по
миграции». Ее цель – мобилизовать все международные организации на решение проблем миграции. Эта сеть, как сказал глава ООН, будет опираться
на партнерство. Центральную роль в этом объединении будет играть Международная организация по миграции. Сеть будет иметь гибкую и инклюзивную
структуру, она будет продвигать слаженную работу различных организаций,
дополняющих, а не дублирующих друг друга.
«Сейчас мы должны воплотить в жизнь то, о чем мы договорились. Мы
должны продемонстрировать полезность Договора: правительствам, кото-
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