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5.I (to earn) my General Certificate of Secondary Education by the moment I applied to the university.

6.My brother (to get) a Bachelor’s Degree by 2005.

7.You (to prepare) for laboratory classes yet?

8.You ever (to be) to the United Kingdom?

9.You (to choose) your major yet?

10.– I (to loose) my textbook. – When you (to see) it last?

Exercise 5

Express your opinion (agreement, disagreement) in written form about the following statements. Try to prove your point of view by giving arguments

Statement: To be a highly qualified specialist you should study all your life.

I agree completely with the statement. I think that knowledge got at the university quickly become obsolete and you should update your knowledge to be in the know of the latest achievements in science and technology.

1.It’s no use working hard if you have no inborn abilities.

2.It’s more prestigious nowadays to get higher education abroad.

3.Higher education shouldn’t be free.

4.Absent-minded people can’t be successful in research.

5.Tutorials and individual work with a tutor is more useful than practical classes in fixed groups.

Smile with us

William Lyon Phelps, on a pre-Christmas examination paper, found written, “God only knows the answer to this question. Merry Christmas.”

He returned the paper with the notation, “God gets an A; you get an F. Happy New Year.”

Lesson 4. Higher Education in the USA

Task 1. Brainstorming activity

Discuss the following question and give all the possible answers to it

What are the advantages and disadvantages of democracy in universities?

Is it good for a student or professor to be free in his choice of what subjects to study and what themes to teach?

Active Vocabulary Task 1

Listen and pronounce the active vocabulary of the lesson after the teacher

Lead-in

Task 1

Using your background knowledge about the system of higher education in the USA agree or disagree with the following statements

1.The system of Higher Education in the USA does not differ from the Russian one.

2.Higher education in the USA is free.

3.American colleges are not certified to give universities degrees (for example a

Bachelor’s degree).

4.All universities in the USA are private.

Grammar exercises

Exercise 1

Fill in the gaps with the Modal verbs: can, can’t, could, couldn't

1.I have been chosen to represent our company in Spain because I am the only person in our firm who _______ speak Spanish.

2.I _______ do my homework last night because I was too tired.

3.Do you know how to cook? – Yes, I ______ cook very well.

4.He _____ watch TV last night because his TVset was broken.

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5.Mozart _______ play the piano and compose music at the age of three.

6.Elephants ______ live until they are seventy.

7.We ________ go swimming yesterday because the water was cold.

8.This diamond ring is too expensive for me. I ________ buy it.

9.Einstein ______ speak 8 foreign languages.

10.The coffee is too hot I _______ drink it.

Exercise 2

Look at the phrases given and define what abilities they denote: physical or mental? Put the verbs into two columns

To swim, to speak a foreign language, to run fast, to jump, to play football, to think, to listen to music, to dream, to read, to smell the flower, to feel the fabric, to whisper, to analyze, to argue, to persuade, to write poems.

Now answer the question “What can you do?” using the phrases of Exercise 2

Exercise 3

Insert into the gaps may, might, to be allowed to/ not to be allowed to

1.You _____ go to the cinema with your friends, but, please, don’t come home late.

2.He _____ work in the laboratory next week.

3.Until you are eighteen you ________ to marry.

4.______ I take your dictionary for a minute?

5.You _____ leave this little matter entirely to me, Mr Brown.

6.She _____ want some more wine. You’d better ask her to find it out.

7.He _____ park here. It’s strictly prohibited.

8.When we lived in a hotel we ____not____ make any noise after nine.

9.According to the rules you ___not______ bring guests.

10.You ____ take my dictionary. I don’t need it now.

Exercise 4

Fill in the gaps using the modal verb must and the expressions given below close the door behind you

go to medical school have a driver’s license have a library card have a passport

pay an income tax

speak English outside of class every day, read newspapers stop

study harder

take one pill every six hours

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Example: According to the law a driver must have a driver’s license.

1.If a traffic light is red, a car must_______________.

2.My doctor gave me a prescription. According to the directions on the bottle, I must ____________.

3.If you want to check a book out of the library, you must ________________.

4.Nancy has a job in Chicago. She earns 20,000$ a year. According to the law, she must __________.

5.I failed the last two tests in my biology class. According to my professor, I must

____________.

6.I want to travel abroad. According to the law, I must _____________.

7.If you want to become a doctor, you must _______________.

8.Jimmy! It’s cold outside. When you come inside, you must

__________________.

9.I want to improve my English. According to my teacher, I must

_________________.

Exercise 5

Fill in the gaps with the modal verb must or its equivalents have to, be to

1.We ______ wait for some minutes because we missed the train.

2.I _____ meet my sister at the station today at 7.

3.There is no ice-cream. According to the schedule it ______ be delivered at twelve.

4.I _____ leave early because I was not feeling quite well.

5.The inn was small and we ____ share the room.

6.She ______ come to work in time or I’ll fire her!

7.To know English you _____ read more books in the original.

8.The game ______ begin at 6 according to the programme.

9.You ____ study well or you will not enter the university.

10.I ____ be at the meeting. My boss ordered me to be there. He will accept no excuses.

Exercise 6

Finish the sentences using should or shouldn’t

1.Students should come to class every day.

2.We _______ waste our money on things we don’t need.

3.Life is short. We _________ waste it.

4.It’s raining. You _________ take your umbrella when you leave.

5.People ________ be cruel to animals.

6.Your plane leaves at 8.00. You _______ get to the airport by 7.00.

7.You _______ smoke in a crowded room because the smoke bothers other people.

8.When you go to New York city you _______ see play on Broadway.

9.You _________ walk alone on city streets after midnight. It’s dangerous.

10.When you go to San Francisco, you _______ ride on the cable cars.

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Exercise 7

Use mustn’t or needn’t to fill the gaps

1.You ___________ give Freddy any more sweets or he won’t eat any tea.

2.The doctor said I _______________ go back to the hospital; my leg is all right.

3.You ___________ make any sandwiches for me. I’m not hungry.

4.She ___________ fill in a new application form, we have the other one.

5.You ___________ mention this to Kate, or she’ll get upset.

6.She ____________ bring a doctor’s certificate, she was only away for one day.

7.You ____________ take any more aspirins, you’ve had four already.

8.Tell her she ______________ open any letters marked “personal”.

Exercise 8

Choose the right variant

1.You may/ mustn’t run the corridors. It’s dangerous.

2.Can/Should I ask you a question?

3.Will/Shall we go out for lunch today?

4.You should/must see a doctor as soon as possible. You’ve got high temperature.

5.Tom can/may play tennis very well.

6.I have no choice. I have to/must wait for him until he comes.

7.Today a have a date with Tom. I am to be/have to be at the cafe at 10.

8.Tony was able to/could enter the University.

9.You shouldn’t/mustn’t lie in court.

Reading

Task 1

Read the text and do the tasks after it

Higher Education in the USA

To attend an American university students must complete 12 years of primary and secondary education. Students who would like to attend college or university must attend an undergraduate school. These are schools that offer either a two-year degree or a four-year degree in a specific course of study. That course of study is called the major.

An associate degree is a two-year degree given by two types of colleges: community colleges and junior colleges. The two classes of associate degrees are the Associate of Arts (also called the A.A.) and the Associate of Applied science (also called the A.A.S.).

Community colleges are operated by the local government and are financed by public funds. They serve two functions: (1) students who do not want to get a bachelor’s degree will attend a community college to get an associate degree; (2) students who want to get a bachelor’s degree will complete the first two years of their undergraduate education at a community college and then transfer to a four-year college for the last two years. The tuition at a community college is much less than at a four-year college or

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university. Therefore many American students choose to attend a community college for two years as a way of lowering the cost of getting a bachelor’s degree.

A bachelor’s degree is the traditional degree given by American colleges and universities. It normally requires at least four years of full-time college-level coursework. The two classes of bachelor’s degrees are the Bachelor of Science and the Bachelor of Arts.

Students must complete a required number of courses within their major in order to graduate with a degree in that major. They may also be required to complete a number of courses in closely related fields. A college graduate with a bachelor’s degree may find that degree insufficient for the type of profession he would like to have. It may often be necessary to get an advanced degree, such as a Master’s or Doctorate degree, to advance your career.

Not all colleges and universities offer Master’s degree programs. The Master’s degree is a graduate school degree that typically requires two years of full-time coursework to complete. The Doctorate degree is even more focused and specialized than the Master’s degree. Completion of a doctorate degree typically takes between three and six years. The length of time will depend on the student’s educational background, the field of study selected, the student’s dedication and ability, and the complexity of the thesis the student has chosen.

Task 2

Answer the questions on the text

1.What are the admission terms for the American students?

2.Why do many American students prefer studying in community colleges for the first two years of their university career?

3.What two Bachelor’s degrees do American students grant?

4.What degrees does the graduate school grant?

5.How does the American system of higher education differ from the Russian one?

Task 3

Try to explain the meaning of the following phrases

1.an undergraduate school

2.a major

3.a community college

4.an Associate of Arts degree

5.tuition

Task 4

Find in the text the sentences in the Passive Voice and read them to the group

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Task 5

Tell about the American system of Higher education to the group of Russian students (Terms of admission, types of degrees, types of colleges, undergraduate school, graduate school)

Vocabulary practice

Exercise 1

Complete the gaps using the phrases given: research, the cost, community, school, educational, degree, coursework, related, a major, to advance

1.undergraduate _______

2._______ paper

3._______ background

4.to lower ______

5.associate _____

6._______ college

7.to select ______

8._______ one’s career

9._______ fields

10.full-time _______

Exercise 2

Fill in the prepositions and make up the sentences of your own

1.prior ___

2.to transfer ___

3.to major ___ maths

4.to depend ___

5.___ addition ___

6.___ order to

7.to graduate ____ a degree ___ major

8.to be operated ___

Reading

Task 1

Read the abstract about the assessment system in an American University and answer the questions after it

Unit system

College courses are given a value, which are called “credits” or “units.” The number of units assigned to a course corresponds to the number of hours that a student will attend class for that course. For example, a course that consists of three class sessions per week will be assigned a value of three units. Typically, colleges require that students complete a minimum number of units in order to graduate, rather than a

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minimum number of courses. This gives students more flexibility in what courses they decide to take to complete their graduation requirements.

Most colleges and universities follow either a quarter-based calendar system or a semester–based calendar system. In a quarter system, the academic year is divided into three sessions called quarters. Each quarter lasts about 12 weeks. There is usually an additional quarter in the summer, where registration is optional. In a semester system, the academic year is divided into two sessions called semesters. Each semester lasts 16 weeks.

Students who have registered for at least 12 units in a session are said to be “fulltime” students. Students who have registered for fewer than 12 units in a session are called “part-time” students.

1.What is a unit system?

2.What students may be called “full–time students”?

3.What students may be called “part–time students”?

Problem solving

Introduction

The American system of Higher education has some peculiarities. It is considered a democratic one. But the democracy introduced into the universities as well as in secondary schools seems to cause some troubles for the teaching staff. Very often it results in the low level of education. Among the reasons that strongly influence on the level of higher education the American professors call:

–the absence of core curriculum. Students may choose both the course they would like to study and the lecturer. The lecturer is free to choose the textbook to deliver lectures on, he is free to choose the themes to be learnt, he may omit some themes, which he considers unimportant.

–the absence of oral examinations. All the examinations in American universities are done in a written form. A professor can not call a student to the blackboard and discuss the results of his work in class in front of the classmates.

–the absence of set groups as any student has an individual program of study.

Task

How do you think why the reasons mentioned above worry the American professors?

Express your opinion using the following phrases: I think, to my mind, first of all, on the other hand, I firmly believe that, there are plenty of proofs to the fact that.

Give arguments to the following:

1.Is it good or bad to have no core curriculum?

2.Can all the skills and knowledge got by the student be evaluated by written tests?

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3.Is it good when a lecturer chooses the textbook for studying and creates the course of study according to his likes and dislikes?

4.What are the disadvantages and advantages of studying in groups and individually?

Communication

Making requests and refusing politely Task 1

Practice the following phrases and use them in the dialogue below

A:______________lend me your textbook on Maths. I want to prepare for the Friday seminar.

B:_______________I’ll be using it myself. You can have it tomorrow if you like.

A:Thanks. I’ll collect it tomorrow then.

Task 2

In pairs, take it in turns to make requests and refuse politely in the following situations

1.You ask your tutor to read over a report you have written.

2.You ask your fellow student to help you with a report.

3.You ask your sister to type out a report for you.

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Homework

Task 1

Open the brackets choosing one of the modal verbs: can, may, must

1.In any research on order to introduce something new you ____ know the history of the question.

2.Students are our future scientists. To be in the know of the modern technological advances they ____ read a lot.

3.You ___ do this work tomorrow for me. I don’t need it to be done now.

4.Any student ___ improve his abilities if he studies hard.

5.Education ____ serve the needs of human society.

6.I know that you ___ solve this problem alone. You are clever enough to do it.

7.You ____ always keep in mind that your life depends on you, in particular, on the decisions you take.

8.You ____ take my dictionary. I don’t need it at the moment.

9.You ____ always remember that innovation is the engine of educational development.

10.Teachers ____ deliver ready–made knowledge but they ____ also make students think and exercise their mind constantly which is more effective but more difficult to provide.

Task 2

Match the discoveries and works of art with the famous scientists, writers enumerated below. Make up sentences as in the model

Model: “War and Peace” was written by Lev Tolstoy.

If you don’t know the answers you may use the Internet site http://inventors.about.com to find them.

Task 3

Choose one of the inventions and present the story of its development for your classmates

Plan

1. Name of the inventor

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