Reading Text

I. Read and translate the text into Ukrainian. University days

I liked physics and chemistry when I was at the university, but I wasn’t very good at economics. There was another student named Jim Green who was even worse. He was one of the star players on the football team, but he couldn't continue to play if he didn't pass all of his examinations. That was very difficult, for though Jim used his big body very well on the football field, he couldn't make any goals in the classroom.

All his professors were very kind to Jim and helped him. The kindest of all was our economics professor, a quiet little man named Bassum. He used to ask Green the simplest questions, but they didn’t seem easy to Jim. One day, when we were discussing transportation, Professor Bassum called on Green. "Name one means of transportation," the professor said, but Green looked helpless. "Something that takes us from one place to another," the professor explained. Green opened his mouth, but nothing came out of it. "Perhaps, Mr. Green," the professor continued, "you can name the means of transportation that we usually use when we go on long journeys across land." It was very, very quiet in the room, but suddenly the professor made a strange sound: "Choo-choo-..." and his face became red. He looked at the class hopefully. All of us agreed with Professor Bassum that Jimmie Green must not fall behind because the Chicago game, one of the most important of the season, was not far away.

"Toot, tooooot too-toooooooooot," came from a student in the back of the room. We ail looks hopefully at Jimmie Green.

"Ding dong, ding dong," came from another part of the room. The professor finished the performance: "Chuffa-chuffa, chuffa-chuffa." But all these sounds did not help to give Jimmie any ideas. So the professor made another effort:

"How did you come to the university this year, Mr. Green?" he asked.

"My father sent me," said the football-player.

"On what? On what?" asked the professor.

"He gave me money," the champion answered slowly.

"No, no," said Bassum. "Name a means of transportation. What did you ride on?"

"Train," said Jimmie.

"Quite right! Very good, Mr Green," said the professor, "Now, another student. Mr Quincy, please tell us..."

(by James Thurber)

II. Put 5-8 questions to the text.

III. Retell the story.

IV. Read the text for obtaining information. University life

Universities in Britain differ from those in many countries. Until the nineteenth century, England had only two universities - Oxford and Cambridge. Both Universities are residential: students must belong to one of the colleges. The colleges at Oxford and Cambridge have no division by subjects; students of a wide variety of subjects belong to and live some of the time in one college, going out from these to different faculties or laboratories for their academic work. In addition, each student goes weekly to a tutor to show and discuss definite work.

The modem .Universities such as the Universities of London, Manchester, Leeds, Birmingham, etc. are not residential. The colleges of the University of London, for instance, are teaching institutions, providing instruction chiefly by means of lectures, attended mainly by day students. Other institutions such as colleges of technology and agricultural ones provide education of University standard, too.

Some students can study art subjects such as history, languages, economics or law; the others can study pure or applied sciences such as medicine, dentistry, technology or agriculture.

This is how a student spends his day. His working hours are from 9 to i. At 9 o'clock he will see the tutor or go to the library, or to the lecture. From 2 to 5 he is engaged in sports and all kinds of exercises. From 5 to 7 he usually zither works in the library or in the laboratory. At 7 o'clock the undergraduates and tutors gather in the hall and have dinner. After dinner the students have club activities, debating societies etc. By 10 o'clock the student must be in the college, as most of the students live in the colleges. At about 10 o'clock the student sits down to work again and works about 2 hours. At 12 o'clock p.m. he goes to bed.

A person studying for a degree at a British University is called undergraduate: one who has taken a degree is called a graduate. B.A. or B.Sc. stands for Bachelor of Arts, or of Science, the first degree. M.A. or M.Sc. - denotes Master, of Arts or of Science, the first degree. M.A. or M.Sc. – denotes Master of Arts, or of Science. One can become a B/A/ after three years of hard study, and M.A. at the end of five years. D.P. stands for Doctor of Philosophy, the highest degree. The abbreviations of English degree must be written after the family name, e.g. Henry Sweet, B.A.

Tuition costs a lot of money. The students have to play for taking examinations, for attending lectures, for borrowing books from the library, for hostel accommodation, etc.

There are three terms from eight to ten weeks in the British University year.