LESSON 11

TOPIC: UNIVERSITIES

VOCABULARY:

solid background – солидная база (образования)

currently – в настоящее время

to be enrolled – числиться в списках студентов

full-time students – студенты дневного отделения

part-time students – студенты вечернего отделения

to conduct - проводить

course of study – курс обучения

banking – банковское дело

finance - финансы

management – управление, менеджмент

business law – коммерческое право

accounting – бухгалтерский учет

noisy - шумный

to chat – беседовать, болтать

computer center – вычислительный центр

gym – спортивный зал

facilities – службы, помещения, приспособления

research work – исследовательская работа

one-storeyed - одноэтажный

tasty - вкусный

affordable – доступный

to afford – позволять

ADD TO YOUR ACTIVE VOCABULARY:

1. classroom – класс, аудитория

lecture hall – лекционный зал

laboratory – лаборатория

gym (gymnasium) – спортзал

2. semester (term) – семестр

school year – учебный год

course of studies – курс обучения

Academy – академия

University – университет

Institute – институт

Faculty, college, department – факультет (например College of physics – факультет физики)

department, chair of … - кафедра

head of the department, chief of the department, chair (man/woman) - зав.кафедрой

3. Professor – профессор

teaching instructor (TI) – преподаватель

Dean – декан

Rector – ректор

teaching staff, faculty members – преподавательский состав

4. full-time student – студент(ка) дневного отделения

part-time student – студент(ка) – «вечерник»

student of distant (extramural) education – студент(ка) «заочник»

student of preparatory courses – слушатель подкурсов, «подкурсник»

undergraduate student – студент 1-4 (5) курсов

graduate student – студент 5-6 курсов , аспирант

master student – магистрант (магистер)

Ph.D. student – докторант

TEXT 1 MY UNIVERSITY

Hello! This is Vera and I’ll tell you about my University and my studies.

I am very happy that I study here. It is one of the finest country’s higher educational institutions. Many famous people have graduated from my University, and not only economists or scientists, but many outstanding writers, actors, showmen and politicians. Studying at our University gives a solid background in all spheres of knowledge and prepares for practical work.

Our University is quite large but not very old, compared to other national institutions. It was founded at the beginning of the 20^th century. In 1915, during the World War I the University of Warsaw was evacuated to Rostov-na-Donu. First it had only three faculties, but later it became the largest University in the region and it gave birth to other Institutions in the region. Nowadays it is a large school where more than 9000 students are currently enrolled. The majority are full-time students, like me, and the rest are part-time students. There are also about 150 graduate students – aspirants and doctorants. They conduct independent research work and have pedagogical practice.

The course of study at my University lasts five years. There are many faculties at my University. Here are some of them: the faculty of banking and finance and, the faculty of management, the faculty of business law and the faculty of accounting.

Our University is large and we have several buildings. One of the buildings is for lectures and seminars only. There are many large halls there so that students of 3-4 groups together can fit in there. And that is more than 100 people. The acoustics in such large halls is very good but sometimes it is very noisy when students chat during the lecture.

We have two other buildings for library, computer center, gym, and other facilities. Many students from my group want to do their own research work in the future and these facilities will certainly help them.

There are several cafes at the University. My favourite one is situated in a separate one-storeyed building and people say that this is the oldest canteen or student’s café. The food there is tasty and very affordable.

There are also several dormitories or hostel buildings where students from other cities or countries live. But I don’t live in a dormitory – I rent an apartment.

1. Дайте описание:

а) your secondary school (college)

b) the faculty of your University

c) your favourite teacher at school.

2. Знаете ли вы?

1. When was your Institute or University established?

2. Who was its first Rector?

3. Were there any famous scientists, engineers, politicians, ministers among the graduates?

4. How many people are currently enrolled?

5. What is the most popular faculty in your University?

3. Согласны ли вы, что:

1. Larger schools are better than smaller ones.

2. It is impossible to enter the university if you haven’t attended preparatory courses.

3. The best professors deliver the most interesting lectures.

4. It is more fun to live in a dormitory or a student hostel than to rent an apartment.

5. Professors and teaching instructors always know more than students.

TEXT 2 MOSCOW STATE UNIVERSITY

Moscow state University is the oldest, autonomous, self-governing and state-supported institution of higher learning, founded in 1755 by the scientist Mikhail Vasilyevich Lomonosov. Located in Moscow, the University is composed of faculties of biology, chemistry, computational mathematics and cybernetics, economics, foreign languages, fundamental medicine, geography, geology, history, journalism, law, mechanics and mathematics, physics, psychology, sociology, and soil sciences, as well as an institute of Asian and African Studies. Several museums, colleges, and a number of institutes are affiliated with Moscow University, and a preparatory faculty teaches the Russian language and other subjects to foreign students.

Except for the science faculties and some of the arts faculties – which are situated in south-western Moscow – the remainder of the faculties are located in the older University buildings in the centre of the city. A diploma in a given field of study is awarded after five or five and a half years of study. After three additional years and the completion of a thesis, the kandidat nauk degree is awarded. The highest degree, the Doctor of Sciences, may be attained upon completion of a thesis based on independent research.

4. Ответьте на вопросы.

1. When was Moscow State University founded?

2. What faculties is it composed of?

3. When, according to the article, the degree of kandidat nauk is awarded?

TEXT 3 OUR TECHNICAL SCHOOL

My name is Peter Smirnov. In June I left (finished) school and in August passed my exams at the polytechnical school. Level pass to our technical school was 7. I got 4 in Russian and 5 in mathematics. So my level pass was 9. Now I am a full-time first-year student.

Our polytechnical school is not far from our block of flats and I can easily get there by bus. It takes me 25 minutes to get to the technical school. Sometimes I go there on foot. And though it takes me an hour, it is healthy.

Our technical school occupies two buildings. It runs full-times and part-times (or evening) departments. There are several departments at our technical school. Our studies begin at 9 o’clock, usually we have six hours (periods) a day. We have a lunch break at 12 o’clock. We have a good canteen and during our lunch period we take our meals there. There is a gym (gym hall) on the ground floor. Our library is on the second floor. It contains a lot of textbooks and fiction. It is open from 9 a.m. till 8 p.m. in term-time. There is a large reading-hall and we often do our homework there. Our classrooms and laboratories are large and light. Our labs have modern equipment. The workshops where we have practical training are on the ground floor.

The academic session began on the first of September and will end in June. Every day we attend lectures (sessions) and have practice.

I do well because I want to become a good specialist. At the end of the term we’ll take exams and I’ll try to pass them successfully.

Some of the students live in the hostel. It is not far from our technical school. It takes them ten minutes to get to the technical school.