Comprehension check

1. Read the text more carefully and answer the questions.

1. How many departments are involved in training students in the Combined Science course?

2. Who may find this course most attractive?

3. Does the combined course provide any particular career opportunities? What are they?

4. How many natural sciences can a student take?

5. Who can help students to make the right choice of the subjects?

Focus on Language

1. Managing your learning We remember new words much more easily if we think about them in relation to our own experience and if they have some personal meaning for us.

   Match each item on the left with an

item on the right to make a commonly used phrase in English. Insert prepositions where necessary. Look through the text, it can be of help.

specialized current wide personal barriers wide range programme provide academic forward mature

of between

study requirements subjects excellence choice education student thinking interest a means of areas

2. Read the sentences below and study the models in the box.

• About one-third of the first year is based on course work.

• A number of our graduates have taken up PhD studies.

Subject and verb agreement Singular expression +plural noun/pronoun+ plural verb + plural noun + singular verb Some of + singular noun+ singular verb Some of + plural noun+ plural verb Plural expressions: + singular verb a number of + plural noun + plural verb the number of + plural noun + singular verb

Practice

1. Match the sentences below with the right model in the box. Translate the sentences into Russian.

1. A number of applicants have already been interviewed.

2. The number of students in the class is twelve.

3. Some of the book is good.

4. Some of the books are good.

5. One of my friends has got a grant for his research project.

6. Thirty minutes isn’t enough time to finish this test.

7. A lot of social problems are caused by unemployment.

8. Economics is George’s favorite subject.

9. More than one person is going to take up a course in programming.

10. Two thirds of money is mine.

11. The USA is smaller than Russia.

2. Choose the correct form of the verb.

1. Surveys show that the majority of school leavers (consider/considers) a

university degree a good starting point for their future career.

2. Look! Half of the map (is/are) missing. We need another map!

3. Each of the students (has/have) a notebook.

4. A number of students in the class (speaks/speak) English very well.

5. Why (was/were) some of the students absent from classes?

6. What percentage of the people in the world (is/are) illiterate?

7. My teenage brother thinks there (is/are) a number of good reasons for staying up late and having a good time.

8. Statistics (is/are) a branch of mathematics.

9. A lot of students clubs (is/are) opening these days.

10. More than one computer in this lab (has/have) broken down.

Speaking

Work in groups. Look through the scheme of the degree course in Combined Science offered in Lancaster University. Design a modular degree course that suits your particular needs and interests.

Writing

Write a paragraph about the modular course in Combined Science you would like to do. Give reasons for your choice of Themes from each group.

In the Realm of Science

1. Read the expressions for fractions, decimals and percentages:

one half, a half

one third

four seventh

3 three and a quarter

0.2 nought point two

(zero) point two

0,75 nought point seven five

point seven five

25,34 twenty-five point three four

two five point three four

1% one percent

78% seventy eight percent

90% ninety percent

2. Work in pairs, A and B. Take turns to read and write down decimals,

percentages and fractions you hear.

Student A: 7.5 85.3% ¾ 70% 2½ 18.03

Student B: 3.68 34.9% ⅔ 90% 14 ⅛ 13.75

Unit 2. Progress Monitoring In this Unit you have worked on the vocabulary related to the topic “Higher education”: specialized education/study research scientist to have a particular career in mind current interest in something to specialize in natural/social sciences to decide on something a combined science course barriers/ combinations between sciences scientific journalism/information technology/research management a coursework; essay; tutorial; laboratory; project work an applied science area to provide relevant experience the program of study to be a hands-on science to suit somebody’s needs lab procedures/equipment to read science-fiction books to make a career in science to have an inquisitive mind to set up one’s own research group Tick (V) the points you are confident about and cross (X) the ones you need to revise.