Text 2. British Universities

Originally the word "university" like the word "college" meant a society of people with a common employment; it was only later it came to be associated with scholarship.

Today there are 89 universities in Britain. Major universities in Great Britain include three in England (University of Cambridge, University of Oxford, and the University of London) and one in Scotland (the University of Edinburgh). Many new universities and other institutions of higher education have been founded since World War II ended in 1945. Good "A" Level results in at least two subjects are necessary to get a place at one. However, good exam passes alone are not enough. Universities choose their students after interviews, and competition for places at university is fierce.

For all British citizens a place at university brings with it a grant from their Local education authority. The grants cover tuition fees and some of the living expenses. The amount depends on the parents’ income. If the parents do not earn much money, their children will receive a full grant which will cover all the expenses.

Once or twice a term, students have a tutorial: they see a tutor alone to discuss their work and their progress.

After 3 or 4 years (depending on the type of course and the university) these students will take their finals. Most of them (90%) will get a first, second or third class degree and be able to put BA (Bachelor of Arts) or BSc (Bachelor of Science) after their name.

Text 3. Harvard University

Harvard University is a private, coeducational institution of higher education, the oldest in the United States. It is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

In 1636 a college was founded in Cambridge by the Great and General Court of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. It was opened for instruction two years later and named in 1639 for English clergyman John Harvard, its first benefactor. The college at first lacked substantial endowments and existed on gifts from individuals and the General Court. Harvard gradually acquired considerable autonomy and private financial support, becoming a chartered university in 1780. Today it has the largest private endowment of any university in the world.

From its earliest days Harvard established and maintained a tradition of academic excellence and the training of citizens for national public service. Among many notable alumni are the philosopher and psychologist William James; and men of letters such as Ralph Waldo Emerson, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Robert Frost, and T. S. Eliot. More U.S. presidents have attended Harvard than any other college: John Adams, John Quincy Adams, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and John F. Kennedy.

Harvard College, the university’s oldest division, offers undergraduate courses for men and women, leading to a bachelor of arts degree granted by the university.

During their freshman year, students live in halls within Harvard Yard. Sophomores, juniors, and seniors live in the 12 residences known as houses. Named in honor of a distinguished alumnus or administrator, each house accommodates approximately 350 students.

Harvard’s graduate and professional facilities, founded over the last 200 years, include schools of arts and sciences, business administration, dental medicine, design, divinity, education, law, medicine, public administration (now the John Fitzgerald Kennedy School of Government), and public health. Harvard’s library system is the oldest in the United States. The Harvard library complex forms the world’s largest university library system. It currently contains more than 13 million volumes, manuscripts, and microfilms.

Home games of the Harvard Crimson football team and other athletic events take place at Harvard Stadium, which has a seating capacity of more than 38,000. Yale University is Harvard’s traditional rival in sports.

Unit 6. FUTURE PROFESSION