NO PAINS, NO GAINS

Unit 1. Getting into University

Unit 2. I Am A Student Now

Unit 3. Success and Failure

Unit 4. Student's Day

Unit 1 Getting into University

Focus Vocabulary

admission

admission requirements

admission grade point average(AGPA)

advice

to follow/take someone's advice

applicant

application

application form/procedure

education free education

higher education

get/give an education

entrance examinations final examinations

school

at school (BrE)fin school (AmE)

start school

go to school (AmE)

finish/leave school

school-leaver (BrE)

success

be a success

be successful at the exams

university

be admitted to a university

apply to university

get into university

go to university

take exams to university

educate

follow in someone's footsteps

change one's mind

make up one's mind

make a decision

Ex. 1 Discuss the questions with your partner.

Questionnaire

1. How long have you been learning English?

2. When did you begin?

3. Where did you begin learning English?

4. Have you passed any examinations in English?

5. If so, which ones?

6. Are you going to take any examinations?

7. If so, when?

8. Have you ever visited an English-speaking country?

9. If so, which one?

10. Do you ever use your English?

11. If so, on what occasions?

12. Have you read any books in English?

13. Have you ever seen any films in English?

14. Have you heard any records in English?

15. How would you describe your own English?

fair____quite good____ good____very good_____fluent______

16. Is your written English better than your spoken English, or vice versa?

17. What do you hope to achieve by studying?

18. How important are these things to you? (Number them 1-4)

Listening comprehension

Oral fluency

Writing in English

Reading comprehension

Why?

19. Do you use a dictionary?

20. If so, is it monolingual or bilingual?

21. How useful do you find it?

22. Do you enjoy learning English?

23. If so, why? If not, why not?

Ex. 2 Read the text and discuss the questions.

Learning a Foreign Language

The most difficult thing for a person, who learns a foreign language is that a foreign language is very different from his own. A person's native language has a powerful influence on him, as he has been speaking his language since before he can remember. Under such circumstances it is natural that a person has the feeling that his language is the most beautiful, the most perfect, the most logic of most languages. Therefore the first thing that one must learn as he begins to study a foreign language is that each language is the best possible language for the people who use it.

There are some other things which have to be accepted in order to learn a language successfully. The most important for these is that learning a language requires constant practice. You must not think that if you have seen or heard a word or phrase one time or even five times, you really know how to use it. You must be ready to repeat new words again and again until you can really use them automatically without having to think about them. Some people have the idea if they memorise long lists of vocabulary they will learn the language. Learning a language is much more than that. In the early stages of studying a language we must learn more important things such as pronunciation and grammar. After you can use the grammatical structures, you can enrich your vocabulary. Learning new vocabulary without knowing the grammatical structures of the language is something like when you try to build a house without a plan.

And the most important thing of all in learning a foreign language is patience. If you keep working steadily, day after day, constantly practising the language and using it as every opportunity, you are sure to learn to speak a language well.

1. Why is it difficult to study a foreign language?

2. What difficulties do you experience while studying English?

3. What is necessary to do to make progress in language learning?

Writing