I. Answer the following questions:

1. Why were monasteries considered to be educational centers?

2. Where did well-off people teach their children?

3. What was the aim of the education in the lyceum?

4. What happened with education after the revolution?

5. What is the purpose of the modern education?

II. A) Find the English equivalents of the following phrases in the text:

• основа Русской культуры

• высокое положение, чин

• различные предметы

• образовательные учреждения

• обязательное посещение

• бывшие республики

• система образования

• среднее образование

• в соответствии с планом

• бесплатное образование

• в широком смысле слова

• поступить на службу

• на благо своей страны

• провалиться на экзаменах

• уделять особое внимание

• реализовать возможности

b) Make up your own sentences with the phrases listed above.

IV. Look at the words and tell which word is the odd one:

1. a) teacher b)student c) pupil d) college;

2. a) history b) exam c) geography d) maths;

3. a) education b) knowledge c) university d) examination;

4. a) university b) school c) factory d) lyceum;

5. a) to write b) to study c) to learn d) to know;

6. a) a course b) a year c) a subject d) a lesson

7. a) science b) scholarship c) grant d) reward

Our University

The Great Patriotic War broke out in 1941, it was a difficult ruthless war during which all the people suffered from famine and deprivations. Many factories and plants were evacuated to different safe regions. The Leningrad Machine Plant named after Kirov was evacuated to Chelyabinsk. Now it is the Chelyabinsk Tractor Plant but then in the 1942 it was called the Tank Plant because our Army needed much military equipment: tanks, projectiles, ammunition. New specialists capable of designing new machines were needed in our country. So in 1943 the Chelyabinsk Polythechnical Institute was established to train such specialists on the basis of the Stalingrad Politechnical Institute evacuated to Chelyabinsk.

There were two faculties: the Tank Faculty and the Mechanical-Technological Faculty. Eighty students and fourteen teachers began the first academic year. The students life was strict: a student didn’t get a scholarship if he missed the classes three days a month; if a student missed the classes five days a month, he was excluded from the Institute.

In 1990 the Institute was converted into the Technical University and The Technical University was renamed into the SUSU in 1997. Now our University, the South Ural State University, is one of the largest Universities in Russia. It trains specialists for various branches of industry, economics and the humanities as well. There are daytime, evening and extra-mural departments in our University. Over 53000 students and postgraduates study in it. The University has 140 chairs. There are 5000 teachers in it. Our University has six modern buildings. There are libraries, reading halls, well-equipped laboratories and computer classes. The literature, theatre and scientific societies are organized in the University. The students have eight hostels, the Palace of Sport and the hospital.

For sixty years the University has been greatly extended and improved. The students have all the facilities for efficient studying, leisure and sport. A student will be a good specialist if he takes up research. The research helps the student to use their knowledge in practice. The further development of our University is connected with scientific and technological progress. The higher school must meet the requirements of steadily developing science and technology. It will continue to improve the training of highly skilled specialists who could cope with the present day problems.