Focus on Language

1. Look at this extract from the Lingvo Dictionary.

The pronunciation in phonetic symbols

The part of speech

(n. = noun, v. = verb)

	B ook [ buk ] n. 1. книга; 2. литературное произведение; v . 1. записывать, регистрировать; 2. заносить в список; 3. заказывать, бронировать места, продавать билеты (обычно заранее); приглашать, договариваться a dj. книжный, ~ learning – теоретические знания
Information in brackets (…) helps you to choose the right translation or shows which country this word is widely used in

~ means repeat the word

The translation

2. These words have more than one meaning. Use your dictionary to find out which part of speech they are and what meanings they have. Write two sentences to demonstrate different meanings of every word.

	Sentence 1	Sentence 2
book	I’ve bought a new book.	Have you already booked a room at a hotel?
train
might
last
course
honour
subject
degree
way

Listening

1. Work with a partner. Discuss the meaning of the words and phrases related to the studies at a university:

compulsory

module

optional

subject

elective

subject

unit of study

credit points

route of study

subject area

end-of-module assessment

associate field of study

2. Match the words and phrases in column A with the verbs they often go with in column B. Some verbs are used more than once.

A	B
offer
suit	credit points
transfer	a course
cover	a qualification
specify
gain	interest
design	progress
take	a route of study
provide
develop	skills
pass	modules/subjects
broaden	an opportunity
monitor

3. Listen to James Couzin, Education Consultant at “Universities UK” speaking on the new modular schemes. Complete the notes.

Description A modular course is made up of ____________________________________ Course organization 1. A full-time programme will require _______________________________________________________each year. 2. Students have to take a number of _________________ or “core” modules and _____________________ within the specialist area or in an associated field. 3. A number of _______________ modules are available. They focus on _______________________________________________________________ Advantages 1. Flexibility: ___________________________________________________ 2. Easier to monitor the progress through _____________________________ Disadvantages 1. _____________________________________________________________ 2. _____________________________________________________________ Questions What is CAT? ______________________________________________ Where can I study a modular course?____________________________ _____________________________________________________________

Discuss

• Would you like to study abroad?

• What degrees are awarded in Russian universities?

• How does the pattern of learning in the UK differ from that in Russia?

• How is the student’s progress assessed in the UK and in Russia?

• How does the British system of higher education differ from the system of education in our country?

• Which elements of British system of higher education would you introduce in your university? Why?

Get real

1. Visit the websites of the world famous universities to find out:

   • degrees that they award in your field of science

   • courses available – traditional, modular, sandwich, etc.

   • admission requirements

   • forms of classes

   • methods of assessment

		Web sites to search: http://web.mit.edu/aboutmit/ http://www.ox.ac.uk/ http://www.cam.ac.uk/ http://www.harvard.edu/ http://www.msu.ru/en/ http://www.fudan.edu.cn/englishnew/ http://www1.uni-bonn.de/startseite/jsp/index.jsp?lang=en http://www.u-tokyo.ac.jp/index_e.html http://www.phystech.edu/ http://www.paris-sorbonne.fr/en/
Speaking

Role play: University Open Days

Student A

The University Open Days are held every year at your university in April. This

year you represent your faculty at this event. Find out comprehensive information and give a short presentation on the courses your faculty offers, forms of teaching

and methods of assessment used, degrees it awards. Answer questions that may

arise.

Study help Make use of every opportunity you get to practice speaking in class. Role-plays help you prepare for a real-world experience

Student B

You are a school-leaver who has come to the university Open Days. You try to find out as

much as possible about the faculty you are hoping to study at. Make sure you ask about: variety of courses the faculty offers, degrees it awards, forms of teaching and methods of assessment used, tuition fees, faculty/university facilities.

Writing

1. Answer questions.

• Have you ever filled in an application form?

• How did you feel about doing it?

• Are you good at filling in the forms?

• What sort of information do you have to provide?

2. Application forms mostly ask for information rather than ask questions. Match a line in A with a question in B.

A	B
1. First name	a. Where are you living at the moment?
2. Surname	b. Are you married or single?
3. Date of birth	c. Where were you born?
4. Country of origin	d. What’s your surname?
5. Present address	e. Where do you live?
6. Permanent address	f. What do you do?
7. Marital status	g. When were you born?
8. Occupation	h. How much do you earn?
9. Annual income	i. What’s your first name?

3. Fill in an application form for admission. Write in block capitals. Put N/A if the information is not applicable.

Application Form for admission as an undegraduate student 1. Personal information Title__________________________________________________________Mr/Mrs/Miss Surname__________________________________________________________________ First Name(s)______________________________________________________________ Date of birth (use figures only): date__________ month_____________ year___________ Place of birth____________________________Citizenship_________________________ Home address: street and house________________________________________________ city____________________country______________________postcode______________ Telephone (country, area code/phone number)____________________________________ Email____________________________________________________________________ Mailing address (if different from home address)__________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ 2. Disability/special needs If you would like to receive information on support for students with a disability tick here_______ 3. Prefered field of study first choice____________________________________________________________ second choice_____________________________________________________________ third choice_________________________________________________________ 4. Which semester are you applying for? ______________________________________ 5. University entrance qualifications: Type (gymnasia, lyceum, comprehensive school, vocational school, technical school)_____ _________________________________________________________________________ Date of completion________________________________________________________________ Average grade (not necessary for foreign certificates)_______________________________________________________________ 6. Professional training/practical training (please include references) Professional qualification ____________________________________________________ Duration of training from_______________________until__________________________ 7. Professional experience after training and/or other working experience (for more than 8 weeks, include references) __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ 8. University/college previously attended (if you have previously been registered as a full-time student at a university/college, please supply all information) Institution________________________________________________________________ Qualifications completed/being studied_________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ Field of study _____________________________________________________________ Dates____________________________________________________________________ Date _____________________ Signature _________________

In the Realm of Science

1. In education as well as in many other spheres of our life there are a great number of abbreviations. Read and remember the abbreviations to do with the

degree titles, e.g.: BS stands for Bachelor of Science.

Do all of them have Russian equivalents?

A.S.	Associate of Science (USA)
A.A.	Associate of Arts (USA)
A.A.S.	Associate of Applied Science (USA)
BS	Bachelor of Science
BA	Bachelor of Arts
MS	Master of Science
MA	Master of Arts
MPhil	Master of Philosophy (UK)
MBA	Master of Business Administration
PhD	Doctor of Philosophy
Hons	Honours
HND	Higher National Diploma (UK)

2. What are degree titles in Russian education system?

Unit 1. Progress Monitoring In this unit you have worked on the vocabulary related to the topic “Higher education” undergraduate/graduate programme to choose a field of study to take a course of study to do coursework vocational qualification to study/prepare for a tutorial/essay/exam to award a (an honour) degree end-of-course assessment to undertake practical training to monitor one’s progress to design a programme of study a modular/sandwich course to receive marks/credit points compulsory/optional subjects classroom participation to pass “core”/”elective” modules Tick (V) the points you are confident about and cross (X) the ones you need to revise.

Unit 2 There is so much to study in science.

Lead in

1. Look at the diagram in which some of the natural sciences and terms related to these sciences are listed. Work in teams and brainstorm your ideas about the terms that go with the particular science. Write 4 more terms for each science.

2. Read the definition of biochemistry.

Biochemistry examines the structure and function of living organisms at the molecular level.

4. Work in pairs and answer the question: What does your field of science study?

Functional language: Giving definitions …is a science / study of … to study, to examine, to investigate, to describe, to deal with, to determine, etc.

Reading

1. Look through the definitions of some natural sciences dealing with environmental issues.

2. Match the definitions with the right titles of sciences. Mark the key words in each definition that helped you to make the right guessing. One has already been done for you.

Study help Choosing techniques appropriate for your reading goals can save you time. Here are some reading techniques you may find helpful for reading efficiently—quickly and with good understanding. Guessing the new words Using a dictionary for new words Highlighting repeated or paraphrased key words.

A …uses scientific background to the processes which affect the environment and its management as well as considering the social, legal and policy implications of environmental issues.

B …uses a high level of mathematical technique for the description and analysis of complex environmental systems. It needs complicated statistical methods in the design of experiments and interpretation of measurements in the monitoring of the environment…

C …is concerned with the health of our environment and the significance of pollution. It focuses around our ability to improve our understanding of the effects of pollution on plants and animals and to develop early warning markers of organisms, population or environmental health.

D …is the scientific study of chemical and biochemical phenomena that occur in natural places. It deals with the behaviour of both natural and man-made substances in relation to atmospheric, aquatic and terrestrial environment.

E …is the science of the relationship between organisms and their environments. It is the study of harmful effects of modern civilization on the environment, with a view toward prevention or reversal through conservation.

(Adapted from Lancaster University Undergraduate Prospectus Entry 2005)

1. Pollution Science (C)

2. Ecology ( )

3. Environmental Management ( )

4. Environmental Chemistry ( )

5. Environmental Mathematics ( )

Speaking

Which of the sciences listed below go with which sector of the chart according to its popularity with high school leavers? Give reasons for your choice.

Functional language: Making comparisons … is more/ less interesting than … rewarding challenging prestigious perspective well-paid difficult boring … is harder/better/worse than … … is the oldest of all, because … most challenging least difficult

a) Biological Sciences

b) Computer Science

c) Geography

d) Physics

e) Chemistry

f) Mathematics

g) Ecology

Follow the model:

I think		correspond(s) to
In my opinion	………	match(es)	sector …	because …
As far as I know		go(es) with

Listening

1. Work with a partner. Choose the correct explanation of the words and phrases below. Use a dictionary if necessary.

1. If something is hands-on it is

a) theoretical b) practical c) both

2. If something is promising it

a) is bad and useless b) is unknown c) shows potential

3. If something captivated you it was

a) dead boring b) fascinating and attractive c) absolutely new to you

4 If something is familiar to you it is

a) well-known b) strange c) understood

5. If it is a procedure of something it is a/an

a) process or method b) rule c) explanation

6. If you hesitate you feel

a) brave b) unhappy c) uncertain

7. If you have a doubt about something you

a) feel scared b) hesitate c) feel angry

8. If you decide to broaden your knowledge of a subject you

a) forget about it b) think about it a lot c) learn more about it

9. If you are inquisitive you

a) are talented b) are imaginative c) want to know more about people or things

2. Listen to John, Paul and July telling how they got interested in science. Tick (V) the correct piece of information about them.

Who…?	John	Paul	July
got interested by educational TV programs
loved reading science fiction books
was encouraged by their parents
is fond of experimenting
is going to become a research scientist
has a particular career in mind
hasn’t decided yet what to do in the future

3. Listen again and answer the questions:

a) Are they all happy with their choice of specialization?

b) Why can interest in science mean a future full of choices?

c) What are the possible disadvantages of being a research scientist?

Discuss

• Are you happy with your choice of specialization? Why?/Why not?

• How did you get interested in science?

• What are your plans for the future?

• Would you like to become a research scientist? Why?/Why not?

• What else except for an inquisitive mind one should have to be a research scientist?

• Do you have any particular career in mind?

• Do you agree that successful scientists are born rather than made? Why?/Why not?

Writing

1. Write a paragraph about your choice of specialization. Use the questions below as the guidelines to help you to organize your ideas and develop a good piece of writing.

• Are you happy with your choice of specialization? Why?/Why not?

• How did you get interesting in science?

• Study help A paragraph is a group of related sentences that develop an idea. In a paragraph there is usually one idea that is more important than all the others and it is commonly found at the beginning. The main idea is supported by major details that grow out of it. And there are also so called minor details that grow out of the major ones, i.e. examples, explanations, additional information, etc. When you write, try to join your ideas with the linking words and phrases. When you have finished, re-read and check your work.

  What are your plans for the future?

• Do you have a particular career in mind?

• Would you like to become a research scientist in your field? Why?/Why not?

Functional language: Listing 1 first of all moreover besides actually finally as for in any case

Reading

1. These words are all from the text you are going to read. Are they nouns, verbs or

adjectives or past participle forms? Match these words with the meanings below.

1. flexibility

2. Study help: The parts of speech You can sometimes guess this from the shape of the word. e.g. suffices--ful means it is an adjective. -ed – probably the past tense or past participle form of a regular verb or an adjective. You can also guess the part of speech from the words which come before or after it, e.g. an exciting subject; exciting must be an adjective as it comes between the article a and the noun subject.

   current

3. conventional

4. relevant

5. advance

6. suited

7. component

8. available

9. applied

10. area

11. employment

12. mature

a) valuable and useful to people in their lives and work

b) work that you do to earn money

2. a part which combines with other parts to form something bigger

3. ability to bend or change

4. able to be obtained, used, or reached

5. no longer young

6. present time, modern, up-to-date

7. to develop or improve something

8. traditional

9. something which has practical use

10. is right for a particular person, situation or occasion

11. a part of a subject or activity

2. You are going to read the text about the Combined Science (Natural Sciences) course. Before you read the text, look up the word ‘combine’ in the dictionary.

3. According to the title of the course, what subjects do you think are included in the curriculum? Work with a partner and discuss your opinions, make a list of subjects.

4. Read the description of the Combined Science degree course offered by Lancaster University in Britain and check the predictions you have made.