THE BRITISH EDUCATION SYSTEM

STATE EDUCATION IN BRITAIN

All state schools in Britain are free, and schools provide their pupils with books and equipment for their studies.

Nine million children attend 35.000 schools in Britain. Education is compulsory from 5 till 16 years. Parents can choose to send their children to a nursery school or a pre-school playgroup to prepare them for the start of compulsory education. Children start primary school at 5 and continue until they are 11. Most children are taught together, boys and girls in the same class. At 11 most pupils go to secondary schools called comprehensives which accept a wide range of children from all backgrounds and religious and ethnic groups. Ninety per cent of secondary schools in England, Scotland and Wales are co-educational.

At 16 pupils take a national exam called «G.C.S.E.» (General Certificate of Secondary Education) and then they can leave school if they wish. This is the end of compulsory education.

Some 16-year-olds continue their studies in the sixth form at school or at a sixth form college. The sixth form prepares pupils for a national exam called «A» level (advanced level) at 18. You need «A» level to enter a university. Other 16-yearolds choose to go to a college of further education to study for more practical (vocational) diplomas relating to the world of work, such as hairdressing, typing or mechanics.

Universities and colleges of higher education accept students with «A» levels from 18. Students study for a degree which takes on average three years of full-time study. Most students graduate at 21 or 22 and are given their degree at a special graduation ceremony.

Vocabulary:

compulsory – обязательный

primary – начальный

comprehensive – общеобразовательный

co-educational schools – школы совместного обучения мальчиков и девочек

to graduate – заканчивать

to accept – принимать

Questions:

1. What do state schools in Britain provide their pupils with?

2. What can parents choose?

3. When do children start primary school?

4. When do pupils take a national exam called GCSE?

5. What prepares pupils for a national exam called “A” level?

6. How long students study for a degree?

7. Whom do universities and colleges of higher education accept?

THE BRITISH EDUCATION SYSTEM

PRIVATE EDUCATION

Seven per cent of British schoolchildren go to private schools called independent schools. There are 2.400 independent schools and they have been growing in number and popularity since the mid-1980.

Parents pay for these schools, and fees vary from about 250 pounds a term for a private nursery to 3.000 pounds a term or more for a secondary boarding school. Most independent schools are called prep (preparatory) schools because they prepare the children for the Common Entrance Exam which they take at the age of 11. This exam is for entry into the best schools.

The most famous schools are called «public schools» and they have a long history and traditions. It is often necessary to put your child's name on a waiting list at birth to be sure he or she gets a place. Children of wealthy or aristocratic families often go to the same public school as their parents and their grandparents. Eton is the best known of these schools.

The majority of independent secondary schools, including public schools, are single-sex, although in recent years girls have been allowed to join the sixth forms of boys' schools. Independent schools also include religious schools (Jewish, Catholic, Muslim etc.) and schools for ethnic minorities.

Vocabulary:

fee – плата

to prepare – подготавливать

pound – фунт (стерлингов)

boarding school – школа-интернат

Questions:

1. How many independent schools are there in Britain?

2. Why are the most independent schools called preparatory schools?

3. What school is the best known public school?

CAMBRIDGE

Cambridge is one of the best known towns in the world and it can be found on most tourists' lists of places to visit. Cambridge is famous for its university, which started during the 13th century and grew steadily, until today there are more than twenty colleges.

The oldest one is Peterhouse, which was founded in 1284. And the most recent is Robinson College, which was opened in 1977. But the most famous is King's College, because of its magnificent chapel. Its choir of boys and undergraduates is well known all over the world. The Universities were only for men until 19th century when the first women's college was opened. Later the doors of colleges were opened to both men and women. Nowadays almost all the colleges are mixed.

To the north of Cambridge is the Cambridge Science Park, the modern face of the University. This park has developed in response to the need of universities to increase their contact with high technology industry. It is now home to more than sixty companies and research institutes. The whole area is in fact very attractively designed, with a lot of space between each building. The planners thought that it was important for people to have a pleasant, park like environment in which to work.

Every year thousands of students come to Cambridge from Overseas to study English.

Vocabulary:

chapel – часовня

choir – хор

response – ответ, оклик

to increase – увеличивать

Questions:

1. What is Cambridge famous for?

2. What is the oldest college in Cambridge?

3. The most famous is King’s College, isn’t it?

4. What can you tell about Cambridge Science Park?

5. Are there many companies and research institutes in that Park?

OXFORD - THE UNIVERSITY TOWN

This university town is very beautiful. The oldest university there is Oxford. The first of its colleges was founded in 1249. The university now has thirty-five colleges and about thirteen thousand students, many of them from other countries. There were no women at Oxford until 1878, when the first women's college Lady Margaret Hall opened.

Now most colleges are open to men and women. It is not easy to get a place at Oxford University to study for a degree. But outside the university there are many smaller private colleges which offer less difficult courses and where it is easy to enroll. Most students in these private schools take business, secretarial or English language courses.

Oxford is, of course, famous for its first-class education as well as its beautiful buildings. Some of the most intelligent men and women in the country live and work here. Oxford gives them what they need: a quiet atmosphere, friendly colleagues and the four-hundred-year-old library, which has about five million books. Oxford has same of the finest architecture in Britain. Some of their colleges, chapels and libraries are there, four and even five hundred years old, and are full of books and precious paintings. You can see there many lovely gardens, where the students can read and relax in the summer months.

Vocabulary:

to enroll – поступить

chapel – часовня

precious – бесценный

painting – полотно

Questions:

1. What is the oldest university in oxford?

2. When did it open?

3. What is Oxford famous for?

4. How many colleges are there in university?

5. Where do students relax and read?

Part 3

TEXTS FOR HOME-READING

Text № 1

I. Words to be learnt:

make up – составлять

respectable behaviour – хорошее поведение

freely – свободно

public life – общественная жизнь

to be surprised by – удивляться чему-либо

society – общество

queue – очередь

to complain – ругаться, жаловаться

to ban – запрещать

to make a noise – шуметь

II. Read the text and

a) write down a summarizing sentence for each paragraph;

b) prepare an oral summary of the text on the basis of the above task.

“UNWRITTEN RULES” OF GREAT BRITAIN

Good and bad manners make up the social rules of a country. They are not always easy to learn because they are often not written down in books. For example, British women didn't go into pubs at the beginning of this century because it was not considered respectable behaviour for a woman. Now both women and men drink freely in pubs and women are fully integrated into public life. Visitors to Britain are often surprised by the strange behaviour of the inhabitants. One of the worst mistakes is to get on a bus without waiting your turn in the queue. The other people in the queue will probably complain loudly! Queuing is a national habit and it is considered polite or good manners to wait for your turn.

In some countries it is considered bad manners to eat in the street, whereas in Britain it is common to see people having a snack whilst walking down the road, especially at lunch-time. Britons may be surprised to see young children in restaurants in the evening because children are not usually taken out to restaurants late at night. And if they make a noise in public or in a restaurant it is considered very rude. In recent years children are playing a more active role and they are now accepted in many pubs and restaurants.

In recent years smoking has received a lot of bad publicity, and fewer British people now smoke. Many companies have banned smoking in their offices and canteens. Smoking is now banned on the London Underground, in cinemas and theaters and most buses. It's becoming less and less acceptable to smoke in a public place. It is considered rude or bad manners to smoke in someone's house without permission.

Social rules are an important part of our culture as they passed down through history. The British have an expression for following these “unwritten rules”: “When in Rome, do as the Romans do”.

Discussing questions:

1. What make the social rules of a country?

2. What was respectable behaviour for a woman in 20^th century?

3. What do you know about queuing?

4. What do you think about smoking?

5. What is the important part of our culture?

Exercises to the text:

I. Translate the words and words combinations from English into Russian. Build up your own sentences with them:

Social rules, integrate into, behaviour of inhabitants, worst mistake, national habit, in recent years, late at night, active role, without permission, to pass down.

II. Choose the Russian equivalents to the English word combinations:

1. country	1. считать, полагать
2. always	2. легкая закуска
3. to consider	3. получать
4. snack	4. ждать, ожидать
5. often	5. садиться в автобус
6. turn	6. гласность, публичность
7. polite	7. страна
8. to wait	8. поворот
9. publicity	9. часто
10. to get on	10. вежливый
	11. всегда
	12. змея

III. Fill in the blanks with the words given below and build up general questions to the sentences:

1. British women didn't go into pubs at the beginning of this century because it was not considered respectable behaviour for a …..

2. One of the worst mistakes is to get on a bus without waiting your … in the queue.

3. Britons may be surprised to see young … in restaurants in the evening.

4. In recent years … has received a lot of bad publicity, and fewer British people now smoke.

5. Social rules are an important part of our … as they passed down through history.

Children, culture, turn, woman, smoking

IV. Confirm or rebut the following statements:

1. Good and bad manners make up the political rules of a country.

2. Now neither women nor men drink freely in pubs.

3. Many companies have banned smoking in their offices and canteens.

4. Children are now accepted in many pubs and restaurants.

5. It is considered rude or bad manners to smoke in someone's house without permission.

V. Choose the right English equivalent to the words in brackets:

1. They are not always easy (учить) because they are often not written down in books.

a) to study

b) to learn

c) to teach

2. Visitors to Britain are often surprised by the strange (поведение) of the inhabitants.

a) policy

b) behaviour

c) response

3. The other people in the (очередь) will probably complain loudly!

a) queue

b) turn

c) volley

4. Smoking is now (запрещено) on the London Underground, in cinemas and theaters and most buses.

a) to suppress

b) to outlaw

c) to ban

5. If children (шуметь) in public or in a restaurant it is considered very rude.

a) to kick up a row

b) talk a lot

c) to make a noise

VI. Translate the sentences from Russian into English:

1. Стояние в очереди – национальная привычка, и считается хорошей манерой вежливо дождаться своей очереди.

2. Британии в порядке вещей увидеть людей, перекусывающих по дороге, особенно во время ленча.

3. Становится все более и более неприемлемым курить в общественном месте.

4. Неписанные правила Великобритании нелегко выучить, потому что обычно о них не пишут в книгах.

5. Если ты в Риме, делай по-римски.

⇐ Предыдущая 1 2 3 4 5 6 789 Следующая ⇒