ПРАКТИКУМ ПО АНГЛИЙСКОМУ ЯЗЫКУ

b) Listen:

c) Translate the proverbs and sayings; comment upon them. Work in groups:

b) Listen and fill in the table:

b) Elaborate the importance of happiness. Think of your ingredients of happiness.

c) What do you think is the happiest time of a person’s life – when a person is young or when he / she is old? In groups suggest the pros and cons of these ages.

d) Listen to the survey findings. Compare your suggestions and answer the questions:

1. How many people participated in the 2008 survey?

2. At what age was happiness highest?

3. What are the reasons of happiness increase according to the survey?

4. What is reported concerning the quality of sleep?

UNIT 2. FAMILY MATTERS

Start-up

Lead-in

III. a) Look at the picture and describe it.

b) Listen to the information about Sidney Fisk and fill in the gaps in the text with the words given: relax; Mexico; children; long hours; lawyer; France; beautiful house; Texas; interior designer; Dallas; play golf.

BROTHERS AND SISTERS

I – Interviewer, L – Louisa

L I’m the youngest of seven children. My oldest sister is still alive, age 1) …, and there are sixteen years between us. There were 2) …, two boys, and then me.

I Seven children! Wow! How did you 3) … together?

L Amazingly well. Being the youngest, my two brothers and I called our sisters 4) …, because they were either 5) … or working by the time we were born. But the seven of us all got along very well. But it’s different now, of course.

I Really? How?

L Well, when we were small, my 6) … often took care of us. Now my brothers and I are busy taking care of them.

I Tell me about your 7) … Julia. How has your relationship with her changed over the years?

L Julia was the sister who used to … on her holidays… used to take me for walks and so on. But then she became 8) … and went to Africa for twenty-three years. We wrote to one another and I was still her little sister. When she came back, it was shortly after my husband died we became very close and our whole 9) … changed and we became great friends.

I What do you see as the main 10) … and disadvantage of coming from such a large family?

L Hmm. I think it was very difficult sometimes to have 11) … , especially for a little girl like me. And I was sad that we didn’t go away on holiday like some other children. But the advantages overweighed 12) … enormously, there’s no doubt about that.

I Six out of the seven of you are still alive. How closely have you kept in touch over the years?

L Very closely. Of course we still phone each other all the time and see each other whenever we can. And we have 13) … every year. My granddaughter’s just had twins. That means we’ll have 14) … there this year. How marvelous!

Unit 3. CAREER DEVELOPMENT

Start-up

a)

b)

c) Listen:

d) Give appropriate translation to the proverbs and remember them:

Lead-in

III. a) Practice the conversations with your partner on the situations given:

 

IV. a) Read, memorize the conversation and practice it with a partner (column A):

b) Have similar conversations with some of the professions from column B. Add your future profession if necessary.

A	B
- Hi, Alex/Nicky! - Hi, Harry/Liza! - What do you do? - I’m interior designer. I decorate people’s homes and give them ideas for furniture and lighting. - And what are you working on these days? - Well, I’m not working on a home at the moment. I’m working on a hotel. I’ m designing a new lobby for the Plaza. - Do you like your job? - Yes, I love it.

c) Which personality traits are necessary for career development in the sphere of engineering / economics / management / logistics? Add your future profession if necessary.

d) Discuss in groups the pros and cons of your future specialty.

V. a) Discuss the following questions:

1. What does CV stand for?
2. What is the main purpose of a CV?
3. What are the key qualities of a successful CV?
4. How many sections are there in a typical CV? What are they?
5. What is the best way to structure the contents of your CV?

 

b) In pairs, discuss the following questions. Listen to Silvia and her friend Sophie, discussing CVs and check your answers.

a) What are the two most popular ways of structuring a CV?

b) What are key differences between the two most popular ways of structuring CVs?

c) Does any of Sophie’s advice surprise you?

 

c) Listen again and complete the following CV structures:

 

Chronological CV	Skills-based CV
1.your name in large letters	9. ________ ________ in large letters
2. ________ details	10. ________ ________
3. (________ ________)	11. ________ ________ / Career profile
4. ________ / Academic Qualifications	12. Key ________
5. ________ ________	13. ________ ________ details
6. Activities and ________	14. ________ / Professional qualifications
7. Additional ________	15. ________
8. ________	16. ________

 

VI. a) Discuss the questions:

1. What general skills and knowledge do most employers look for in job applicants?

2. Apart from specific qualifications and technical expertise, what skills and knowledge have you got that make you employable?

 

b) Match the transferable skills (1-8) to the examples of professional behavior (a-h):

1. analytical skills	a) I have a justified belief in my ability to do the job. I am able to express my opinion or provide advice when necessary. I am good at making decisions.
2. creativity	b) I actively seek feedback on my performance and carefully consider feedback. I demonstrate an interest in and understanding of my own and other cultures. I understand my own strength and limitations.
3. self-confidence	c) I am good at getting a good deal. I am good at developing and managing relationships with others. I am able to persuade, convince and gain support from others.
4. communication skills	d) I am able to formulate new ideas to solve problems. I am able to think ahead to spot or create opportunities. I set aside thinking time to come up with alternative ways of getting things done more effectively.
5. independence	e) I can work with sustained energy and determination on my own. I can find ways to overcome obstacles to set myself achievable goals. I strive forward my own targets and refuse to settle for second best.
6. interpersonal skills	f) I am good at data analysis. I am excellent at interpreting data to see cause and effect and am able to use this information to make effective decisions.
7. negotiation skills	g) I am able to express myself effectively. I am able to make my opinions totally clear and am rarely misunderstood. I produce clear, well-written reports that can be easily understood.
8. self-awareness	h) I am good at working cooperatively. I am good at working and communicating within a team to achieve shared goals. I am a good listener.

c) Work with the mind map. Follow Appendix 5.

d) Read the personal statement from the skills-based CV and find words and phrases which demonstrate the following points: education; character; knowledge; experience; success. Answer the questions on it.

Students

University Premises

Subjects

Schools

Marks/Grades/Credits

Courses

Other Words or Expressions

b) Look through the chart describing the postsecondary education in most countries. What does ETCS abbreviation mean? Does this chart correspond with the degree structure in Russia? What do you know about the academic degrees in Russia?

II. a) Read the passages about systems of higher education in different countries. Get ready to compare them.

Higher Education in Russia

Higher education in Russia is characterized by direct state administration. The schools of higher learning are divided into universities, where humanities and pure sciences are taught; institutes, where single fields are taught (e.g., law, medicine, and agriculture); and polytechnic institutes, where subjects similar to those in the institutes are taught but with a broader scientific foundation. Another distinction of the Russian system is that it greatly extends the educational network by offering a broad array of carefully prepared correspondence courses. Many students are thus able to proceed part-time with their education while holding full- or part-time jobs. Students are admitted to higher-educational institutions on the basis of competitive examinations. The duration of studies for a first degree ranges from four to six years, with five years being the average. The curriculum consists of compulsory, alternative, and optional subjects. Candidates for a degree must take examinations in two or three basic disciplines related to a chosen specialty. At the conclusion of a first-degree course, all students receive the same diploma, but students with the best results are awarded a " distinction." Most institutions organize graduate schools for postgraduate studies, which are likewise concluded by a set of examinations.

b) In the passages find information according to the headings given in the first column of the table below. Fill in the table with your findings:

c) Work in pairs. Compare the systems of higher education in France, Germany, Great Britain, the USA, and Russia. Come up with a comparison chart. Get ready to present your results to other students.

III. a) Read the passage about tuition and use the correct tense forms of the verbs in brackets.

TUITION

The cost of attending colleges and universities steadily … (increase) since the 1980s. Since private institutions in the United States … (not receive) public funds, they generally … (charge) students higher tuition and fees than do public institutions. In Canada, public and private institutions usually … (charge) comparable tuition and fees because the provincial and federal governments subsidize student costs for both types of institutions.

In the United States, the average tuition with room and board at a four-year public college for in-state residents during the 1978-1979 academic year … (be) $1, 994. By the 1996-1997 school year, the figure … (reach) $7, 331. At private four-year schools, tuition, room, and board nationwide … (increase) from an average of $4, 514 to an average of $18, 476. In Canada, the cost of higher education … (vary) significantly from one province to another. In the 1996-1997 academic year tuition fees (without room and board) at four-year institutions … (rang) from $1, 170 in Quebec to more than $2, 800 in Nova Scotia. Tuition fees at private four-year colleges and universities in Canada … (range) from about $2, 800 to $5, 700.

More than 10 percent of full-time college students … (work) full-time to pay for their college education. Most others … (work) part-time to help offset the costs of attending college. However, higher tuition and a decline in the purchasing power of minimum wage jobs … (make) it increasingly difficult for students to pay for college by working part-time. To provide some assistance in financing higher education costs, a number of states … (establish) programs that allow families to prepay college tuition years in advance by purchasing special contracts or tax-exempt bonds.

b) Read the passage about tuition again and find English equivalents to these words and phrases:

1. назначать плату за обучение

2. сопоставимая плата за обучение

3. работать полный / неполный рабочий день

4. возмещать стоимость посещения университета

c) Compare the cost of attending colleges and universities in the USA and Canada with that in Russia.

IV. a) Read through the passage about financial aid and get ready to explain what grants, awards, loans mean.

FINANCIAL AID

Students may apply for and receive financial aid to help pay tuition and other costs of attending college. The chief sources of financial aid are federal programs, state grant programs, private grants, and institutional sources at the college or university. Aid may be either a grant based on financial need, a merit-based financial award given to the student, or a loan that the student must repay with interest in the future.

In the past, most students received financial aid in the form of a grant. However, the increases in tuition rates since the 1980s have coincided with a decrease in the funds available for public or private grants. More of the financial aid that most students now receive comes in the form of a loan rather than a grant or an award. For example, in the late 1980s the average grant was 46 percent of a typical student’s total aid package, while the average federal loan was 52 percent. By 1998 the grant size had fallen to 40 percent of the typical total, while loan size had increased to 58 percent. In 1997 borrowers who attended public four-year colleges had accumulated an average of $13, 000 in debts. Those who went to private colleges averaged $17, 500 in debts. Borrowers in graduate school had an average debt of $24, 500, and those who went to professional school averaged $48, 500.

b) What do you know about financial aid in our country? How can a student pay for his/her education?

c) Before you listen to the student speaking about money for education match words and phrases in A with their explanations in B.

b) Complete the sentences using vocabulary from the previous activity. Now listen to the student speaking about money for education to check your answer.

1. We will lend you £ 3, 000, which you will need to repay with.................... of 3% after three years.

2. Paying my fees every year has been a constant.....................

3. With such a small loan, I don’t know if I’ll be able to pay the.....................

4. I’ve got a good job, but I just wish the work was more.....................

5. When term ends, I’ll have to get.................... just to make ends meet.

6. The.................... is £ 140 a week, but it’s cash-in-hand, so you don’t pay tax.

c) Listen again and decide if the following statements are true or false.

1. More than three quarters of all university students in England and Wales borrow money to study

2. Students tend to buy a house soon after graduating

3. Paying back a student loan is always voluntary

4. A degree gives people an advantage when applying for white collar jobs

5. Graduates often feel their first job doesn’t live up to their expectations

6. Numbers of British university students began to decline after the credit crunch

7. Students sometimes break the law to finance their studies

8. More international students are coming to Britain because the UK currency is weaker

II. a) Give appropriate translation to the proverbs and remember them:

 

b) Make up a small proverbs-based dialogue.

Lead-in

I. a) Work in pairs. Number these reasons why people enter universities in their order of importance from 1(most important reason) to 12 (least important reason). Explain your choice.

to acquire general knowledge

to prepare for job

to meet with young people

to train one’s memory

to learn something about subjects

to find out what one is really interested in

to give one’s parents some peace and quiet

to test one’s intelligence

to learn how to study and work with books

to have a good time

to be independent

to learn discipline and order

b) Skim the passage and say what new facts about Siberian Transport University you have learned.

Start-up

I. Tongue twisters to be remembered:

a)

b)

c) Listen and repeat:

d) Give appropriate translation to the proverbs and sayings. Remember three of them:

III. a) What do you think an abstract for project/conference communication is?