Text-study

I. Learn the following words.

Priority projects – приоритетные проекты;

literacy rate – уровень грамотности;

to retain – сохранять;

free education – бесплатное образование;

compulsory – обязательный;

to decrease – снижаться;

approximately – приблизительно;

adolescent – юноша, подросток;

correlation – соотношение;

tertiary education – высшее образование;

quality of education services – качество образовательных услуг;

funding – финансирование;

rural school – сельская школа;

viable – жизнеспособный;

remote regions – отдаленные районы;

out of reach – недоступный, недосягаемый.

II. Answer the following questions.

1. What is the literacy rate in Russia?

2. What are the reasons for decreasing the secondary education rate during the last decade?

3. What’s the correlation between pupils and teachers at Russian schools? Do you think this correlation is optimal? Why (why not)?

4. What are the programmes implemented in Russia aimed at?

5. What is the significance of joint efforts of Russia and its partners in the field of education?

6. What factors are threatening educational quality at the moment?

7. What are the main problems of Russian rural schools?

III. Choose a), b) or c) to complete the following statements about the text.

1. The literacy rate in Russia is … .

a) 50%;

b) 80%;

c) 99%.

2. The secondary education rate has decreased due … .

a) to economical and social challenges;

b) to natural disasters;

c) to different diseases.

3. More than 98% of school-aged children and adolescents are covered by … .

a) professional education;

b) primary and secondary education;

c) tertiary education.

4. UNESCO programmes implemented in the country in close cooperation with governmental bodies are aimed at … .

a) enhancement of methodology and content of education;

b) restructuring the Russian education system;

c) changing the correlation between pupils and teachers.

5. Many rural schools are … .

a) technologically advanced;

b) located quite near big cities;

c) not economically viable.

IV. Match the verbs with the appropriate nouns.

1. to announce	a) programmes
2. to provide	b) establishment of projects
3. to implement	c) goals
4. to contribute to	d) services
5. to correspond to	e) achievement

V. Make up sentences with the phrases you’ve got.

VI. Find in the text the English equivalents of the following Russian phrases.

Благодаря усилиям российского правительства; из-за экономических и социальных проблем; предоставлять образовательные услуги; в тесном сотрудничестве с …; быть нацеленным на …; стратегические задачи российской системы образования; снижение финансирования.