Введение

Настоящее пособие актуально в связи с тем, что рекомендует материалы с учетом региональных условий. При избытке популярной литературы для детей и взрослых, интересующихся иностранными языками, дефицитными являются именно целевые издания. Наше пособие ориентировано на будущих специалистов, с которыми мы работаем в Сыктывкарском лесном институте, а следовательно, мы учитываем задачи и условия преподавания английского языка в данном вузе.

В пособии «Мир вокруг нас» отражены программные требования по предмету «Иностранный язык». Данное издание можно считать апробированным, поскольку оно является результатом многолетней работы, в частности, с методическими указаниями «Мир и мы». В настоящем издании учтены и пожелания коллег.

Unit 1 Text 1. Our insтitute

The Forest Institute in Syktyvkar is the youngest among the schools of higher learning in our city. It has been known under this name since September 1995, but its history goes back to the year of 1952, when a Consultation Centre of the All-Union Extra-Mural Forest Technical Institute was set up in Syktyvkar. With the rapid development of the forest industry in the Komi Republic the number of students in it grew fast and in 1959 the Consultation Centre was reorganized into the Syktyvkar Branch of the All-Union Extra-Mural Forest Technical Institute. Already in 1960 it consisted of several departments, training engineers for forestry, mechanical and chemical processing of wood, specialists for paper production and civil engineering. Later in 1964 the Extra-Mural Forest Technical Institute became part of the Leningrad Forest Technical Academy and our institution turned into its branch.

For more than thirty years the Syktyvkar Branch of the Leningrad Forest Technical Academy provided academic and professional education for part-time learners at the evening and extra-mural departments. The students could complete their education in St. Petersburg.

As for the Forest Technical Academy in St. Petersburg, it is one of the oldest institutes in Russia. It was in 1803 that the first forestry higher learning school was established in St. Petersburg (Tzarskoye selo) with the first ten students. In 1929 it acquired the name of the Forest Academy thanks to the reputation it had gained in science and education. Many famous scientists worked at the Forest Academy. Among them are chemist Engelgart, natural scientist Kustyshev and foresters Morozov and Rutskoy. Today the Academy is a major scientific and research centre and its contribution into the national economy is enormous. Up to now the Syktyvkar Forest Institute has very close links with it, even though it enjoys a lot of independence.

The Forest Institute is situated in a beautiful place in the centre of the city in Lenin street. Today it has two main buildings with lecture-rooms and laboratories and two students’ dormitories. The Institute has 5 major units: the faculties of Economics-and-Management and Forest-and-Transport, as well as the Technological and Agricultural faculties and the Faculty of Extra-Mural Studies. With 27 departments they provide a two-level education. The total amount of students is about 7 thousand and they all study as full-time and part-time learners. Part-time studies make it possible to combine work and further education. The evening and extra-mural studies are popular with young people who seek financial independence and are ready to sacrifice their free time for better opportunities in the future. But more and more students choose full-time education and the number of applicants at the Institute is constantly growing.

The students have to work very hard. The curriculum offers a lot of lecture courses, seminars, practical classes and field studies and in the last two years they have probation practices with companies and enterprises. The students have an art union «Drevo» («tree») which includes different hobby groups, the students' theatrical society, KVN-teams. Our students also take part in many sports competitions and show very good results.

Though we are experiencing hardships in many spheres of life today, our Institute manages not only to survive but it expands, improves its work and has a very promising future. With the highly qualified teaching staff the Institute is capable of training specialists for forestry and other branches of our economy. It provides our republic with foresters, mechanical, energy, transport and civil engineers, chemical and information technologists, economists, managers, accountants and other specialists.