8. Do you have similar postgraduate degrees in your country?

Ex.4.Pair-work.

Situation 1. Convince your friend who doesn’t believe in University education that university is the best place to study law, history, journalism etc.

Situation 2. Interview your friend about his University experience.

4. Ex.5. Discussion.

1. Explain who, in your opinion, women constitute only one quarter of full-time students in Great Britain?

2. Discuss difference in systems of education provided by London University and the universities of Oxford and Cambridge.

Ex.6.Learn the proverb and explain its meaning.

A little learning is a dangerous thing.

Humor

1. Jimmy: I've added these numbers ten times.

Teacher : Good boy.

Jimmy: And here are the ten answers.

2.Sue: I got the highest mark in my class in the test today.

Bob: What was the test on?

Sue: State capitals. I was the only one who knew the capital of North Carolina.

Bob: Really?

Sue: No, Raleigh.

3.Watson: What school did you go to, Holmes?

Sherlock: Elementary, my dear Watson!

4. It was the first day of school. As the principal made his rounds, he heard a terrible commotion coming from one of the classrooms. He rushed and spotted one boy, taller than the others, who seemed to be making the most noise. He seized the lad, dragged him into the hall, and told him to wait their until he was excused.

Returning to the classroom, the principal restored order and lectured the class for half an hour about the importance of good behavior.

" Now," he said, "Are there any questions?"

One girl stood up timidly." Please, Sir,", she asked, "May we have our teacher back?"

Ex.7. What other jokes about school or higher education do you know?

Ex.8. Make a report on: Oxford and Cambridge

Срсп 4. Higher education in great britain What are Universities For?

The primary and central purpose of the university is the search knowledge and fundamental understanding in all intellectual disciplines and the transmission of that knowledge and understanding.

It has also been a function of universities to give to young people from a relatively narrow age group ( say 17-24) an education designed to develop their capacities, more particularly their intellectual capacities, that is, the ability to judge evidence critically, to develop independence of mind, the ability to communicate , curiosity, reasoning power and factual accuracy.

The important thing on the one hand is to educate intellectually mobile specialists capable of renewing and endlessly adapting themselves to new problems and, on the other hand , to organize co-operation on specific problems between specialists. To meet these varying needs, the most of universities divide their training into two parts: the first three years are devoted to basic education of a rather general and fundamental nature, and the last two years to specific research work, together with the preparation of a diploma paper. It tries , moreover, to give its students a civic and social formation which will enable them to be aware of the problems facing society and have a wish to solve them.

Ex.1. Read the text and answer the following questions.

1. What are the three components that make up the primary and central purpose of the University?

2. Can you recognize the difference between knowledge and understanding? Which is easier - to acquire knowledge or to understand it? What is fundamental understanding? Who transmits that knowledge and understanding?

3. What intellectual capacities is a university education designed to develop? Why are the ability to judge evidence critically, independence of mind, factual accuracy, curiosity important for a scholar? What do you understand by “the ability to communicate?” Why is it no less important? What is reasoning power? Explain it.

4.What are the necessary qualities of a university graduate?

5.How do our universities meet these needs? What are the first three years devoted to? What are the last two years devoted to?

6.What else besides knowledge in the chosen field does the university provide for the students?

Ex. 2. Read, translate and discuss.

There is still, I think, not enough recognition by teachers of the fact that the desire to think-which fundamentally a moral problem -must be induced before the power is developed. Most people, whether men or women, wish above all else to be comfortable, and thought is an uncomfortable process; it brings to the individual far more suffering that happiness in our imperfect world. (From “The Testament of Youth”)

______________________

1. Who was the first teacher that started to develop your power to think?

2. Do you agree that thought is an uncomfortable process? Give your reasons.

Ex. 3. Pair-work. Prepare your list of questions to ask your partner in the following situations.

Situation 1. Convince your friend who doesn’t believe in University education that University is the best-place to study law, history, philosophy, journalism, etc.

Situation 2. Interview your friend about his University experience.

Situation 3. Your friend believes that teaching will soon be done by computers. Challenge the statement that a teacher can be replaced by machines.

Ex.4. Correct the mistake in each sentences.

1. I’d like to go to the university to study medicine.

2. Economics are very difficult to understand.

3. Physic is not a popular subject.

4. I’m not interested in politic.

5. She was tired after her lesson so she went to the bed.

6. How many subjects did you make at school?

7. She went out of school when she was sixteen.

8. I went to college at the age of eighteen.

Ex.5. Read the text.

A will to Learn

I was educated some in chemistry , and in biology and physics too, at Cornell University. I did badly and I soon forgot all they tried to teach me. The Army sent me to Carnegie Tech (technological institute) and the University of Tennessee to study mechanical engineering. I did badly again. I am very used to failure, to being at the bottom of every class.

A cousin of mine, who was also a high-school classmate, did very badly at the University of Michigan while I did badly at Cornell. His father asked him what the trouble was, and he made what I consider an admirable reply: "Don’t you know, Father? I’m dumb. "It was the truth. (After Kurt Vonnegut)

Ex.6.Answer the following questions.

1.As you may know K. Vonnegut is a famous writer. For what reasons do you think he failed as a student?

2.What do you think about your will to learn? Is it great enough?

Ex.7. Answer the questions:

1. Did you go to nursery school?

2. Do most children start primary school at the age of five?

3. Is the secondary school system similar or different?

4. How many subjects did/do you study at secondary school?

5. Did/do you study any subjects which are not included opposite?

6. What was/is your favorite subject?

7. How many lessons did/do you have every day?

8. Is/was your school a state school or public school?

9. At what age can you leave school?

10.How many terms are there in a school year?

Ex.8. How do you understand the following proverbs? Explain their meanings and write down a short report on them.

1. Better untaught than ill taught.

2. To know every thing is to know nothing.