Text 3
Higher Education in Great Britain
Pre-reading task: Answer the following questions:
1. What do you know about higher education in Great Britain?
2.What do you think are the oldest universities inGreat Britain?
3. Would you like to study at Oxford University?
There are many academic institutions in Great Britain that make up the system of higher education.
Universities have traditionally been regarded as centres of academic learning, in contrast to polytechnics, which have focused on vocational (work-related) education. However, this distinction has gradually disappeared.
You can also study at colleges of higher education. These institutions are generally smaller than universities, and tend to concentrate on more specialized fields of study, such as education, art and design, music and drama.
There are about one hundred universities in Britain. The oldest and best-known universities are located in Oxford, Cambridge, London, Manchester, Liverpool.
The most common requirements for admission to establishments of higher education are General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) and good A-level results. Universities choose their students after interviews.
English universities differ from each other in date of foundation, size, history, general organization, methods of instruction, way of student life.
The academic year in Britain’s universities, polytechnics, colleges of education is divided into three terms, which usually run from the beginning of October to the middle of December, from the middle of January to the end of March, and from the middle of April to the end of June or the beginning of July.
After 3 years of study a university graduate will leave with the Degree of Bachelor of Arts, Science, Engineering, Medicine, etc. Later he/she may continue to take a Master’s Degree and then a Doctor’s Degree. Research is an important feature of university work.
Ex.17 Answer the questions:
1. What used to be the difference between universities and polytechnics?
2. What are the differences between universities and colleges of higher education?
3. What are the admission requirements?
4. How many terms does the academic year consist of?
5. When does the first term begin?
6. What degrees are awarded at British universities?
Text 4
Oxbridge
Pre-reading task: Answer the following questions:
1. Where can one get higher education in Great Britain?
2. Would you like to study at any college in Britain? Why?
Oxford and Cambridge are the oldest and most prestigious universities in Great Britain. “Oxbridge” is the term which is used to refer to them collectively.
Nowadays they continue to attract many of the best brains. Both universities grew gradually, as federations of independent colleges most of which were founded in the 14, 15 and 16 centuries. In both universities new colleges have been established, for example, Green College, Oxford (1979) and Robinson College, Cambridge (1977).
The colleges of Oxford and Cambridge are essentially residential institutions and they mainly use a tutorial method. The students work under direction of a tutor who directs a group of 10-15 students. Each student is to write essays and papers on the subject he/she is studying and submit them to the tutor regularly for correction and discussion.
Sport is a part of student’s life at Oxbridge. English students are especially keen on football and boat races. Social life is highly developed at English colleges. The students edit college newspapers, take part in various amateur theatricals and enjoy discussions in their debating clubs.
The universities have over a hundred societies and clubs, enough for every interest one could imagine.
Ex.18 Answer the questions using the information from the text.
1. What does “Oxbridge” stand for?
2. Are the colleges of Oxford and Cambridge residential institutions?
3. What does a “tutorial method” mean?
4. What can you say about sport and social life at English colleges?
Ex. 19 Visit websites www.4icu.org or www.wikipedia.org to find more information about British universities.
Ex.20 Speaking. Pair work. Work with a partner or in groups of 3-4. Roleplay or discuss the following situations:
1. A Russian and an English student are exchanging information on the variety of higher educational institutions in their countries.
2. Two students of the Academy are discussing their life. One of them is enthusiastic about everything, the other is dissatisfied grumbler and finds fault with every little thing.
3. A student is speaking with a friend of his/hers about the programme and the course of study he/she is taking.
4. The difference between the systems of higher education in Britain and Russia.
5. Exchange information on social life of the students in your higher school, on sport and amateur activity.
Ex. 21 Speaking. Speak on what you think may surprise a Russian student at an English University:
a) curriculum;
b) teaching methods:
c) students’ extra-curricular activities. Use the following expressions:
· In comparison with
· It goes without saying that
· An advantage of
· What attracts me most of all is
· The best thing about +Ving is that
· It is not surprising that
· It’s common knowledge that
· I can’t but mention that
