About 58 million people live in Great Britain. It has a very largepopulation for its size. Nine people out of 10 live in towns and cities. No town of comparable size enjoys such universal popularity and veneration as Stratford-upon-Avon, the birthplace of William Shakespeare. Stratford - upon-Avon possesses a peculiarly English character, derived from its unique heritage of natural setting, history and literary associations, which has come to make it an international asset of the first order. Stratford is a town with a character and atmosphere of its own. Apart from the beauty of its river, its streets and buildings preserve many links with its interesting past. Most famous are the properties and gardens associated with Shakespeare and his family which are preserved as a memorial to the past. The smooth-flowing Avon is Stratfords greatest asset, while second only in importance is the fine old bridge with its fourteen arches. This bridge was built at the end of the 15 th century by Hugh Clopton, a native of the town. The Shakespeare Memorial Theatre is the centre of the Shakespeare Festival. This brick-built theatre was erected in 1932 to replace an earlier theatre destroyed by fire. It is without doubt one of the best equipped
theatres and its Shakespearian productions attract an international audience. Shakespeares statue (Gower Memorial) stands on the Bancroft, commanding the approach to Stratford from Clopton Bridge. The statue of the bard with its figures of Hamlet, Lady Macbeth, Falstaff and Prince Hall is imposing. The house in Henley Street where Shakespeare was born in 1564 and spent his early years is a half-timbered building of a type common in Elizabethan Stratford. It is visited by pilgrims from all over the world.
The interior of Shakespeares Birthplace contain many features of unusual interest. The poets birthroom on the first floor is a fascinating room with a low, uneven ceiling and is furnished after the pattern of a middleclass home such as the Shakespeare family occupied. In it is the famous window on which are recorded the signatures of distinguished people who visited the house.
Vocabulary:
veneration -
asset - ; ,
pilgrim -
Prince Hall - , IV
half-timbered - ,
, -
signature -
distinguished - , ,
Text 5
London
London is one of the largest and most interesting cities in the world. London today stretches for nearly thirty miles from north to south and for nearly thirty miles from east to west. This is the area known as Greater London, with a population of nine million. The River Thames winds its way through London and divides it into the two parts known as the north bank and the south bank. Fifteen bridges span it, perhaps the best known being Westminster, Waterloo, Tower and London bridges. Traditionally London is divided into Westminster, the West End and the East End. They are very different from each other.
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The heart of London is the City - its commercial and business centre. The City of London is a very small part of the whole; it is only one square mile in area, and the number of people who live and sleep in the
City is only about ten thousand. Numerous banks, offices and firms are concentrated here, including the Bank of England, the Stock Exchange and the Old Bailey, where important criminal trials take place. Visitors who come to learn about Londons history will find much to interest them in the City. Here most of the streets are narrow, and traffic is often very slow. The most striking building in the City is St. Pauls Cathedral designed by famous English architect, Sir Christopher Wren (1632-1723). St. Pauls Cathedral with its huge dome and rows of columns is considered to be a fine specimen of Renaissance architecture. In one of its towers hangs one of the largest bells in the world, Great Paul, weighing about 17.5 tons. Wellington, Nelson and other great men of England are buried in the Cathedral. Round St. Pauls is the original London, the oldest part, with a history of almost two thousand years. Westminster, with its Palace and Abbey, is six hundred years younger. The ancient City of London has always governed itself and has not shared in the government of the rest of London. The City has its own Lord Mayor and its own Corporation. Ever since 1215 the Lord Mayor has been chosen annually. He begins his duties on 8 November, and in the following day there is procession which is known as the Lord Mayors Show. The Tower of London doesnt belong to the City, though it stood there for almost nine hundred years. It is more connected with the royal dynasties, than with the world of business. The Tower was founded by Julius Caesar and in 1066 rebuilt by William the Conqueror. It was used as a fortress, a royal residence and a prison. Now it is a museum of armour and also a place where the Crown Jewels are kept. In present days, just as many centuries ago, the Ceremony of the Keys takes place at its gates every night. As, during the Middle Ages, London increased in size and wealth, the old City and the area round the Royal Palace at Westminster became the two chief centres. The nobles, bishops, judges, and others who were connected with the Court, lived in or near Westminster. This explain how the part of London that we now call the West End came into being. And because Henry VIII was fond of hunting we have, today, three parks that form a continuous stretch of green: St Jamess Park, the Green Park, and Hyde Park. The Court moved to St. Jamess in the eighteenth century, and to Buckingham Palace in the nineteenth century. Both of these are in the City of Westminster. Here, and farther west, are the finest theatres, cinemas and concert halls, the large museums, the most luxurious hotels, the largest department stores and the most famous shops. The name West End came to be associated with wealth, luxury, and goods of high quality. Not far from Westminster where most of the Government buildings are situated is Westminster Abbey, at which all British Kings and queens have been crowned. It dates back to 1049. Many English sovereigns, outstanding statesmen, painters and poets are buried here. Across the road from Westminster Abbey is Westminster Palace, the seat of the British Parliament. Its two graceful towers stand high above
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the city. The higher of the two largest clock in the country and the famous bell Big Ben that strikes every quarter of the hour. The Queen lives in Buckingham Palace for much of the year, but there are other royal palaces in London.m Trafalgar Square is the geographical centre of London. It was so named in memory of the victory in the battle of Trafalgar, where in October 21, 1805 the English fleet under Nelsons command defeated the combined fleet of France and Spain. The victory was won at the cost of Nelsons life. In the middle of Trafalgar Square stands Nelsons monument. The column is guarded by four bronze lions. The fine building facing the square is the National Gallery and adjoining it (but just round the corner) is the Portrait Gallery. The East End is the part of London east of the City. The East End is unattractive in appearance, but very important to the countrys commerce. On the river there are ocean -going ships and lines of barges pulled along by tugs. Ships up to 6000 tons can come as far as London Bridge. The Port of London, of which the docks form a part, has 69 miles of waterways and is one of the two of three greatest ports in the world. Greater London, with its million population, includes the outer suburbs. Because London has grown so large, the Government has decided that it must spread no farther. It is now surrounded by a green belt, a belt of agricultural and wooded land on which new buildings may be put up only with the permission of the planning authorities.
Vocabulary
to span - e
the Bank if England -
the Stock Exchange -
the Old Bailey - , -
The Duke of Wellington - , 1815
Nelson - ,
Corporation - , ,
Court - ( )
bishop -
graceful -
to adjoin -
tug -
wooded land - ; ,
Answer the questions:
1. What is the territory and population of Greater London?
2. How many bridges are there in London?
3. What parts is London divided into?
4. What are different parts of London famous for?
5. What do you know about the City?
6. Who was St Pauls Cathedral built by?
7. What was the Tower of London used for?
8. Who founded the Tower and when was it rebuilt?
9. What is the historic, the governmental part of London?
10. What building has more historic associations than any other building
in London?
11. What is the royal residence in London?
12. Can you describe Trafalgar Square?
Translate into English
1. -
2. - . .
3. - .
4. . , .
5. - , , .
6. - - , , .
7. -.
8. , , , .
Speak on the given topics:
1. The City. 2. The West End. 3. The East End. 4. The district of Westminster.
5. The Tower. 6. St. Pauls Cathedral. 7. Trafalgar Square.
Text 5
Education in Britain
British education has many different faces, but one goal. Its aim is to realise the potential of all, for the good of the individual and society as a whole. Compulsory primary education begins at the age of 5 in England, Wales and Scotland, and 4 in Northern Ireland. Around half of 3-and 4- year olds in Britain receive nursery education, and many other children attend preschool playgroups, mostly organised by parents. Children usually start their school career in an infant school and move to a junior school or department at age 7. In some parts of the country, though, children begin at a first school at age 5, and move on to a middle school at age 8, 9, or 10. Primary schools vary in size and location, some having as few as two teachers and others as many as 30. At the age of 11 most children go to a comprehensive school where they stay until they are 16. In the past children went to different types of secondary schools, but in most parts of the country everybody now goes to a comprehensive. In Britain most children of compulsory secondary school age (11 to 16) receive free education financed from public funds. Some parents, who do not want their children to go to a comprehensive pay to send them to a private school. The most expensive and prestigious private schools are actually called public school. At 7 and 11 years old (and at secondary school, at 14 and 16), teachers measure childrens progress in each subject against attainment targets. In English, for instance, there are five basic targets: speaking and listening; reading; writing; spelling; and handwriting. For each target, there are ten levels of attainment. For example, in order to achieve attainment level 2 in writing, a child should, amongst other things, be able to structure
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sequences of real or imagined events coherently in chronological accounts - this could be in an account of a family occasion, or in a practical mathematics task, or in an adventure story. At the age of 16 children take their examinations. Most take General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) qualifications. Ordinary Levels - normally called just O Levels. Children take O Levels in as many subjects as they want to; some take one of two, others take as many as nine or ten. If you get good O Levels results, you can stay on at school until you are 18, in the Sixth Form. Those who stay on at school after GCSE usually study for two further years for A (Advanced) level exams in two or there subjects. They can broaden their range by taking AS levels, which demand the same standard of work as A levels but cover only half the content, or by taking courses leading to vocational qualifications. Education doesnt stop with leaving school. Further education in particular is learning which, with its strong ties with commerce and industry, is vital in the effort to keep Britain economically competitive. In 1991 the Government published plans aiming to ensure that everyone over 16 is encouraged to continue in education or training, and to remove barriers between academic and vocational education. Over 500 colleges of further education run courses on everything from catering to business studies. Most further education courses are vocational, but many colleges offer more academic courses, such as GCSE, and A levels. There are 400.000 full-time further educational students and 4 million who attend college part-time, by day or block release from their jobs or in the evening. The new National Vocational Qualifications are designed to ensure the relevance of vocational qualifications to employers. More than 2,5 million adults aged 19 or over enrol each year on further education courses- which lead to qualifications or access to higher education; or that teach a craft, a sport, or an aspect of culture. All Britains universities enjoy complete academic freedom. They appoint their own staff and decide what and how to teach. The tradition of excellence dates back to the 12 th and 13 th centuries, when Oxford and Cambridge Universities were founded. Four Scottish universities were established in the 14 th and 15 th centuries, while the rest of Britains 47 universities were set up in the last 200 years. First degree courses usually last three or four years. The Open University is a little different, because it relies on distance- learning. Prospective students dont require any conventional academic qualifications to enrol, but the standards of Open University degrees are as high as at other universities. England and Waless 34 polytechnics tend to be more Vocationally - orientated than universities, providing degree and sub-degree vocational courses as well as traditional academic degree courses. Many polytechnics (and the 13 central institutions in Scotland) have close links with business, and many students have jobs and attend part-time. For those without standard entry qualifications, access and foundation courses can provide a way in to higher education. The number of access courses in Britain is increasing rapidly.
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Vocabulary
ompulsory -
primary education -
infant school -
junior school -
nursery education -
comprehensive school -
free education -
private school -
public school -
target - ; ; ; ;
attainment - ; (pl) ,
structure - ; ;
sequence - , ,
coherent - , ,
account - , ; ,
GCSE - General Certificate of Secondary Education ,
Ordinary level (O) -
Advanced level (A) -
vocational -
academic -
to encourage - , ;
to cater -
full-time study -
part-time study -
adult -
to enrol - ();
access -
the Open University -
conventional - , ,
degree -
Answer these questions
1. What is the aim of British education?
2. What education is compulsory in Great Britain?
3. When do children begin attending a primary school?
4. At what age do children go to a comprehensive school?
5. What kind of school-leaving exams do children take?
6. What types of higher educational establishments are there in the UK?
7. What is necessary to go on to higher education?
8. What courses of study are offered by higher education establishments?
9. What plans did the Government publish in 1991?
10. What are the three types of universities in Great Britain?
II. Do the following tasks:
1. Divide the text into logical parts.
2. Give a name to each part.
3. Give the contents of each part in 1-2 phrases.
4. Give the summary of the whole text.
Text 6
Students working for their first degree at university are called undergraduates. When they take their degree they are called graduate and then they are called graduates. If they continue studying at university after they have graduated, they are called post-graduates. Full-time students have three terms of about ten weeks in each year. University teaching combines lectures given by professors, readers or lecturers, practical classes and small group teaching in seminars or tutorials. In Britain great attention is paid to teacher training. Teacher training, according to one teacher, is preparation for working with the most valuable resourse the country has. Teacher training is realized at universities and colleges of higher education. Non-graduates normally take a four-year Bachelor of Education (BEd) degree, while those who are already graduates undertake a one-year Postgraduate Certificate of Education (PGCE). The course of study for intending teachers is based upon compulsory and optional subjects. The Programme usually consists of three core components: School-based experience. Subject studies and Education studies. One of the main subjects is Theory of Education. At the end of the second year students are to make their choice as to the age-range of children they wish to prepare to teach. Junior students go into schools for one day each week, watching experienced teachers at work. They take part in the life of the school, help with games. Senior students spend fifteen weeks on teaching practice. They learn the use of different educational aids, observe lessons and take part in discussing them.
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Read the text without dictionary and answer the following questions:
1. What students are called undergraduates?
2. What students are called graduates?
3. What students are called post-graduates?
4. How many terms do full - time students have?
5. What does University teaching combine?
6. In Britain great attention is paid to teacher training, isnt it? Why?
7. How long does the course of study for intending, teachers last? What degree do they usually receive?
8. What does the Programme usually include? What is the main subject?
9. In what way do students take part in the life of the school?
Quiz about Education in Britain:
1. In Britain you have to attend school between:
a) 5 and 16
b) 5 and 18
c) 7 and 16
2. A comprehensive school is .
a) a school of languages
b) a school for 15-11 years olds
c) a school for 11-16 year olds
3. In 1989 a new National Curriculum was introduced into British schools.
Ten subjects had to be studied. Three of these subjects (called core
subjects) were chosen for special attention.
Here are the ten subjects to be studied. Which do you think are the
subjects?
a) English
b) History
c) Geography
d) Art
e) Science
f) Mathematics
g) a foreign language
h) Design and Technology
i) Physical Education
j) Music
4. 16 year olds in Britain have to take General Certificate of Secondary
Education examinations. Girls have significantly better results than
boys in three of the following GCSE subjects. Which three?
a) Mathematics
b) Biology
8 9
c) French
d) History
e) English
f) Chemistry
Answer the following questions:
1. What ages do you attend school in Russia?
2. What subjects must you study?
3. Are there some subjects you can choose?
4. Did you take music lessons at school? For how long?
5. What exams must you take when you finish school?
6. Why did you decide to study at our Institute?
7. What are your future plans?
8. Are you fond of reading? Do you read much?
9. What is the difference between to take an exam and to pass an
exam?
Text 7
Examinations
Exams are a very important part of the British education process. Sometimes the work that students have done during the year (essays and projects) will be given a mark by the class teacher and this may count for up to 20% of the final mark. The actual written exams are set by Examination Boards and are marked by outside examiners. Papers are marked Annonymously - that means that the marker does not know the name or the school of the student. Student dont know the questions beforehand so they must know their subject thoroughly so as to be able to answer the questions. Most exams last for about two hours and at A Level students will have 2-3 exams in each subject. If students are planning an academic career they will do A Levels but now more and more are studying for their GNVQs (General National Vocational Qualifications). These Qualifications focus on vocational skills such as business and finance, information technology. At the age of 14-15 in the third or fourth form of secondary school, pupils begin to choose their exam subjects. In 1988 a new public examination - the General certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) was introduced for 16 year - olds. This examination assesses pupils on the work they do in the 4 th and 5 th year at secondary school. Pupils who stay on into the sixth form or who go to a Sixth form College (17 year -olds in the Lower Sixth and 18 year - olds in the Upper Sixth) usually fall into two categories. Some pupils will be retaking GCSEs in order to get better grades. Others will study two or three subjects for an A Level (Advanced Level) GCE (General Certificate of Education).
This is a highly specialised exam and is necessary for University entrance. Since 1988 there has been a new level of exam: the AS (Advanced Supplementary), which is worth half an A Level. This means that if pupils wish to study more than two or three subjects in the sixth form they can take a combination of A and AS Levels. In Scotland the exam system is slightly different.
Text 8
The Universities
Oxford and Cambridge Universities were founded in the 12 th and13 th centuries, four Scottish universities were established in the 14 th and15 th centuries and the rest of Britains 47 universities were set up in the last 200 years. These bodies are diverse in their origin and traditions, status and methods, but three groups can be distinguished at once. In order of their origin they consist of, first, Oxford and Cambridge; secondly the Scottish universities; and thirdly the English civic universities. The oldest and most famous universities in Great Britain are Oxford and Cambridge. Oxford and Cambridge are almost identical, more like two branches of the same university than like separate unconnected institutions - which they in fact are. In the first place they both trace their long history back to the same period. By the end of the 13 th century both universities had already colleges in being - for example Balliol at Oxford and Peterhouse at Cambridge. Their history from that time has been very similar. Both retained the system of residential colleges when other medieval universities abandoned it. Each college was, and still is, run by a Master and a body of Fellows. They maintain its buildings repair, and add to or demolish them; they arrange about the food and the college servants. They have always been universities for gentlemen; progressively during the 18 th and 19 th centuries they tended to become universities exclusively for gentlemen. Until 1854 at Oxford and 1856 at Cambridge only members of the Church of England could enter the University. The Scottish universities were all founded in the 14 th or 15 th century. Their characteristic student was a ministers or a small farmers son. Students were provided, by means of lectures and libraries, with the opportunity to acquire a knowledge of the classics, mathematics, law, medicine or theology or whatever it might be, and apart from that they were left alone. There was not the elaborate system of tutoring, and supervision moral and mental, which there was at Oxford and Cambridge. The English civic universities are all comparatively new formations. University College (London University) was founded in 1827 in order to provide a university education for Non-conformists who until the eighteen- fifties were not admitted to Oxford or Cambridge. The other provincial university were started for people who were debarred from Oxford or Cambridge, not by religion, but money or lack of it. Oxford and Cambridge colleges cultivate connections with public schools in many cases. In all these conditions, even if the attempt to be fair is made, the selection procedure is subject to the dictatorship of the middle class, who prefer mirror images of themselves and their families. The class aspect of higher education shows itself in many other ways. Before many reach the stage of applying to a university, their future is predetermined by the economic need to get out and earn and so on. Many thousands will then turn to getting qualifications from Colleges of Advanced Technology, Technical Colleges, Training Colleges and other institutions.
Vocabulary:
diverse -
to trace -
to abandon - ;
to retain -
to debar -
non-conformist - ,
Answer the questions:
1. What three groups can be distinguished among the universities in Great Britain?
2. What common features characterise the Oxford and Cambridge Universities?
3. What is characteristic of the system of residential colleges?
4. In what do the Scottish universities differ from Oxford and Cambridge?
5. What can you say of the English civic universities?
6. What are the class aspects of the University admissions procedure?
Text 9
Oxford and Cambridge
Oxford, the seat of an ancient university, is one of the most must interesting and famous towns in Europe. The beautiful architecture of its spires and towers as seen from a distance is renowned not less the noble
architecture of its colleges. Many of the colleges present a lovely picture of ancient pearlgrey walls, noble towers, picturesque gothic archways. All have grass lawns of velvet smoothness and many have most magnificent displays of flowers. The first mention of Oxford (the ford for oxen over the Thames)
occurs in the Anglo-Saxon chronicle of 912. The University is first mentioned in the 12 th century.
Queens College, University College, Magdalen College and quite a number of others make up the University of Oxford. The central University arranges lectures for the whole body of students in a particular subject and holds examinations and grants degrees. An individual college provides for residence and tutorials. Great emphasis is laid on what are called tutorials, in which a Don gives personal instruction in his study at least once a week to students numbering not more than four at a sitting. Cambridge, on the Cam or Granta, is famous as the seat of one of the great English universities. The River Granta flows behind the College buildings, curls about the town and a little farther on it changes its name to the Cam. To the left, across the stream, there are no buildings, merely meadows, College gardens and lines of tall tress. Everything is very green and peaceful. On the river-bank are willow with their branches bending into the water, and at intervals along the river, stone bridges cross the stream and lead into the Colleges which line right bank. The deep-coloured brick or stone of the College walls, sometimes red and sometimes grey, is 500 years old. The Colleges join one another the curve of the river. The Colleges are built on a plan common to all. There is a chapel, a library, and a large dining-hall. One court leads into another and each is made beautiful with lawns or a fountain or charming old stone path. The students get a good impression of all the English architectural styles of the past 600 years.
There are nineteen Colleges, excluding two for women students, which were built near the end of the last century. Kings College Chapel is the largest and most beautiful building in Cambridge and the most perfect example left of English fifteenth-century architecture. In 1440 King Henry VI founded Kings College. Many great men studied at Cambridge, amongst them Bacon, Milton, Cromwell, Newton, Byron and Tennyson. Erasmus, the great Duch scholar, was at Queens College, from 1511 to 1513.
Vocabulary:
Don = tutor - ,
willow tree - . , ,
II. Speak according to the following plan:
1. Oxford is one of the most famous towns in Europe.
2. Colleges present a lovely picture.
3. The role of the central University.
4. Great emphasis is laid on tutorials.
5. In Cambridge everything is very green and peaceful.
6. What is the common plan on which the Colleges are built?
7. The most perfect example of the 15 th century architecture.
8. Which is the older University, Oxford or Cambridge?
Text 10
Oxford University
The University consists of 32 colleges: 27 colleges for men and 5 colleges for women. There are 16 faculties there. Oxford (like Cambridge) is a collection of colleges, each self-governing and independent. The colleges are the real living Oxford and each has its own character and individuality. For example, most of the men at Queens College come from the North of England, those at Jesus College from Wales, Brasenose has a high reputation for its rugger, Magdalen for its rowing men. But there are students of all kinds in each college. Every college has its arts men and its science men, its medical students and its engineers. Every student follows his own course of study, but he gains a lot from living among those who represent all other branches. The term of studies lasts for 10 weeks. There are three terms in the Oxford academic year. Within the first week the freshman meets his tutor who tells the student about his plans, the lectures which he must take, about the requirements for the examination which he will take, about the course of reading for him. Attendance at lectures in not compulsory. Once every week each
undergraduate goes to his tutors room to read out an essay which he has written and discuss this essay with the tutor. At the end of each term the progress of the students is tested by the college examinations. They pay great attention to athletics at the University. The students are engaged in different kinds of sports, take part in competitions between Oxford and Cambridge Universities. This is how a student spends his day. His working hours are from 9 to 1. At 9 oclock he sees his tutor or goes to the library, or attends lectures. From 2 to 5 he is engaged in sports and all kinds of exercise. From 5 to 7 he works in the library or laboratory. At 7 oclock they have dinnertime. After dinner the students have club activities, debating societies. By 10 oclock the student must be in the college, as most of students live in the colleges, only some of them live in lodgings in the town.
Vocabulary:
to gain - ;
freshman -
tutor - ,
,
within the first week - ( )
attendance - ,
to live in lodgings -
debating society -
to take club activities -
Answer the questions:
1. How many colleges are there at Oxford?
2. How many terms are there in the Oxford academic year?
3. What does a tutor do?
4. In what way do they test the progress of the students?
5. Do they pay great attention to athletics at the University?
Text 11
