Sporting activities at Oxford and Cambridge are varied and numerous. There are different competitions () between the colleges. One of the most popular sports is rowing (). At the end of the term long, narrow, light boats, rowed by eight men, compete in the races. Boats start at short intervals one after another and try to knock the boat in front. Those who are able to do it move one place in a table () and the college at the top of the table is known as the "Head of the River".
Rowing has a long history in England. Rowing a boat with eight oars () or with four oars was first started in England in the 18th century. At that time the boats took part in festivals and processions on the River Thames.
In the 19th century people started to use the boats for racing, not only in London on the Thames but also in the universities of Oxford and Cambridge. The first Boat Race between Oxford and Cambridge was held in 1829.
Nearly every year since then there has been a Boat Race between these two Universities. It is held in London on the Thames, during the Easter vacation, at the end of March or the beginning of April.
The course, from Putney to Mortlake, is 4 1/4 miles long. It has many turns, and the crews usually row the 4 1/4 miles in 20 minutes.
The crews of the boats, chosen from the members of the college Boat Clubs, train together for twelve weeks before the race, first in Oxford or Cambridge and finally in London. In each boat there are eight oarsmen and a coxswain (), usually called a "cox". The cox, who is much lighter than the others, sets the speed and the rhythm, and steers.
On Boat Race Saturday the banks and bridges of the Thames are thick with people who have come to watch. Some wear dark blue ribbons () for Oxford, and some wear pale blue ones for Cambridge.
THE OPEN UNIVERSITY
A university which calls itself "The Open University" (O.U.) suggests that all other universities are closed. And this is true, because they are losed to everyone who does not have the time, the opportunity or the qualifications to study there. For
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those people, who missed the han f ging t onventional universit, the Open Universit was set up in 1969.
Most of its students work at home or in full - time jobs and can study only in their free time. They need to study about ten hours a week. As the university is truly "open", there are no formal entry requirements and students are accepted on a first come, first served basis.
Today's students are there fore of all ages and come fromverydifferent backgrounds. Some, such as teachers, want to improve their qualifications. Others, like retired people or mothers whose families have grown up, are at the O.U. because they now have the time to do something they have always wanted to do. Returning to "school" is difficult fr most students.
In addition to all the reading and writing assignments,students have got a lot of watching and listening to do, for there are weekly O.U. lectures broadcast on television and radio.
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Eh student gets the help of his tutor/councellor, who he meets regularly and can telephone in any difficulty. At the meetings students get to know other students on the course and join with them into "self-help" groups. These groups meet to discuss the texts and assignments; here too the find support and stimulation.
In the first year you must attend summer schools. You spend a week at a college or university, taking courses, having discussions, and working hard in an exciting atmosphere. It is here that most students discover that they have begun to master the skills and discipline of university study.
By the time the exams come in October, you feel much more confident and optimistic about your return to student life. Your final mark is based, on the exam and the written assignments done during the year. If you pass - you have got one credit towards the six that you need for a degree. It will take you six years (for an ordinary degree) or eight (for an Honours degree) to get your degree.
The learning materials come in the form of study packs. Each pack is built around a main text - presented as a book or series of booklets consisting of attractively designed and easy to read magazine style topics. These topics are designed to involve you in doing things - using questionnaires, observation exercises, self reports and checklists for practical action. Audiocassettes and supporting notes, information leaflets and special guides are also included to help you and get the most from your study.
Assessments packs entitle you to register as a student of the O.U. and to send in a series of assignments for computer marking and feedback. The assignments hek ur understanding of the topics and your level of involvement in using the study packs. If you complete the assignments satisfactorily you receive a Statement of Course Participation from the O.U.
Exercises
a) Learn the words and word-combinations.
a conventional University = an ordinary University
entry requirements
retired people = pensioners
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reading and writing assignments [əsainmənts]
a councellor = a tutor
to feel confident
to get a degree
an ordinary degree (an Honours degree)
easy to read ()
attractively designed
special guides
self reports, checklists, leaflets
audiocassettes and supporting notes
assessments paks, study packs
to entitle = to involve
b) Find in the text English equivalents of the following words and word-combinations:
; (); 6 ; - ; ; () ; ; ; - ; (); - ; , .
c) Find in the text and read the paragraphs about:
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- entry requirements;
- difficulties the students face during their study and measures to overcome them;
- organizational structure of the University
d) Read information in Russian and translate it into English:
(..) 1969 . .. , - --. 1970. .. 40 . . 20 (1990.) , , , 100 . .
.. , , . , , , . .. - . .. , .
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( ) , ( ) .
.. 134 . .. : . .. 33 . .
1986. 81 . . 1992. 86- - . , . .. 92 .
20 . , , , , , .
.. . , , .
1992. .. . .. , , .
e) Answer the questions to the text (use the answers as the plan for retelling):
1) When and where was the O.U. set up?
2) Who was it set up for?
3) Who can study at the University?
4) How many hours a week do the students need to study?
5) What can you say about the age of the students?
6) Are entrance examinations required at this University? How are the students admitted?
7) Must the students do a lot of watching and listening to the weekly lectures on BBC television and radio?
8) Do the students get the help of the tutor?
9) Must they attend summer school in the first year? What do they do during summer study?
10) The degree of this University is built up on a credit system, isnt it?
11) How many years does it take the students for an ordinary degree (an Honours degree)?
f) Retell the text using additional material.
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HIGHER EDUCATION IN THE USA
1. Skim through the text and say which of its paragraphs gives the information about:
a) state universities;
b) the first institutions of higher learning in the country;
c) the two broad fields of higher education.
Private and State Colleges and Universities
Harvard College was established in 1636, with the principal purpose of providing a literate ministry1 for colonial churches. It was a small institution, enrolling only 20 students in 1642 and 60 in 1660. It soon became more than a theological training school2 and established itself as a liberal arts college. The next institution of higher learning established in the American colonies was the College of William and Mary, which opened in 1693 at Williamsburg, Virginia. Other colleges were founded in the next century, but all of them remained small schools for long periods. Students entered at the age of 14 and remained until they were 18, and the curriculum, while rigidly academic and classic was by modern standards rather secondary in nature.
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Private colleges and universities were established in various states. The first state university was the University of Virginia, founded in 1819. Some state universities have large endowment funds3 which provide a substantial portion of their support. Other sources of income are student fees, gifts and endowments.
In general, higher education in the USA may be divided into two broad fields: liberal arts and professional. Each of these fields may be further subdivided into undergraduate and graduate levels. The liberal arts program, on the undergraduate level, may be a two-year junior college course, or a four-year course leading to a degree of Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science. The four-year course is usually subdivided into a lower division (which may be called the junior college), consisting of the two first years, and the upper division, which is the last two years. The first two years continue the general education and specialization begins in the third year.
(Cramer John Francis, Brawne George Stephenson. Contemporary Education)
' literate ministry .
2 theological training school .
3 endowment [ in'daumənt ] funds .
2. Find sentences with the following words and phrases in the text and translate them into Russian:
ministry, to enroll, a liberal arts college, an institution of higher learning, curriculum, modern standards, private college, state university, endowment funds, student fee, gift, undergraduate level, graduate level, junior college, Bachelor of Arts (Science), general education, specialization.
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5. Find answers to the following questions in the text:
1) When was Harvard College established?
2) What was its original purpose?
3) Was it a big or small institution?
4) How many students studied at it at first?
5) What was the next institution of higher learning established in the American colonies?
6) Which was the first state university?
7) Which sources does the income of a state university come from?
8) Does a state university charge student fees?
9) What are the two fields of higher education in the USA?
10) What are further subdivisions of these fields?
