Vocabulary
attend lectures /classes/conferences get a grant/scholarship
Bachelor graduate (n)
Be expelled (from the University) graduate from the University (with honours)
be good/bad/poor at (physics) gym
Be in charge of lecture halls
Canteen library
civil engineer live in a students hostel
Construct make friends
Credit book make notes
Dean make reports
deans office Master
deliver/give lectures (on economics) postgraduate
department readers card
Descriptive geometry reading hall
Design spend free time
distinguished students card
Scientist study by correspondence
Outstanding supervisor
make presentations take/pass exams
Do research tutor
Enter the University undergraduate
Distant learning faculty facilities
Fail an exam fresher
Get a credit
Ex. 1 Read the text and answer the questions below.
From the History of Our University
Saint-Petersburg State Transport University has a great history. It was founded by Emperor Alexander I as the Corps [ko:] of Engineers of Means of Communication in 1809. The organiser and the first Rector of the Institute was an outstanding civil engineer, Augustin Betancourt. For over twenty years, the lectures at the Institute were delivered in French. French was the language of the aristocracy and only the sons of aristocrats were allowed to study here. French scientists such as B. Clapeiron, P. Lammet and others gave lectures to the students at that time.
A number of famous people studied at the Institute, among them future Decembrists Sergey and Matvey Muraviev-Apostols, writer Garin-Mikhailovskiy and others. Many distinguished professors, engineers and scientists worked at our University, such as P.P Melnikov and N.O. Kraft, who designed the first large railway from St Petersburg to Moscow, as well as S.V. Kerbedz, D.I. Zhuravskiy, B.E. Vedeneev and other outstanding engineers. In 1860 Russian scientist D.I. Mendeleev lectured at the University and was in charge of the chemical laboratory. Y.M. Gakkel, future professor of the University, made a design of the first Russian diesel locomotive with an electric drive in 1921.
Located in the centre of the city, the University occupies 16 buildings. It is interesting to walk along the halls of the University. One of the main buildings was designed by the famous Italian architect Quarengi. The hall with white columns, a meeting point for students, was designed by the French architect Thomas de Thomon. There are often interesting exhibitions there.
Our scientific library is one of the oldest university libraries in Russia. It was founded more then 200 years ago and since then it has gathered a unique collection of specialized editions and manuscripts on railway transport, architecture, and construction work, exact and applied sciences.
The graduates¹ of the University have designed and constructed many beautiful buildings, bridges and important railways all over the country. They have taken part in designing and expert appraisal of a number of projects in St Petersburg such as the construction of the ring motorway, Ladozhsky railway terminal, the Gulf of Finland dam, Smolninskaya embankment, Konstantinovsky palace, Obukhovskaya square with the monument to Augustine Betancourt and others.
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Answer the following questions.
1) Who was the University founded by?
2) Who was the first rector of the University?
3) Why were the lectures delivered in French in the first years?
4) What famous scientists worked at our University?
5) What famous architects designed some of the facilities of our University?
Ex. 2 Make presentations about famous people who worked at our University.
Ex. 3 Read the text about the present day of our University and answer the questions below.
