II. Make up a vocabulary of new words.

III. Be ready to speak on the topic.

IV. Give translations to the following words and word-combinations:

school graduate, high school, to admit, leading university, high school records, Scholastic Aptitude Test, to comprise, undergraduate student, bachelor’s degree, master’s degree, doctoral degree, technical training institution, technical skills, funding, in terms of, majority, satisfactory, to attend classes, to pass examinations, scholar, teaching faculty, research facilities, competence, applicant, to reinforce.

TEXT 29

I. Read this text and translate it into Ukrainian.

Higher Education in the USA

part ii

In the United States it is generally recognized that there are more or less desirable institutions at which to study and from which to graduate. More desirable institutions are generally, but not always, more costly to attend and graduation from one of them may bring distinct advantages as an individual seeks employment opportunities and social mobility within the society. Competition to get into such a college prompts a million of secondary school students to take the SATs every year. But recently emphasis on admission to examinations has been widely criticized in the United States because the examinations tend to measure competence in mathematics and English. In defense of using the examinations as criteria for admissions, administrators at many universities say that SATs provide a fair way for deciding whom to admit when they have 10 or 12 applicants for every first-year student seat.

Can American colleges and universities rest on their accomplishments? About 12 million students currently attend schools of higher education in America. They are students in a society that believe in the bond between education and democracy.

Still, many Americans are not satisfied with the condition of higher education in their country. Perhaps the most widespread complaint has to do with the college curriculum as a whole and with the wide range of electives in particular. The Association of American Colleges (AAC) issued a report that called for teaching a body of common knowledge to all college students. The National Institute of Education (NIE) issued a somewhat similar report, ‘Involvement in learning’. In its report, the NIE concluded that the college curriculum has become ‘excessively vocational and work-related’. The report also warned that college education may no longer be developing for students ‘who shared values and knowledge’ that traditionally bind Americans together.

Certainly, some students complete their degree work without a course in western civilization, not to mention other world cultures. Others leave college without having studied science or government. As one response, many colleges have begun reemphasizing a core curriculum that all students must master.

II. Make up a vocabulary of new words.

III. Be ready to speak on the topic.

IV. Give translations to the following words and word-combinations:

advantage, employment opportunities, secondary school student, to measure, fair way, accomplishment, to satisfy, widespread complaint, wide range of electives, knowledge, vocational, to master.

TEXT 30

I. Read the text and define the main idea of it.

Primary and Secondary Education

Schooling is compulsory for 12 years, for all children aged 5 to 16. There are two voluntary years of schooling thereafter. Children may attend either state-funded or fee-paying independent schools. In England, Wales and Northern Ireland the primary cycle lasts from 5 to 11. Generally speaking, children enter infant school, moving on to junior school (often in the same building) at the age of seven and then to secondary school at the age of 11. Roughly 90 per cent of children receive their secondary education at comprehensive schools. For those who wish to stay on, secondary school can include the two final years of secondary education, sometimes known in Britain (for historical reasons) as the sixth form. In many parts of the country, these two years are spent at a tertiary or sixth-form college, which provides academic and vocational courses.

Two public academic examinations are set, one on completion of the compulsory cycle of education at the age of 16 and one on completion of the two voluntary years. At 16 pupils take the General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE), introduced in 1989 to replace two previous examinations, one academic and the other indicating completion of secondary education. It was introduced to provide one examination whereby the whole range of ability could be judged, rather than having two classes of achievers; and also to assess children on classwork and homework as well as in the examination room as a more reliable form of assessment. During the two voluntary years of schooling, pupils specialise in two or three subjects and take the General Certificate of Education (always known simply as GCE) Advanced Level or A level examination, usually with a view to entry to a university or other college of higher education.

Advanced Supplementary (AS) levels, were introduced in 1989, to provide a wider range of subjects to study, recognition that English education has traditionally been overly narrowed. The debate about the need for a wider secondary level curriculum continues and Labour is likely to introduce more changes at this level. These examinations are not set by the government, but by independent examination boards, most of which are associated with a particular university or group of universities. Labour may replace these boards with one national board of examination.

A new qualification was introduced in 1992 for pupils who are skilled, rather than academically orientated, the General National Vocational Qualification, known as GNVQ. This examination is taken at three distinct levels: the Foundation which has equivalent standing to low-grade passes in four subjects of GCSE; the Intermediate GNVQ which is equivalent to high-grade passes in four subjects of GCSE and the Advanced GNVQ, equivalent to two passes at A-level and acceptable for university entrance.