The Eton Public school in Great Britain

Eton is one of the oldest public schools in Great Britain. It is a single-sex school. Today it is a secondary school for approximately 1,280 boys between the ages of 13 and 18, all of whom are boarders.

Boys live in Houses. There are about fifty boys in each House. Every House has its House Master. For academic purposes, the School is divided into five Blocks, from F to B. Boys normally spend one year in each block, moving up in September. On arrival in the School, a boy is assigned a Tutor by his House Master. The Tutor’s principal function is to assist House Masters in monitoring academic performance; he also fosters his pupils’ personal, cultural, and social development. His pupils come to him in small groups once a week for a Tutorial, in which they follow a programme of Study Skills, Personal-Social-Health Education (PSHE — designed to raise a boy’s awareness of moral, social, and health issues), and topics chosen by the Tutor. When the boy becomes a Specialist, i.e. when he enters С and embarks on А-level work, he chooses a new Tutor. This will normally be a Master who teaches what is likely to be the boy’s principal А-level subject. There are thirty-seven scheduled schools (i.e. lessons) a week in which formal teaching takes place, but almost all boys have one or more reading schools (i.e. free periods). Boys are taught in divisions (i.e. sets or forms) normally containing about ten or twelve boys of broadly similar ability in the case of Specialists and about twenty in the case of Non-Specialists. In each block, a programme of regular out-of-school work is laid down.

There are a lot of facilities in Eton. Computing (along with Design and Technology, Music, Drama, and Art) forms a compulsory part of the syllabus during the first year and is an optional subject thereafter. In the Design Centre there are facilities for woodwork, metalwork, silverwork and electronics. A huge number of boys have music lessons, and there are numerous bands, orchestras, and small groups. Most departments have a building of their own where the boys are taught.

Практическая работа 6. Работа с текстом «Образование в США». Выполнение лексических упражнений.

Задание. Прочитайте и переведите текст на русский язык. Выполните задания письменно

Education in the United States

There is no federal educational standard in the USA. Schooling and educational programmes are the responsibility of each state; this is why one can find great differences in education from state to state. No uniform demands exist on education in schools or universities throughout the nation. In most states attending school is obligatory for children between six and seventeen. Secondary education institutions include elementary schools and high schools.

Higher education in the USA is not nation-wide. Colleges differ a lot from each other in scale and level of education as well as in the “quality” of diplomas given. There are private and state universities.

Private education is considered more prestigious. The most famous private university is Harvard. Higher education is rather expensive in the USA.

A typical American university has two levels of education: two years of undergraduate classes and two more years of graduate classes. The undergraduate years are called the freshman and the sophomore year.

During the first and the second year the students take subjects of general education: Science, Humanities, Arts. The specialization begins at the third and the fourth years, named the junior and the senior year respectively. After the fourth year at college, students get a Bachelor’s degree. Graduates may specialize further and do research. They get a Master’s Degree.

EXERCISES

1. Give the English equivalents of the following words and word combinations:

федеральный стандарт образования; учебные и образовательные программы; универсальные требования; начальная школа; средняя школа; считается более престижным; самый известный; довольно дорогое; первый курс; второй курс; третий курс; четвертый курс; общеобразовательные предметы; специализация; степень бакалавра; степень магистра

2. Agree or disagree:

1. The system of education in the USA works according to the national standard.

2. Admission to elementary and high schools is free.

3. State universities are more prestigious than private ones.

4. The course in a typical American university lasts five or six years.

5. Sophomore is the second year in a university.

6. The specialization begins at the first year of studies in a university.

Тема 2. Здоровье и спорт