The Eckersley school of English.

The Eckersley School of English was founded in 1955, and is run personally by John Eckersley and his wife Angela.

The school is situated ‘in the heart of Oxford’, very near to the stores, bookshops, theatres, cinemas, museums and art galleries that are to be found in this historic city. It is also close to many of the ‘colleges’— ancient and modern — that constitute Oxford University.

There are ten Classrooms, a Language Laboratory, a Computer Room, and a Library with a small listening center. When they are not in class, students can relax in the Students’ Room, which has daily newspapers, television, and a drinks vending machine, in the Table Tennis Room or in the patio garden.

There are usually between 60 and 90 students in the School. Most of the students come individually, not in groups, so there are usually students from many different countries.

The courses are designed for adults, not for children. The minimum age for joining the courses is 16 years, but most of the students are aged between 18 and 25, and there are also students in their 30s or 40s. There is no maximum age.

The students are expected to attend classes regularly and to study seriously and to participate actively. The students usually enjoy their studies and the experience of living in Oxford. The lessons are varied, interesting and often amusing. The teachers are well qualified in teaching English as a foreign language and they take great interest in the progress of each student. The number of students in a language class is usually 10—12 (never more than 12). Teachers make use of the Language Laboratory, video recorders and computers, as well as a variety of teaching materials and up-to-date course books.

The School provides a general English Language Course. Students can enroll for a Term or a Summer Vacation Course. The Terms vary in length, but are usually between 8 weeks and 13 weeks. It is also possible to enroll for part of a term only (Short Period).

On the first day all the students do tests in listening, writing and in speaking, and they are then divided into classes according to their level.

There is no obligation to take an examination during your studies at the School. However, many students wish to gain a certificate from an internationally recognized examination organization as a measure of their progress or as a goal for their study.

Every Term and Summer Vacation Course begins with a ‘Getting to Know You’ tea party and ends with a ‘Farewell’ party in the School. Various other social evenings and events, such as video and film evenings, international evenings and parties, are arranged.

There is a full programme for weekend excursions to places of interest, for example: Stratford-upon-Avon, Windsor, London, Bath, Cambridge, Canterbury, Edinburgh and the Isle of Wight.

TASK: Ask 10—12 questions (all types of questions) on the text. Be ready to answer them. (pair work)

 

 

HIGHER EDUCATION IN THE USA

I. The American educational system offers about 3,300 higher educational institutions for more than 12 million students. This system comprises different types of institutions: four-year colleges, universities, community/junior colleges, upper-division colleges, technical institutes, and others. Any of these institutions may be public or private, depending on the source of its funding.

Four-year colleges award a bachelor’s degree at the completion of four years of full-time college study. Many four-year colleges also offer graduate study. Four-year colleges may be liberal-arts colleges or specialized colleges.

Liberal arts colleges are undergraduate colleges, sometimes known as colleges of arts and sciences. The study of liberal arts is intended to develop general knowledge and reasoning ability as opposed to specific preparation for a career. Students at colleges of arts and sciences usually study letters/literature, philosophy, history, foreign languages, social sciences and natural sciences. Most liberal arts colleges are privately controlled.

They generally do not offer as many majors in technical and scientific disciplines as comprehensive colleges or universities. One of the best known liberal arts colleges is Dartmouth College.

Specialized colleges concentrate their offerings in one or two specific areas. They include agricultural/technical, art/music, Bible, business, engineering, health sciences, military and teachers’ colleges.

A University generally offers a broad range of both undergraduate and graduate degree programs. Universities are generally larger than other types of institutions. They typically offer more majors and have more research facilities.

Thus, a university is usually a collection of several colleges (liberal arts and specialized colleges) that grant bachelor’s degrees. Besides, every university has one or more graduate schools for those continuing in specialized studies to obtain a master’s or a doctoral degree. The master’s degree requires one or two years of studies beyond the bachelor’s degree. Frequently a thesis is required, or a final oral or written examination.

The doctorate is the highest academic degree. It requires a minimum of two years beyond the master’s degree, success in qualifying examination, proficiency in one or two foreign languages and/or in a research tool (such as statistics) and completion of a doctoral dissertation.

The oldest and the most famous universities in the USA are: Harward, Yale, Princeton, Columbia, Brown, Cornell, University of Pennsylvania, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of California, Stanford University (the so-called ‘Ivies’).

Community or junior colleges are two-year colleges that award associate degrees. The majority of them are public and have open admissions policies. 40% of all American students study in junior colleges.

Upper-division colleges offer the last two years of undergraduate study, usually in specialized programs leading to the bachelor’s degree. Students generally transfer to upper-division colleges after completing an associate degree, or after finishing their second year of study at a four-year college.

Technical Institutes award mostly the Associate of Applied Science degree. They provide such courses as: computer-aided drafting, electrical and electronics equipment repair, electronic technology, drafting and design technology, etc.

 

II. The cost of going to college includes direct educational costs (tuition and fees, books and supplies) and living costs (room and board and other expenses).

Tuition and fees for the students of private universities are about $ 15,000—19,000 per year (can go up to $ 30,000 per year). Tuition and fees for the students of public universities are much lower, about $ 3,000—5,000 per year (can go up to $ 10,000 per year). Most universities charge a nominal tuition and fees to students from the same state, and a much higher tuition and fees for the out-of-district or out-of-state students.

Many students receive financial aid to help them get their education: grants, scholarships, jobs and loans. Loans usually have low interest rates and must be repaid, but generally only after the graduation.

III. The academic year usually begins in September and ends in July. Students are classified as freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors. A freshman is a first-year student, a sophomore — a second-year student, a junior — a third-year student and a senior is a fourth-year student. Those who study in graduate schools are called graduate students.

During one semester a student studies from 4 to 7 subjects. The first two years of study in most American colleges are devoted to general education. After 2 years of study students select their ‘major’ (the field in which they want their degree), plus a number of ‘electives’.

Typically a student has to earn 30 credits per year (e. g. 1 subject is equal to 5 credits if it meets five times a week) or 120 credits in order to receive a bachelor’s degree at the end of four years of college. Besides, a ‘major’ is taken into consideration (e. g. if a student is majoring in history, he has to earn 50 credits in history subjects to get a Bachelor of Arts).

 

TASKS:

1. Write out the English equivalents of the following words and word combinations from the text:

Младший колледж, колледж высшей ступени, технический институт, государственный колледж, присуждать степень, степень бакалавра, гуманитарный колледж, специализированный колледж, предмет специализации в колледже, возможности для исследовательской работы, аспирантура, степень магистра, степень доктора, степень младшего специалиста, открытый порядок приема, требования при поступлении, взимать плату за обучение, получать финансовую помощь, специализироваться по предмету, диссертация на степень магистра, докторская диссертация.

2. Make up your own sentences using the words and word combinations above.

 

NOVEMBER 7, 1636

HARVARD ESTABLISHED

On November 7,1636 — or October 28, according to the Julian, or Old Style, calendar then in use — the General Court of Massachusetts ordered the establishment of a «schoale or colledge» and appropriated $400 for it. This was an impressive amount for the Massachusetts Bay Colony, whose founding had taken place less than 10 years earlier and whose population of under 10,000 had scarcely secured the necessities of life.

During its early history, the college was closely allied with the Congregational Church (later with the Unitarian), although the state, as founder and patron, long considered it a state institution. Starting with John Harvard, Harvard College was increasingly supported by private contributions.

During the second half of the 19th century especially, Harvard experienced a period of unprecedented development under the presidency of the noted educator Charles W. Eliot. Although the college continued to be the hub of intellectual activity, Harvard became after 1869 a university in the highest sense. Schools that had previously been established — Medicine in 1782, Divinity in 1816, Law in 1817, and Dental Medicine in 1867 — were raised to graduate level, and others were founded: Arts and Sciences in 1872, Business Administration in 1908, Education in 1920, Public Health in 1922, Design in 1936, and Public Administration — now named the John Fitzgerald Kennedy School of Government — in 1937. Radcliffe College, established in 1879 as an institution of higher learning for women, is officially connected with Harvard. It received its present name in 1894, in honor of Ann Radcliffe, who had given Harvard College its first scholarship in 1643.

Harvard University, an enormous educational complex with a huge endowment, has over the years acquired unique prestige and influence. It is the alma mater of notable Americans in politics, law, science, literature, the arts, business and finance, education, and religion. Among its distinguished graduates are John Adams, Franklin D. Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry James, and Oliver Wendell Holmes. Its faculty often provides cabinet officers and presidential aides and advisers. Many foreign students, including potential government leaders, are sent to Harvard.

Whereas Harvard College excels as an undergraduate institution, the university is renowned too for its professional schools. It is served by rich art collections, advanced science facilities, and the largest university library in the world, with a collection of over 8 million volumes.

+ VOCABULARY:

1. Julian calendar — юлианский календарь

2. to order the establishment of a college — дать предписание (приказ) об основании колледжа

3. to appropriate — ассигновать

to appropriate sth for: to take money to use for a particular purpose

The General Court of Massachusetts appropriated $400 for the establishment of a college

4. an impressive amount — значительная сумма

5. to scarcely secure the necessities of life — едва обеспечивать себя предметами первой необходимости

6. to be closely allied with — быть тесно связанным с

7. Congregational Church — Конгрегационная церковь

Unitarian Church — Унитарная церковь

8. Unitarian — connected with a Christian group that believes its members should be free to believe what they want

9. patron — покровитель

10. a state institution — государственное учреждение

11. to be supported by private contributions — поддерживаться за счет частных пожертвований

12. to experience a period of unprecedented development — переж/ивать, -ить период небывалого развития

13. under the presidency of the noted educator — под руководством известного педагога

14. the hub of intellectual activity — центр интеллектуальной деятельности

15. an enourmous educational complex with a huge endowment — огромный образовательный комплекс (центр) с внушительным финансированием

16. to acquire prestige and influence — приобретать престиж и влияние

17. a distinguished graduate — выдающийся выпускник

18. to excel as — выдаваться, выделяться

to excel as an undergraduate institution — пользоваться славой известного высшего учебного заведения

19. to be renowned for — славиться чем-либо

to be renowned for professional schools — славиться профессиональными школами

20. to provide cabinet officers and presidential aides — готовить служащих кабинетa министров и помощников президента

 

TASKS:

I. QUESTIONS ON THE TEXT:

1. When and how was Harvard founded?

2. What was it closely allied with during its early history?

3. What schools are there at Harvard? When were they established?

4. How did Radcliffe College get its name?

5. What is Harvard like nowadays?

6. Who is sent to Harvard?

7. What is the university renowned for?

8. What facilities are there at Harvard?

 

II.