High Schools in the United States

a) Vacations -

b) Lockers -

c) Dances -

d) Schedules -

e) Subjects -

f) Sports -

g) Buses -

h) Grades -

High schools in the United States include students who are in 9^th through 12^th grade (ages 14-18). Ninth grade students are called freshmen, tenth grade students are called sophomores, eleventh grade students are called juniors and twelfth grade students are called seniors. Before high school, students attend middle school, which is 5^th through 8^th grade (ages 10-14). Before middle school, students attend elementary school, which is kindergarten through 4^th grade (ages 5-10).

1) _____________: If you were a high school student in the United States, you would finish classes everyday by 3 pm. You would never have school on Saturday mornings, but you would always have school on Wednesday afternoons. You would have 6 classes everyday at the same time. And you would only have about 30 minutes to eat lunch, followed by a very short recess.

2) _______________: You would not have many choices of the classes that you could take. Every student must take English, math, science, and history. You could also have a music or art class, gym or band, or computer or language (usually Spanish or French.)

3) _______________: Students receive letter marks for their academic success. The highest point is A+ followed by A and A-. B is still good, while C is average. D is failing and E or F mean complete failure.

4) _______________: The school year in the United States begins at the end of August and finishes in the middle of June. Students have nearly 3 months of rest during the summer. During the school year, students also have 2 days off for Thanksgiving in November, 2 weeks off for Christmas in December, one day off in January for Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday, one week off in April for Easter, and one day off at the end of May for Memorial Day.

5) _________________: American students have many choices of activities to play. Most schools have teams for basketball, football, baseball, and track and field, but not always soccer or hockey. Students practise these activities after school during the week, and they also participate in official games against other schools. Football is the most popular sport, followed by basketball. Cheerleaders attend all of the football and basketball games to make the audience cheer for their team.

6) _________________: School dances are very common in the United States. Homecoming refers to the football game, parade, and dance that take place at the beginning of the school year. Snowcoming is another dance in the winter. Prom is the major dance at the end of the school year for seniors, and students vote for each other to be Prom Queen and King.

7) _________________: American students usually ride yellow vehicles to and from school. Few students can walk to school or have their parents drive them. Students over 16 can drive to school but younger students have to take the school bus. You must wait at the end of your driveway for transport to pick you up. After school, you must get on the same bus and the bus driver will drop you off at your house. You do not have to pay for this bus; it is free.

8) ________________: In almost every hallway, there are places for students to put their backpacks and coats in during classes. Students are usually not allowed to bring their backpacks and coats into the classrooms. Students must remember the number to the combination on their box, and they usually share it with another student.

(based on http://www.docstoc.com/docs/101107068/Middle-Schools-in-the-United-States)

Task 7. Look through the text 2. Find the words having similar meaning:

a) An educational institution for small children –

b) A pause from doing something (as work) –

c) A number or letter indicating quality (especially of a student's performance) –

d) An event that does not accomplish its intended purpose, lack of success –

e) Leisure time away from work; devoted to rest or pleasure –

f) Someone who leads the cheers by spectators at a sporting event –

g) A formal dance held for a school class toward the end of the academic year –

h) A road leading up to a private house –

i) Give a passenger or a hitchhiker a lift –

j) A storage compartment for clothes and valuables -

Task 8. A) Work in pairs. Complete the following table about the high school system in your country based on the example of the Text 2.

B) Use the information in the table to make up and act out a dialogue about senior’s school life in your country.

Schedules	Subjects	Vacations	Grades	Getting to school	Extra curricula activities	Leisure time

Listening / reading

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Дата добавления: 2015-10-30