Higher education in Great Britain

1. Before you read and translate the following text, study the vocabulary and learn the words by heart. If you are not sure how to pronounce the word correctly, consult the dictionary.

to get higher education	получить высшее образование
vocational training	профессиональное обучение
to be located in	располагаться, находиться
ancient	древний, старинный
to comprise	включать
technical bias	технический уклон
'redbrick' university	новые университеты Великобритании, "краснокирпичные" (т.к. построены из красного кирпича)
to cater for	удовлетворять требованиям
to award degree	присуждать степень
accommodation	жилье
hence	отсюда
to interrupt	прерывать
correspondence course	заочный курс
selective	избирательный
i.e. (сокр. от лат. id est)	то есть
via	через, посредством чего-либо
applicant	абитуриент
full-time students	студенты очного отделения
part-time students	студенты вечернего отделения
employment	занятость, работа
to get a grant	получать стипендию
to cover	покрывать
tuition fee	плата за обучение
living expenses	затраты на жилье
government loan	государственный заем, ссуда
tutor	наставник
undergraduate	студент
graduate	выпускник университета, имеющий степень
post-graduate	аспирант
arts subjects	гуманитарные предметы
to get/to obtain the degree	получить степень
Bachelor's degree	степень бакалавра
Master's degree	степень магистра

Students in Great Britain can get higher education at Universities and Colleges of higher education. Universities offer degree courses which last for three or four years. Colleges of higher education provide vocational training (including teacher training, art, drama, music and physical education) and offer one or two year non-degree courses.

The oldest and best-known universities are located in Oxford, Cambridge, London and Edinburgh. British universities differ in the date of foundation, size, history, traditions, ways of student life and methods of teaching. They can be broadly classified into following types:

First come the ancient universities of Oxford and Cambridge that date from the 13^th century.

The second group of universities comprises various institutions of higher education, usually with a technical bias. These universities are also known as 'redbrick' universities. At first they catered mostly for local people and prepared students for London University degree but lately they were given the right to award their own degrees. In the mid-20^th they started to accept students from all over the country. These universities have close links with local industry and they offer 'sandwich' courses, i.e. studies are interrupted by periods of work.

The third group consists of new universities founded after the Second World War. They are located in the countryside and provide accommodation for most of their students on site (hence their name 'campus' universities). They focus on relatively new academic disciplines such as social sciences and teach in small groups known as 'seminars'.

The largest teaching institution in Britain is the Open University. It was established in 1969 and it offers part-time higher education for people who can't attend regular courses and who study in their free time. The university operates like a correspondence course with books and programs on radio and TV.

Higher education in Great Britain is highly selective, i.e. entrance to British universities is via a strict selective process based on interview. After the interview a potential student (applicant) is offered a place on the basis of the results of General Certificate of Education(GCE)A-level exams. If a student does not get the proper grades, he can't take the place. Some universities, such as Oxford and Cambridge, have an entrance exam before the interview. So, not everyone in Britain with A-level qualifications gets the chance to study at a university.

There are full-time and part-time students. Full-time students spend their time studying and don't have any other employment. Part-time students combine their studies with work. Students can get a grant. The grant covers tuition fees and some of living expenses. The amount of the grant depends on the parents' income. If the parents don't earn much money, their children will receive a full grant, which will cover all their expenses. There are also government loans to support students but this money must be paid back.

University studying lasts three years, however medical and veterinary courses last five or six years. The academic year starts in October and ends at the beginning of July. It is divided into three terms with vacations at Christmas, a month off at Easter, and three or four months in summer. These are periods of private study.

University teaching combines lectures and tutorials, or seminars, when students meet their tutor and discuss topics in small groups. There is little continuous assessment on many courses, so the final examinations are very important. Universities offer a wide range of courses from highly academic to very vocational ones. Students study natural and technical sciences, history, law, medicine, foreign languages, arts, engineering, economics, etc.

After three years of studying students can get the Bachelor's degree. Students who are working for their first degree are called undergraduates. At the end of the third year of study undergraduates pass examinations and take the Bachelor's degree. If they study arts subjects (history, languages or law) they take Bachelor of Arts (BA). Those who study sciences such as medicine, technology or agriculture get Bachelor of Science (BS). When students are awarded the degree, they become graduates. Students who obtain their Bachelor's degree can take post-graduate courses and after one or two years of studying they get Master's degree (MA or MS). The highest degree is Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), which takes two or three years.

2. Give the adequate Russian variants for the following word combinations:

to provide vocational training; to comprise various institutions of higher education; to cater for local people; to have close links with local industry; to focus on; to operate like a correspondence course; a strict selective process based on interview; on the basis of the results of General Certificate of Education(GCE)A-level exams; employment; to offer a wide range of courses; periods of private study; to cover expenses; government loans; continuous assessment.

3. Find the English equivalents for the following word combinations:

получить высшее образование; профессиональное обучение; располагаться; присуждать степень; предоставлять жилье; быть основанным; посещать занятия; заочное отделение; вступительные экзамены; собеседование; студенты очного отделения; студенты вечернего отделения; получать стипендию; покрывать плату за обучение; зависеть от чего-либо; наставник; естественные и технические предметы; иностранные языки; получить степень бакалавра/магистра; аспирантура.

Match the words with the definitions and give their Russian equivalents:

continuous assessment –	a teacher who gives private instructions to one student or to a very small class and gives advice about personal matters
sandwich course –	the system of judging the quality of a student's work at every stage of a course, rather than only in exams at the end of the course
a tutor –	a course of study in an industrial or professional subject at a college or university which includes periods of usually three or six months spent working for a company
General Certificate of Education Advanced level (GCEA-level) exam –	a university in which all the buildings are located in the same area, often outside a town
campus university –	an examination in a particular subject which students in GB take when they are 18 in order to go to the university

5. Explain the meaning of the following words and word combinations. Try to do it in your own words using the information from the text.

Undergraduate/ graduate/ post-graduate students.

Full-time/ part-time students.

Degree/ non-degree courses.

Tutorial/ a tutor.

Applicant.

6. Choose the correct translation and explain your choice:

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