Text 40. Some aspects of British university life

Of the full-time students now attending English Universities three quarters are men, one quarter women. Nearly half of them are engaged in the study of arts subjects such as history, lan­guages, economics or law, the others are studying pure or applied sciences such as medicine, dentistry, technology, or agricultu­re.

The University of London, for instance, includes internal and external students, the latter coming to London to sit for their examinations only. Actually most external students at London Uni­versity are living in London. The colleges in the University of London are essentially teaching institutions, providing instruction chiefly by means of lectures, which are attended mainly by day students. The colleges of Oxford and Cambridge, however, are essentially residential institutions and they mainly use a tuto­rial method which brings the tutor into close and personal contact with the student. These colleges, being residential, are necessarily far smaller than most of the colleges of the Univer­sity of London.

Education of University standard is also given in other ins­titutions such as colleges of technology and agricultural colle­ges, which prepare their students for degrees or diplomas in the­ir own fields.

The three terms into which the British University year is divided are roughly eight to ten weeks. Each term is crowded with activity, and the vacations between the terms – a month at Christmas, a month at Easter, and three or four months in summer – are mainly periods of intellectual digestion and private stu­dy.

A person studying for a degree at a British University is called a graduate.

B.A. or B.Sc. stands for Bachelor of Arts¹, or of Scien­ce², the first degree. M.A. or M.Sc. denotes Master of Arts³, or of Science⁴. One can become a B.A. after three years of hard study, and M.A. at the end of five years.

Notes:

1. Bachelor of Arts – бакалавр гуманитарных наук;

2. Bachelor of Science – бакалавр естественных наук;

3. Master of Arts – магистр гуманитарных наук;

4. Master of Science – магистр естественных наук.

Answer the following questions:

1. What students does the University of London include?

2. What is the difference between the colleges in the University of London and those of Oxford and Cambridge?

3. How many terms are there in the British University year?

4. When do the students have their vacations?

5. How is a person studying for a degree at a British University called?

Text 41. CAMBRIDGE (a)

Cambridge is one of the two main universities of England, lo­cated at Cambridge, on the Cam River. It was founded at the be­ginning of the 12th century. The university comprises a number of different corporate bodies, called colleges. Each of the colleges is a self-governing body and the control of its affa­irs rests with its head and fellows.

Under the authority of the governing body of each colle­ge, certain officers are responsible for teaching and for the college administration.

The supreme governing body of the university is the sena­te, which consists of doctors and masters on all faculties and bachelors of divinity. The regent house, which is a smaller-body, consists of resident university and college officers and with it the government of the university really rests. The coun­cil of the senate, the financial board of the faculties are in the main response for the administration of the university. The chancellor, who is usually nonresident, is the main administra­tive officer of the university and the vice chancellor, who is the main resident administrative officer, is the head of one of the colleges.

A botanical garden, an observatory, and an anatomy school are maintained by the university. The library contains more than 1,250,000 printed books and over 2,500 maps.

Each of the colleges has a library of its own, as have most of the faculties.

Answer the following questions:

1. Where is Cambridge located?

2. What does the university consist of?

3. What is the supreme governing body of the university?

4. Who is responsible for the administration of the university?

Text 42. CAMBRIDGE (b)

Cambridge is situated at a distance of seventy miles from London; the great part of the town lies on the left bank of the river Cam crossed by several bridges.

Cambridge is one of the loveliest towns of England; it is not a modern industrial city and looks like a country town.

It is very green presenting to a visitor a series of beau­tiful groupings of architecture, trees, gardens, lawns and brid­ges. The main building material is stone having a pinkish colo­ur which adds life and warmth to the picture at all seasons of the year.

The dominating factor in Cambridge is its world known Uni­versity, a centre of education and learning, closely connected with the life and thought of Great Britain. Newton, Byron, Darwin, Rutherford and many other scientists and writers were educated at Cambridge.

In Cambridge everything centers on the University and its colleges, the eldest of which was founded in 1284 (twelve hundred and eighty four). They are twenty-seven in number. There is a close connection between the University and colleges, though they are quite separate in theory and practice.

The college is a place where you live, no matter what pro­fession you are trained in: so that students studying literature and those trained for physics may belong to one and the same colle­ge.

However, the fact is that you are to be a member of a colle­ge in order to be a member of the University. Every college is headed by a dean. Discipline is looked after by Proctors and numerous minor officials called bulldogs.

If you are undisciplined you are fined or you may be “ga­ted”, that is, not allowed to go out for a given time, or you are “sent down” for good.

A college is a group of buildings forming a square with a green lawn in the centre. An old tradition does not allow the students to walk on the grass: this is the privilege of profes­sors and head students only. There is another tradition which the students are to follow: after sunset they are not allowed to go out without wearing a black cap and a black coat.

The University existed before the colleges. It has the po­wer to grant degrees, it defines courses of study, and organi­zes most of the formal teaching. The various subjects of study are controlled by a series of faculties, and the teaching is pro­vided by professors, readers and lecturers. The University trains about 7,000 students in different specialties.

Each student studies at the University for 4 years, three terms a year. He is trained by a tutor; each tutor has 10-12 stu­dents reading under his guidance.

Answer the following questions:

1. Is Cambridge one of the loveliest towns of England? Why?

2. What famous people were educated at Cambridge?

3. How many colleges are there in Cambridge?

4. Who is the head of a college?

5. How are undisciplined students punished?

6. How many students are trained at the university?

7. How long does the course of studies last?