TEXT 2. DIALOGUE

Task 1. Read the dialogue in pairs:

Nick: How was the lecture?

Ann: Why are you asking? Did you skip it?

Nick: Yes, I did. I had to see my granny to the railway station. And who was lecturing?

Ann: Professor Wilson. The lecture was very interesting. All of us were taking notes.

Nick: What was the report about?

Ann: It was about Russian classic. We’ll discuss this topic at a seminar. Are you going to come?

Nick: Sure. This topic is a closed book for me. By the way, do you know that we are writing a final test in History at the end of this week?

Ann: Really? We should work hard the whole week to pass it. Dr. Brain is strict. If we fail the test, he may not allow us to take the exam. And what is on schedule for tomorrow?

Nick: Three classes in the main building – Foreign Literature, Linguistics, French …

Ann: Just a second. I must have a pen to put it down. Well …

Nick: … and a class of Physical Training in the swimming pool.

Ann: OK. I need to go to the library to make a report on Foreign Literature. Will you join me?

Nick: Not now. First I’ll go to the language laboratory to practice my French.

Ann: See you later!

Nick: Bye-bye!

Task 2. Name the main topic of the conversation.

Task 3. Answer the questions to the dialogue:

1. Why is Nick asking about the lecture?

2. What was the lecture about?

3. Who was lecturing?

4. When are the students writing a final test in History?

5. Is a history teacher strict?

6. What other classes are mentioned in the conversation?

7. What is Nick going to do? And what about Ann?

Task 4. Act out the dialogue.

Task 5. Make up a similar dialogue. The following words and phrases will help you to do it:

Hi! Hello!

How are you? How are you getting on?

Really?

Cool!

By the way, …

Just a second. Wait a bit.

OK.

All right!

Well …

What a shame!

You are lucky!

Good luck!

See you later. Bye-bye!

TEXT 3. STUDENT’S LIFE IN CAMBRIDGE

Task 1. Read the text and find out:

· at what age young people in Great Britain start their student life;

· what the “elevenses” is;

· the basic way of studying in Cambridge;

· how the discipline is kept in Cambridge.

Most young people in Great Britain start life in higher educational institutions at the age of 18. They prefer to try their independence and usually study far from their home. Most of them live in a hostel.

Student’s life in Great Britain in this or that way differs from that in our country. Here is how it flows in Cambridge, one of the oldest universities in England.

The rooms in a hostel have a pleasant outlook over the College gardens and are well furnished according to the needs of a student. There is even a small gas-stove on which students can make coffee or tea. It is a popular custom there to invite friends in the afternoon for tea and hot buttered toast and jam. While having tea they discuss various problems of their everyday life. The students are free to decorate their rooms according to their own tastes, so each room reflects the personality of its owner.

11 o’clock is the time for refreshment between lectures known as “elevenses” when students attend little restaurants and teashops for a cup of coffee and a cake. They drink a great deal of tea and coffee and have a friendly talk there.

The basic way of instruction in Cambridge is tutorial. Every student has a tutor who plans his work. Each week some students come to see him and he discusses with them the work, which they have done. Lectures are voluntary. Unlike school most of students’ work is not done in class but in students’ rooms or in one of the libraries and each student arranges his timetable according to his purposes and wishes, leaving time for other activities apart from study.

The students eat their meals in the College dining-hall, a large room with a long line of tables and a raised platform at the end, on which there is a special table for the tutors known as the High Table. On the walls one can see the portraits of famous people – former students of the University. If a student comes late to dinner or is not correctly dressed he is punished.

Speaking of punishment, in general the discipline is not strict. The students can stay out as late as they wish up to midnight, but after 11 o’clock a small sum of money is imposed. But if a tutor finds that one of his pupils is staying out late very often, he will want to know the reason.

Discipline out of College is the responsibility of Proctors appointed by the University. Each evening a Proctor with two assistants, called “Bulldogs” wanders around the town. If he sees a student who disobeys the regulation that he must wear a cap and a gown he will come up to him and ask if he is a member of the University. If a student runs away in an attempt to escape, the “Bulldogs” chase him, and if they catch him, they fine him.

The University has over a hundred societies and clubs. Perhaps the most popular is the Debating Society at which undergraduates debate political and other questions with famous politicians and writers. Sport is a part of student’s life. The most popular sport is rowing.

Notes:

1. tutorial – в форме консультаций, практических занятий с наставником

2. tutor – преподаватель-куратор

3. Proctor – административное лицо, в чьи обязанности входит надзор за поведением студентов и наложение дисциплинарных взысканий

Task 2. Using the text, fill in the blanks:

most … people, to try their …, to study far from …, a pleasant …, according to the needs …, to invite friends for …, various problems of …, the personality of …, to attend restaurants and …, to arrange one’s …, to leave time for …, the portraits of …, to stay out as late …, to disobey …, to wear a cap and …, in an attempt to …, over a hundred … and clubs, to debate … and other questions.

Find sentences with the phrases and translate them into Russian.

Task 3. Find English equivalents:

высшее учебное заведение, предпочитать, один из древнейших университетов Англии, за чаем, повседневная жизнь, по вкусу, личность владельца, по-дружески беседовать, планировать работу, бывшие студенты университета, опаздывать на обед, ответственность администраторов, ходить по городу, нарушать правила, член университета, обсуждать различные вопросы, известные политики и писатели, наиболее популярный вид спорта.

Task 4. Match the definition with the word.

1. the society at which undergraduates debate political and other questions with famous politicians and writers;

2. the assistants of a Proctor who help him to see to a student discipline out of College;

3. the building where students live;

4. the time for refreshment between lectures at 11 o’clock;

5. the teacher who helps the students to arrange their timetable and acts like a parent while they are far from home;

6. not obligatory;

7. a special table for the tutors in the College dining-hall;

8. to get away from control;

9. to punish sb by a sum of money for breaking a law or rule;

10. to make sth beautiful by adding ornaments to it.

…………………………………………………………………………………... a hostel, “elevenses”, the High Table, a tutor, voluntary, the “Bulldogs”, to decorate, to escape, to fine, the Debating Society

Task 5. Choose the word, which you think is the closest in meaning to the words in the text.

1. free a independent b allowed to

2. outlook a view b glance

3. to reflect a to examine b to demonstrate

4. customs a traditions b tax

5. punishment a discipline b injury

6. refreshment a revival b break

7. hostel a dormitory b hotel

8. famous a popular b well-known

9. to chase a to follow b to catch

10.regulation a rule b instruction

Task 6. Translate the sentences into Russian:

1. Молодые люди в Великобритании предпочитают жить самостоятельно и обычно обучаются далеко от дома.

2. Кембридж – это один из древнейших университетов в Англии.

3. Комнаты в общежитии хорошо обставлены.

4. Популярной традицией является приглашать друзей на чай.

5. Каждая комната отражает личность ее владельца.

6. Основным методом обучения в Кембридже является консультация и занятия с наставником.

7. На стенах столовой можно увидеть портреты знаменитостей – бывших студентов университета.

8. Если студент часто задерживается допоздна, то наставник пожелает узнать причину.

9. В университете более ста сообществ и клубов.

10. Самым распространенным видом спорта является гребля.

Task 7. Answer the following questions:

1. When do young people in Great Britain start life in institutions of higher education?

2. What can you say about the rooms in a hostel in Cambridge?

3. What custom do the students of Cambridge have?

4. Why is the time for refreshment between lectures called “elevenses”?

5. What is the basic way of instruction in Cambridge?

6. What is the tutorial method of teaching?

7. How does the college dining-hall look like?

8. What can you see on the walls of the university’s dining-room?

9. Is the discipline strict in Cambridge?

10. What are the “Bulldogs”?

11. What is the uniform of the students in Cambridge?

12. Does the University have many clubs and societies?

13. Which is the most popular one?

14. Who takes part in the Debating Society?

15. What is the most popular sport in Cambridge?

TEXT 4.TEACHING IN RUSSIA

By Richard J. Daigle

Task 1. Read the text and name the main differences between Russian and American students.

While working in the American Embassy in Moscow, I had the opportunity to teach part-time in the Faculty of Foreign Languages at Moscow State University (MGU), the flagship uni­versity of the former Soviet Union. I taught three courses, one a semester, from spring 1994 through spring 1995. Having taught linguistics and literature for over 30 years in American universities, I had much to learn about teaching in Russia, and I was still learning at the end of that spring semester 1995.

The Faculty of Foreign Languages became an independent part of MGU in the early 90's and was soon known for the high quality of its various language programs, especially the English program. By June 1997 there were over 250 applicants¹ for every available place in that program.

In each of my three semesters there, I learned something new about university practices in Russia, but rather than skip blithely through details of three semesters, I will concentrate on the last semester when a Russian colleague and I team-taught a course called “American Culture”. My partner had spent the previous year at a prestigious university in the U.S., so she was probably more up-to-date on some characteristics of U.S. culture than I, for I was nearing the end of my fourth year in Moscow.

As a basic text we used a publication, which provided insights into some ofthe major facets of American culture. We had 35 second-year students. Though I remember how similar Russian students are to the Americans I had taught before going to Moscow, I want to focus on a few differences, which are essentially national characteristics rather than personal traits.

Having gone through the Soviet system of educa­tion, the students were accustomed to what I call straight lectures—that is, the teacher talks, the students take notes, and examinations require that students regurgitate² what they remember from those notes. Having unhappily attended a few such courses myself, I was determined to avoid that methodology. Instead, imitating professors I admire, I threw out questions, sometimes provocative, and tried to let the students take matters into their own hands³. I quickly learned that that did not work at MGU. The students would not volunteer⁴. So I had to point at a student and ask my question. That student would then answer, giving me what I had said earlier or what had been assigned for reading. He or she would not expand or explain or even question that rote response. Because my colleague knew my objective (having experienced it her self in the States), she joined me in getting students to develop some ideas of their own, usually emanating from the materials they had read or from ideas they had heard from others. In addition, five or six of the students had been in the States (for a semester or two of high school or college) and not only knew something of the student culture there, but were happy to be able to act like American students and actually discuss matters in class. Because of this, we succeeded quickly.

Before long, however, I started to wonder if we had accomplished too much too well. I was soon shocked to discover a national characteristic that caught me completely off guard⁵. It had surfaced in my earlier courses at MGU, but only in the third semester did I come to understand it fully. Here in the U.S., some of us would call it cheating— that is, copying from another student's work or test in class or openly talking with others during examinations. In our culture class, my colleague and I had warned the students that there would be unan­nounced quizzes to check on whether they were doing the read­ing. Though we considered the quizzes insignificant, we did indi­cate that they would count ten percent of the final grade.

So, one Saturday, we asked the class to put away their books and notes and take out a clean sheet of paper for a quiz. There were a few groans from the group as well as some snickers. My colleague asked the first ques­tion. The result furthered my un­derstanding of Russian mores⁶. Students turned to each other to talk about the question and its response. Some even rose from their seats and leaned over people in front of them. A couple of them seemed to know a little more than the others, so attention was focused on them. They made no attempt to avoid helping others. There was no attempt to conceal what was going on. (A similar situation had developed in one of my previous classes, but no one offered any explanation of what it meant.) Now I turned to my colleague and asked, "Are we going to let them cheat like this?" She obviously sensed my concern. "Ah, Richard," she said, "they aren't cheating. They are Russians, and this is what Russians do."

I had completely forgotten the basic tenet of Soviet education, what I call the "We Syndrome." That belief requires that all share, that no one should keep anything solely himself. Taking that one step further, I now understood that it applied in the classroom as much as it did anywhere else. So the students were sharing their knowledge with each other. They were not cheat­ing, and they would have been very upset if I had accused them of doing so. My colleague calmed me down, for I realized that this was one more facet of Russian culture that I had to live with. (Since then I have learned that this academic trait exists in other cultures as well.)

Notes:

1. applicant – абитуриент

2. regurgitate – зд. выдавать (информацию) обратно

3. take matters into one’s own hands – взять все в свои руки

4. volunteer – изъявлять желание

5. catch smb. off guard – застать врасплох

6. mores [mo: 'reiz] – обычаи

Task 2. Translate the following phrases:

Американское посольство, возможность преподавать, более 30 лет, высокое качество различных языковых программ, престижный университет, личные качества, посещать курсы, взять все в свои руки, итоговая оценка, скрывать происходящее, похожая ситуация, делиться знаниями друг с другом, обвинять.

Task 3. Match the words under the letter A with those under the letter B:

A) to teach, spring, language, national, straight, to take matters, to catch smb., unannounced, to offer, to sense, a facet;

B) one’s concern, of culture, programs, a course, semester, lectures, characteristics, into one’s own hands, off guard, quizzes, an explanation.

Task 4. Match the definitions with the words.

1. copying from another student’s work or test in class;

2. most important of a group of products, projects, services;

3. happy and carefree;

4. competition in which people try to answer questions to test their knowledge;

5. customs or conventions considered typical of a community.

…………………………………………………………………………………..

blithe, mores, cheating, quiz, flagship

Task 5. Decide whether the following statements are true (T) or false (F). Find evidence from the text to support your answer.

	T	F
1. Moscow State University is the flagship university of the former Soviet Union. 2. The faculty of Foreign Languages is known for the high quality of its various language programs. 3. Richard J. Daigle and a Russian colleague team-taught a course called “Russian Culture”. 4. The American professor used the methodology of “straight lectures”. 5. Some of the students had been in the States and were able to discuss matters in class. 6. One Saturday, the teacher asked the class to take out sheets of paper for a quiz and the students started groaning. 7. Students wrote a paper independently. 8. The American professor was shocked to discover the level of his students’ knowledge. 9. The basic tenet of Soviet education is that all share, that no one should keep anything solely himself. 10. “We Syndrome” exists in Russia and in other countries as well.

Task 6. Answer the questions to the text.

1. What is the flagship university of the former Soviet Union?

2. What is Richard J. Daigle by profession? Where did he come from? What did he do in Russia from spring 1994 through spring 1995? What course did he teach?

3. What is “straight lectures”? Can you describe an alternative way of studying?

4. What methodology did the American professor try to use? Did it work at MGU? Why? What was the way out?

5. What did the Professor discover about Russian students? Did they like to work independently?

6. What situation developed in class? Was it cheating or a mere sharing of knowledge?

7. What is “We Syndrome”?

8. Do you agree that “We Syndrome” applies in the classroom as much as it does anywhere else in our country?

9. Does this academic trait exist in other cultures?

10. Does our country belong to a collectivist or to an individualist society? What countries are of the same type of identity? And what countries have the opposite pole of this dimension?

Task 7. Translate the sentences into English.

1. Работая в американском посольстве в Москве, я имел возможность преподавать на факультете иностранных языков в МГУ.

2. Когда мой коллега задал первый вопрос, студенты повернулись друг к другу и начали обсуждать ответ на него.

3. У нас было 35 студентов-выпускников.

4. Тогда я повернулся к коллеге и спросил: «Мы позволим им списывать?»

5. В 1995 году в паре с русским коллегой я вел курс Американской культуры.

6. Мой коллега успокоил меня, потому что я понял, что это еще одна особенность русской культуры, с которой мне нужно было жить.

7. Так, в одну из суббот мы попросили группу приготовить чистые листы для самостоятельной работы.

8. Я совсем забыл основной принцип советского обучения, который я называю «Синдром Мы».

9. Хотя я помню, как русские студенты схожи с американскими студентами, которым я преподавал, прежде чем поехать в Москву, я хочу показать некоторые различия, являющиеся чисто национальными чертами.

10. Таким образом, студенты не списывали, а делились знаниями друг с другом.

11. На нашем занятии мы предупредили студентов заранее, что будем проводить самостоятельную работу, чтобы проверить, читают ли они дополнительную литературу.

12. «Ричард, - ответила она, они не списывают. Они – русские, и это то, что русские делают всегда».

13. Это такой принцип, когда все делятся, и никто не должен ничего оставлять для себя.

Task 8. Put the sentences from the previous task into the right order. Retell the story you have got.