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Е. В. Захарова язык и культура великобритании в условиях европейской интеграции предисловие данное учебное пособие

Вид материалаУчебное пособие
Unit ii. meeting new challenges
Ii. vocabulary focus
Iii. interpretation
Iii. speaking personally
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UNIT II. MEETING NEW CHALLENGES



I. READING COMPREHENSION


A. Pre-reading Task. Answer the questions:


1) Do you know the term ‘public school’?

2) What does it refer to? What is it associated with?


B. Now read and translate the text. Make use of the words given below:


Endow – жертвовать деньги, капитал на содержание школы, больницы и т.д.

Refer to smth – относиться к чему-либо

Backbone – основа, сущность

Antiquity – старина, древность

Opt out – отказаться от участия

Grant – дотация, субсидия

Capital expenditure – капитальные затраты

Maintain – содержать

Cover – покрывать (затраты, расходы)

Running expenses – текущие расходы

riots – волнения, беспорядки

pass – проходной балл, зачет

morale – моральное состояние

literacy – грамотность

illiterate – неграмотный

OECD – Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development – организация экономического сотрудничества и развития, ОЭСР


In the private system ‘preparatory’ schools educate children from the age of five, prior to their entering the ‘public schools’ at thirteen. Confusingly, famous private schools such as Eton and Harrow, Winchester or Stonyhurst are known as ‘public schools’. (The expression ‘public school’ originally referred to a grammar school endowed for the public). The ‘public’ schools form the backbone of the independent sector. Of the several hundred public schools, the most famous are the ‘Clarendon Nine’, so named after a commission of inquiry into education in 1861. Their status lies in an attractive combination of social superiority and antiquity, as the dates of their foundation indicate: Winchester (1382), Eton (1440), St Paul’s (1509), Shrewsbury (1552), Westminster (1560), The Merchant Taylors’ (1561), Rugby (1567), Harrow (1571) and Charterhouse (1611).

There are also schools which have some state and some private support. By 1995 the parents of children in approximately a thousand schools had voted to opt out of the control of local authorities and be funded directly from central government, that is become ‘Grant Maintained’.

State schools in Britain are non-denominational. Of the state-supported ones which have a religious affiliation (known as ‘faith schools’) the majority are Anglican, but other denominations of schools exist: principally Roman Catholic and Jewish. Their capital expenditure is covered by the state and their running expenses are paid by the members of their congregations. A contentious issue has been that the same financial support was not made available to Hindu or Islamic schools. This became a major issue in Bradford and other places with large Muslim population where poor educational provision was partly blamed for riots there in 2001.

To monitor pupils’ performance, the government introduced a series of ‘Standardized Assessment Tests’ (SATs) – taken at age seven, eleven and fourteen. However, the major public exams which pupils face are those taken in individual subjects at sixteen and eighteen respectively: the General Certificate in Secondary Education (GCSE) and Advanced (‘AS’) levels.. University entrance is typically based on good grades in approximately six GCSEs and three ‘AS’ levels.

Scotland, with a separate education tradition, has a slightly different system. Children stay in the primary cycle until the age of 12. They take the Scottish Certificate of Education(SCE) usually at the age of 16 and, instead of A levels, they take the Scottish Higher Certificate which is more like continental European examinations since it covers a wider area of study than the highly specialized A level courses. Many take their ‘Highers’ aged 17 rather than 18, with some opting to take a further examination later, the Certificate of Sixth Year Studies (CSYS).

A new qualification was introduced in 1992 for pupils who are skills, rather than academically, orientated, the General national Vocational Qualification, known as GNVQ. This examination is taken at three distinct levels: The Foundation which has equivalent standing to low-grade passes in four subjects of GCSE; the Intermediate GNVQ which is equivalent to high-grade passes in four subjects of GCSE; and the Advanced GNVQ, equivalent to two passes at A level and acceptable for university entrance.

The school system has a reputation for quality. However a number of factors – continual reforms; the over-prescriptive National Curriculum; inspections without feedback – have produced low morale among teachers, many of whom leave the profession.

In 1998 Britain was just ahead of Portugal, at second-to-bottom in adult literacy in the OECD (Organization for European Co-operation and Development). A 2000 report by the National Skills Task Force found that seven million adults in Britain were functionally illiterate.

The government is trying to address these problems but, despite the rhetoric, spending on schools is below the OECD average of 12.9 per cent of all public expenditure.


C. Comprehension Check. Answer the questions:


1) What are the most famous private schools in Britain?

2) Why are they called ‘public schools’?

3) When were most of them founded?

4) Are there any denominational schools in Britain?

5) What are ‘Standardized Assessment Texts’?

6) What are the major public exams?

7) Is the Scottish system of examination different?

8) What new qualification was introduced in 1992?

9) What brings about low morale among teachers?

10) What is the level of illiteracy in Britain?


II. VOCABULARY FOCUS


A. Translate the following word-combinations into Russian:


To address a problem; public expenditure; adult literacy; congregation; contentious; to monitor; to be skills- oriented; confusingly; prior to; religious affiliation.


In which situations are the given in the text? Reproduce them.


B. Find the English equivalents in the text:


Местные органы власти; обвинять кого-то в чем-то; поступление в университет; национальная программа образования; социальное превосходство; государственная поддержка; в основном; быть доступным; сдавать экзамены по отдельным предметам; приблизительно


Think of your own sentences with these expressions.


C. Match the words which collocate with each other:

1. local a. provision

2. contentious b. literacy

3. educational c. issue

4. low d. authorities

5. adult e. morale


D. Match the words which are close in their meaning:

1. contentious a. religions

2. denominational b. roughly

3. blame c. definite

4. approximately d. arguable

5. distinct e. accuse


E. Match the words having opposing meaning:

1. blame a. precisely

2. contentious b. secular

3. approximately c. ambiguous

4. denominational d. exonerate

5. distinct e. undisputable


F. Match the words and their definitions:

1. an amount of money that the government or an organization gives you for a specific purpose

a. riot

2. a successful result in an examination
b. expenditure

3. a violent protest by a crowd of people
c. pass

4. the ability to read and write
d. grant

5. money spent by a government, organization or person
e. literacy



G. Translate the following sentences into Russian:


1) They have applied for the grant

2) She got a pass in math.

3) Seven people were hurt as police tried to quell the riot.

4) Teachers have been asked to concentrate on literacy and numeracy.

5) The budget will certainly include increased expenditure on education.


H. Insert prepositions where necessary (of; to; in; on; for; at):

1. to be blamed __ smth 6. a pass ___ a subject

2. to face __ an exam 7. to be equivalent ___ smth

3. __ the age 8. to be ahead ___ smb/smth

4. an exam ___ a subject 9. to be prior ___ smth

5. to be based ___ smth 10. to enter ___ smth


I. Complete the sentences using the words in the box:

antiquity backbone public

authorities opt out superiority

expenditure congregations non-denominational

covered running



1) The ___ schools form the ___ of the independent sector.

2) The status lies in an attractive combination of social ___ and ___.

3) By 1995 the parents and children in approximately a thousand schools had voted to ___ of the controle of local ___.

4) State schools in Britain are ___.

5) Their capital ___ is ___ by the state and their ___ expenses are paid by the members of their ___.


J. In which meanings are the following words used in the text:


1. expenditure

a. the use of time, energy doing smth

b. money spent by a government, organization or person


2. antiquity

a. ancient times, especially the period of time before the end of the Roman empire in AD 476

b. an object or building that existed in ancient times and still exists

c. the state of being extremely old


3. backbone

a. the row of small bones that goes down the middle of your back

b. the determination and strong personality that you need in order to do what is right or deal with a difficult situation

c. the part of smth that makes it successful or strong


III. INTERPRETATION


A. Paraphrase and explain the following statements:


1) The public schools form the backbone of the independent sector.

2) State schools in Britain are non-denominational.

3) A new qualification was introduced in 1992 for pupils who are skills, rather than academically oriented.

4) A number of factors- continual reforms; the over-prescriptive National Curriculum, inspections without feedback – have produced low morale among teachers.


B. Answer the questions

:

1) Why do you think old public schools are so attractive?

2) What do you think made many parents and children vote to opt out of the control of local authorities?

3) Do you think schools should be non-denominational or they should have a religious affiliation?

4) What is the difference between the systems of exams in England and Scotland?

5) How can the fact that Britain is second –to-bottom in adult literacy in Europe be accounted for?


III. SPEAKING PERSONALLY


1) Does the fact that there are seven million adults who are functionally illiterate surprise you? How can you explain this? What factors brought this about?

2) Compare the system of secondary school exams in Great Britain and in this country.

Do you know anything about the system in other European countries?