Ex. IX. Speak about the University you study at using ex. V.

Ex. X. Speak about your future speciality using the illustrative topics given below:

 

Highway Engineering

 

I am a second-year student of Highway Engineering Faculty in Ivanovo State Academy of Civil Engineering and Architecture. Our department trains qualified experts on specialities and specializations for motor transport and road facilities. The course of training offers the future highway engineers such fields as: highway construction; automobiles and automobile equipment; lifting-transport, constructional, road machinery; road safety; road maintenance and traffic control.

My speciality is highways and aerodromes construction. The building of the roads is a major branch of engineering. To ensure maximum safety for the transportation system it is very necessary to plan and design highways on sound engineering techniques. Modern highway design entails careful study of soil, the topography of the intended route and the drainage systems around the roadway. To build safe roads engineers consider such factors as road foundations and surfaces, lighting, safety barriers and grading. They carefully plan bypasses, road junctions, slip roads leading into major motorways, traffic signals. Road engineers are responsible for the design, construction and repair not only of highways, city streets and pavements, but also for numerous auxiliary structures such as bridges, fly-overs, tunnels and underpasses.

To succeed in my future career I must have good knowledge of mathematics, physics, geodesy, strength and properties of building materials and also should be well aware of such special and serious disciplines as road economy, management of road economy enterprises, accounting, planning and economical analysis.

Highway engineers have good career prospects. Graduates from this speciality can work in any motor transport organizations: road-building, road maintenance enterprises; design offices; traffic inspection service; road, industrial and residential construction plants. The profession of highway engineer is prestige and is of great demand now. It is very important for safety of roads and people. I think that the aim of future road specialists is to solve traffic problems, to make city life more pleasant and to develop transport systems which are cheaper to install, cheaper to operate and aesthetically more acceptable. That is why I should study hard to put my knowledge in practice.

 

Economics

 

I am a second-year student of the Faculty of Economics and Management in Ivanovo State University of Civil Engineering and Architecture. I'd like to tell you about the profession of an economist and why I chose it as my future occupation in life.

Choosing the right career is very important. Most of us spend a great part of our life at our jobs. That's why we should try to find out what our talents are and how we can use them.

I think economics is a very interesting field of activity because it deals with the economy. The state of the economy affects both people and business. Every day all of us are to make economic decisions. Our economy is rapidly changing and developing. Many people need professional advice of an economist. There are many new fields of activity now: business, banking, marketing, etc. There are new forms of property in our society. A person must be a very competent specialist to understand the economic environment.

That is why I would like to study economics. Economics is the study of how people use resources to produce and distribute goods and services. So there are more types of jobs for an economist than for any other profession.

To succeed in my future career, I must have good knowledge in the sphere of economics. At the University we study not only general-education subjects like history, philosophy, sociology, but also disciplines we should be well aware of- higher mathematics, economic theory, management and so on. An efficient economist must also be able to operate the computer.

To my mind, nowadays nobody can be considered a good specialist without having a sufficient command of a foreign language. So I try to master English to be able to read English books in the original and to speak with my future foreign partners.

I've made up my career decision and I'll do my best to contribute to the welfare of our country. That's my idea of a good job.

 

Architecture

 

Choosing a career isn’t a simple matter. When making a decision about your future career, you must be realistic about your interests and abilities. It’s an advantage to choose your future career while at school. It gives a goal to work towards and enables you to choose a right, suitable course of study. As for me, I’ve determined to enter the University of Civil Engineering and Architecture, because my dream has always been to become an architect.

An architect is a person who designs buildings, coordinates and supervises all aspects of the construction of buildings. He tries to make houses comfortable to live in, and convenient for carrying out domestic duties. The structure an architect creates should give us pleasure, a sense of beauty.

An architect must receive a great deal of scientific training connected with his profession. He must know mathematics, as well as many facts concerning materials — for example what loads different materials may safely carry — so that there will be no danger of his building falling down. Architects must need some knowledge of sculpture, painting, design, mechanical engineering, geography, city planning, etc. The architect’s sphere of knowledge is constantly expanding. He has to combine art, advanced technology, science and economics in his work. So, an architect has the task of being an artist as well as an inventive engineer, he must continuously see each element not as an isolated detail but as an individual note in a great composition.

Architects should preserve and enrich the best traditions of national and foreign architecture. Their chief task is to improve the quality of structures, to make buildings comfortable, lasting, economical and attractive.

To be a good architect means to be a highly educated person and have a strong desire to serve people. I consider the profession of an architect to be a good career for me. I suppose I’ve got enough time to receive a great deal of training, to develop my abilities, to learn more about modern trends in architecture and design and to prepare myself for interesting, creative and well-paid job.

 

HUMOUR

 

A Minute for a Joke

The more we learn, the more we know.

The more we know, the more we forget.

The more we forget, the less we know.

The less we know, the less we forget.

The less we forget, the more we know.

So why study?

He Must Go

Two men were going in a train. One of them asked the other:

"Are you going to Brown's lecture today?"

"Yes, I am," said the other.

"Take my advice and don't go," said the first, "I hear he is a very bad lecturer".

"I can't help it," said the other. "I must go, I'm Brown".

 

A Question to the Point

The professor was delivering the final lecture of the term. He put much emphasis on the fact that each student should devote all his time to preparing for the final examination. He said: "The examination papers are now in the hands of a printer. Are there any questions?" Silence prevailed. Suddenly a voice from the rear inquired: "Who is the printer?"

 

The Sense of Humour

Once Professor Thomson (Lord Kelvin) was unable to stay for the class, so he placed a sign on the door which read as follows: "Professor Thomson will be unable to meet his classes¹ today."

Some college student, seeing his chance to display his sense of humour² after reading the notice came up and erased the letter "c" in the word "classes".

The professor noticing the laughter wheeled around, came back, looked at the student, then at the sign with the "c" erased — calmly erased the "1" in "lasses"³, looked at the student and proceeded on his way⁴.

 

Notes

1. to meet one's classes — зд. прийти на занятия (букв. встретиться)

2. to display his sense of humour — показать свое чувство юмора

3. lass — девушка; ass — осел

4. to proceed on one's way — продолжать свой путь

 

Be Careful

The chemistry professor wrote the formula HNO₃ on the blackboard. Addressing one of the students he said: "Identify that formula, please." "Just a moment," answered the student, "I've got it on the tip of my tongue, sir." "Then," said the professor softly, "you'd better spit it out. It is nitric acid".

 

A Good Student

Professor: Can you tell me anything about the great scientists of the 17th century?

Student: Yes, sir, they are all dead.

PART THREE