Higher education in Great Britain

There are 44 universities in Britain, over 700 colleges teaching everything from engineering to satellite communications; many other types of training colleges include art schools, colleges of education for teacher training, and commercial colleges.

Universities govern themselves, although they receive most of their money from the Government. Oxford and Cambridge and some others are made up of separate colleges where students live and work. Other universities, like Manchester or Bristol, do not have separate colleges, their students meet together for classes and live in hostels or lodgings.

A university usually have both faculties and departments. The faculties are arts, law medicine, science and theology. The departments include engineering, economics, commerce, agriculture, music and technology.

At the head of each faculty there is a professor. A staff of teachers called lecturers give lectures to large number of students or study with small groups, and here the students have a chance to discuss.

All universities admit men and women, but within some universities there are colleges specially for one sex. Most of the universities provide hostels for their students.

 

Answer the following questions

1. How many universities are there in Great Britain?....................................................................................

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2. Do you know how many universities there are in Russia? What is the oldest and world famous university in our country? What is it famous for?...........................................................................................

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3. What types of colleges are there in Great Britain?......................................................................................

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4. Do such colleges exist in Russia?................................................................................................................

5. What faculties and departments do English universities usually have? Are they different from these in Russian universities?.......................................................................................................................................

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6. Who heads each faculty?.................................................................................................................................

 

Read and translate the dialogue. Learn it by heart.

– You look happy today!

– I am happy. I have just passed my Literature exam.

– Congratulations! I am glad somebody is happy.

– Why? What’s the matter?

– Oh, I’m just worried. I have to take my History exam next week.

– Oh, come on. You are always worried about your exams but you get only fives. I am sure you pass it successfully.

Read and translate the dialogue. Learn it by heart.

– What is the difference between a college and a university?

– That’s difficult question to answer.

– Well, is a university better than a college? Does it have more prestige?

– Not necessarily. Some colleges are better than some universities, and vice versa.

– Is a university bigger than a college?

– Usually. It consists of a group of “schools” – the School of Engineering, the School of Medicine, and so on.

– Does a college award scientific degrees?

– Not ordinarily. Most colleges offer only undergraduate work.

– And what about universities?

– Most of them offer undergraduate and graduate work.

 

Read and translate the text.

Moscow University

Only rarely does the visitor to Moscow leave without going up on the Lenin Hills and seeing before him the panoramic view of Moscow and, behind, the towering, imposing and unforgettable Moscow University building.

The University itself is like a town. In it are all the services you require from polyclinic to newspaper stall, including chemists, shoe repairers, photographers, post office, hairdressers, canteens, food shops, etc.

As part of the University there is a special cultural section – a House of Culture. This puts on lots of concerts, meetings, recitals and films. There is a film nearly every night of the week and often the University gets earlier than other cinemas.

The sport facilities in the University are very good. There are two large gymnasiums, and besides them there is a large natural skating-rink which in summer becomes basket-ball and tennis courts.

In the University, students may hire skis free; and there is never any lack of people skiing in the park around the University or on the edge of the Lenin Hills, by the river side. The University has its own indoor swimming pool too.

The University has two main libraries. They are light and comfortable to work in.

In June the school leavers from surrounding schools come along to watch the sunrise, and to sing it in, in front of the University, to mark the end of their school years.

 

Choose the right answer

Moscow school leavers like to come
to the Lenin Hills:

to sing the sunrise in

to enjoy the panoramic view of Moscow

to say good-bye to each other