Present Days of Our University

Nowadays the education is conducted in three forms: full-time, part-time (evening) and distant learning. The University has six full-time faculties today, which are:

      Transport Construction Faculty²

      Industrial and Civil Engineering Faculty³

      Economics and Management Faculty

      Railway Operation and Logistics Faculty⁴

     Transportation and Energy Systems Faculty⁵

     Automation and Intelligent Technologies Faculty⁶.

Our University trains specialists for Russian railways and other companies in such fields as automatics and telecommunication, power supply, construction, railway operation, rolling stock, bridge and tunnel construction, electrical engineering, information technologies, economics, etc. More than 14,000 students are trained to get Bachelor's degrees, Master's degrees, to become specialists and PhDs.

Several hundreds of international students from 30 countries come to study at the University. Annually, the University sends its students for studies and internships in European universities and receives students from the UK, the USA, China, Germany, Finland and other countries. The University has Double Degree programmes with the leading European universities and China. Our University graduates work successfully all over the world.

The University is famous for its traditions such as the matriculation ceremony⁷, the Memorial Day on the 9^th of May, the graduation ceremony and the birthday of the University on the 2^nd of December.

Notes:

¹ agraduate (n) [’græduit] – окончивший высшее учебное заведение 

tograduatefrom (v) [’grædjueit] – окончить высшее учебное заведение

² TransportConstructionfaculty – факультет «Транспортное строительство»

³Industrial andCivilEngineeringfaculty– факультет «Промышленное и гражданское строительство»

⁴ RailwayOperationandLogisticsfaculty – факультет «Управление перевозками и логистика»

⁵ TransportationandEnergySystemsfaculty – факультет «Транспортные и энергетические системы»

⁶ AutomationandIntelligentTechnologiesfaculty – факультет «Автоматизация и интеллектуальные технологии»                                                                                 

⁷ matriculation ceremony – посвящениевстуденты.

Answer the questions.                                                                                                                              1) How many faculties does our University have? What is your faculty called?                                         2) What specialties does the University train students for?                                                                               3) What degree are you going to get after graduating from the University?                                       4) What countries does our University have contacts with?                                                            5) What traditions does our University have?

Ex. 4 Complete the sentences, using the words and word combinations from the text.

1. Many outstanding scientists …, among them ….

2. They designed and constructed ….

3. The founder of our University was …, who was ….

4. Among the students there were ….

5. The University engineers and scientists have taken part in designing ….

6. At the University, there are six full-time faculties. They are ….

7. Our University is famous for its traditions, such as ….

Ex. 5 Give the passive form of the following verbs and make your own sentences.

 Model: Found – was founded. Saint-Petersburg was founded in 1703.

Deliver; allow; locate; call; design; conduct; collect; train; build; construct; make.

 

Ex. 6 Translate the sentences into English.

1. Наш университет был основан в 1809 году. 2. Первые лекции читались на французском языке. 3. Только сыновьям аристократов разрешалось учиться здесь. 4. Наш университет находится в центре Санкт-Петербурга. 5. В 1809 году наш университет назывался Институт корпуса инженеров путей сообщения. 6. Сейчас он называется Петербургский государственный университет путей сообщения. 7. Одно из зданий университета было спроектировано итальянским архитектором Кваренги. 8. Колонный зал был сделан по проекту французского архитектора Тома де Томона. 9. Многие железные дороги, здания и мосты построены нашими выпускниками. 10. В настоящее время в университете обучается около 20 000 студентов. 11. Обучение проводится в трех формах: дневное, вечернее и заочное. 12. В научной библиотеке университета собрано более 2 миллионов книг и манускриптов.

 

Ex. 7 Transform the verbs into nouns and make you own sentences.

Model: lecture – lecturer. French lecturers Clapeiron and Lammet worked at our University in the 19^th century.

Design; found; organise; construct; build; supply; operate; program; graduate; manage.

 

Ex. 8 Translate the sentences into English.

1. Основателем нашего университета был император Александр I. 2. Августин Бетанкур был организатором и первым ректором университета. 3. Многие выпускники нашего университета являются знаменитыми конструкторами и инженерами. 4. Будущие строители, программисты, менеджеры и т.д. учатся здесь. 5. В мире есть несколько крупных операторов железных дорог. 6. Несколькокомпанийявляютсяпоставщикамиэнергиидляжелезныхдорог.

 

Ex. 9 Read the text about Augustine Betancourt and tell the new facts you have learnt about his life.

Augustine Betancourt was born in 1758 in Puerto de Kruse, in the Canary Islands, to an aristocratic family. Private teachers gave him lessons in Mathematics, Drawing, English and French. He became interested in experiments, exact sciences and fine arts. At twenty, he studied in the Royal School of St. Isidor in Madrid, where mathematical analysis, analytical mechanics and physics were the main subjects. After that he was sent to France to study mineralogy and mining. He also became interested in hydraulics and mechanics.

   Betancourt travelled a lot at that time and lived in France and England. In 1807 Betancourt came to St Petersburg and was introduced to Alexander I. He was offered a position in the Ministry of Means of Communication. In 1809 the Corps ([kο:] – корпус) of Engineers of Means of Communication was founded and Betancourt was its director and organiser. He was busy with many other things. He was reconstructing the Tula Armory factory, designing and constructing a steam excavator for cleaning the port of Kronshtadt. In 1811, he designed the first permanent arch bridge in Russia across the Malaya Nevka. He was engaged in opening two engineering schools in St Petersburg and in constructing a network of roads. The Manege building in Moscow and the Fair building in Nizhny Novgorod were designed and built by him. He travelled a lot around Russia. In 1823 he returned to St Petersburg and retired. He died in 1824 and was buried in Alexander Nevsky Cemetery.

Ex. 10 Read the text about studies at our University and answer the questions.

Student Life

My friends are first-year students at Petersburg State Transport University. They study at the faculty of Railway Operation and Logistics. The University is a huge and complex institution. The teaching staff consists of lecturers, professors, tutors, supervisors, etc. The students’ body is numerous: freshers, undergraduates, bachelors, masters, postgraduates. The academic year is divided into two terms. After each term there is an examination period. During the examination period students get credits and take exams. If you pass exams successfully you will get a grant on a monthly basis. First-year students study general and special subjects, such as Mathematics, Physics, Descriptive Geometry, Chemistry, Computer studies, Russian, History, Foreign languages (English, German, French), Philosophy, Physical Training, Economics, Management and others.

Every student has a student’s card, a reader’s card and a credit book. There are three or four subjects every day, where professors deliver lectures and students make notes. It is important to attend lectures and seminars, to make reports and do presentations.

The University offers such facilities as specialized laboratories, computer classes, libraries, reading halls, lecture halls and canteens. Students can attend a gym and a swimming pool to keep fit.

 

Ex. 11 Answer the following questions.

1. What faculty do you study at?

2. Where’s your dean’s office situated? What is your dean’s name?

3. What subjects are you good/bad at?

4. How many of your groupmates live in a hostel?

5. What should you do not to be expelled from the University?

6. What exams are you going to pass during your examination period?

7. What documents do you have as a student?

8. What extra activities do you do at the University?

Ex. 12 Fill in the chart with the adjectives in positive, comparative, superlative forms. Make your own sentences with the adjectives.

Model: young – younger – the youngest. Economics and Management faculty is the youngest at our University.

 

Positive	Comparative	Superlative
Old, hard, young
	More difficult, more interesting, more important
		The best, the worst
Much/ many
	less
		The farthest / the furthest

 

Ex. 13Translatethesentences into English.

1. Наш университет – одна из старейших высших школ России. 2. Я учусь на лучшем факультете нашего университета. 3. Предметы в университете более интересные, чем в школе. 4. У моих школьных друзей больше свободного времени, чем у меня. 5. Мой самый любимый предмет – информатика. 6. Специальные предметы более сложные, чем общеобразовательные. 7. Он учится более усердно, чем обычно, чтобы сдать экзамен. 8. Кто лучший студент в нашей группе? 9. Она тратит меньше времени на английский, чем на историю. 10. Какой предмет самый важный в этом семестре?

 

Ex. 14Victor is a first-year student at the University. He has written a letter about his life at the University.Write a similar letter to a friend about your student life.

Dear Anna,

I’m so happy to tell you that I have started University this year! I am a first-year student at Petersburg State Transport University! I was lucky to pass my examinations and now my wish has come true: I am a future railway engineer.

I really like my student life, though it is not always easy for me to study at the University. You know, I was not very good at Mathematics at school, so I have to work hard now. Descriptive Geometry and Physics take a lot of time, too, and I realise how important it is for me now to attend all the lectures and classes regularly.

By the way, do you remember my friend Maxim? We went to school together and now we are in the same group! He studies hard and always does all the drawings and lab works on time. He is a true friend and he is always happy to help me with my homework in Physics and Math. We do sports together. We play football in the same team. I have to go now to get ready for my laboratory work.

Hope to hear from you soon about your University life.

Yours,

Victor.

 

Ex. 15 Make sentences, using the words and word combinations from the chart.

I We Students Maxim My sister My friend

always never often sometimes usually seldom

have/has do(es) make(s) read(s) write(es) take(s) attend(s)

lectures seminars training test-papers notes exams presentations

in English at the lectures in computer classes on Math in laboratories on Management at conferences

 

Ex. 16 Complete the sentences, using the words of the letter.

1. I am a … - year student, and my friend Alex is a … - year student.

2. My friend Maxim … at this University, too.

3. We study at the … Faculty.

4. Maxim is very … at mathematics.

5. I am not … at Math, so I have to … hard now.

6. My friend always does … on time, and he is always happy to help

me … my homework.

7.We all have to … all the lectures regularly.

Ex. 17 Complete the following conversation.:

1.A: Are you a first-year student? B: … A: What faculty do you study at? B: … 3. A: Does your friend study at                   the same faculty? B: … A: Do you have many general subjects? B: …

2.A: Do you have any special                  subjects during the first year? B: … A: What subjects are you good at? B: … 4. A: Is your friend really good at English? B: … A: And are you good at English? B: …

Ex. 18 Work in pairs:

A. Ask a partner:                       B. Answer your partner’s questions:

а) where he/she is from;

b) if he/she has many friends at University;

c) if he/she is interested in Math/Physics/Philosophy, etc.

d) what his/her favourite subject is;

e) how many lectures a day they have;

f) how many languages he/she speaks;

g) if he/she works in computer classes/laboratories/reading halls, etc.;

h) if he/she borrows books from the University library;

i) what he/she usually does in his/her free time;

j) if he/she is happy with his/her student life.