Some Differences in the Organization of Education in Britain and America

Differences in the organization of education in Britain and America lead to different terms. One crucial word, school, is used in overlapping but different ways. A place of education for young children is a school in both varieties. But the word school in B.E. is never used to refer to a university or other college of highereducation.An American high school student graduates; a British secondary schoolpupil (never student) leaves school. To graduate is possible only from a university, polytechnic or college of education in British usage; graduating entails taking a degree. British universities have 3 terms; American universities have 2 semesters (or in some re­cent cases, 4 quarters). A British university student takes 3 years, in the typical case, to get his degree; these are known as the first, second and final years. The American university student typically takes 4 years, known as freshman, sophomore, junior and senior years. While he is studying, the American ma­jors in a particular subject, but also takes electives; the British student usually takes a main and subsidiary subjects. The British term honours degree signifies that the student specializes in one main subject, perhaps with one subsidiary. The American student earns credits for successfully comple­ting a number of self-contained courses of study, the credits eventually reaching the total needed for him to receive a degree. There is no counterpart to the credit system in Bri­tish high education at present.

The British student who has already taken a first degree (usually a B.A. or B.Sc. except in Scottish universities) is a post-graduate; the American equivalent is a graduate. In Ame­rican universities those who teach are known as the faculty; in Britain they are the staff, possibly dignified as the academic staff.

B.E. has no equivalent to A.E. co-ed a girl student, nor is there any B.E. equivalent of the American sorority or fraternity, i.e. nationwide university clubs or associa­tions with restricted membership.

Vocabulary:

B.E. - British English

 

Британский английский язык

A.E. - American English

 

Американский английский язык

to take a degree

[dI'grJ]

получать ученую степень

freshman

['frFSmqn]

первокурсник

sophomore

['sOfqmL]

второкурсник

junior

['GHnIq]

студент третьего курса

senior year

['sJnIq]

выпускной курс

to major in a subject

['meIGq]

изучать основные предметы

elective

[I'lFktIv]

факультатив

subsidiary subject (Br)

[sqb'sIdIqrI]

факультатив

the faculty

['fxkqltI]

состав преподавателей

co-ed

['kqu'ed]

однокурсница

sorority

[sq'rOrItI]

университетский женский клуб

fraternity

[frq'tWnItI]

студенческая организация

В.A. (Bachelor of Arts)

 

бакалавр гуманитарных наук

В.Sc. (Bachelor of Science)

 

бакалавр естественных наук

   b) Copy the table in your notebook and fill it in.

 

British
English

American
English

- Вуз

- заканчивать Вуз

- заканчивать среднее специальное учебное заведение (ССУЗ)

- учащийся ССУЗ

- семестр

- выпускной курс

- однокурсница

- факультатив

- педагогический коллектив

- выпускник

- студенческие клубы

- студент 1-го курса

- студент 2-го курса

- студент 3-го курса

- студент выпускного курса