Higher education in great britain

1. Most big towns in Britain have both a university and a college of higher education. Here are 91 universities in Britain and 47 colleges of higher education.

2. English universities greatly differ from each other. Students apply¹ to universities month before they take their A-levels². The students are given a personal interview³ and the universities then decide which students they want. They offer them a place which depends on A-level results. The more popular the university, the higher the grades⁴ it will ask for.

3. Most British students choose to go to university a long way from their hometown: university is seen as a time to be independent, to live away from home and develop new interests

4. British students do not have to pay to go to university, but do need money to live away from home while they are studying. Some students whose parents do not earn a lot of money are given a grant from the local educational authority⁵. If students do not get a grant, parents have to pay for their children. Some students borrow money from the bank which must be paid back after they leave university. In theory the grant pays for rent, food, books, transport and socializing. In fact, the grant is not a lot of money. Students used to work⁶ during the holidays to earn more money, but it is now difficult to find such jobs.

5. Not all students study full time at university or college. Many people combine their studies with work. Some companies release their staff for training⁷ one or two days a week or for two months a year. Oxford and Cambridge are the oldest universities in Britain and they have the highest academic reputation.

Пояснения к тексту:

1. подавать заявление

2. экзамен на повышенном уровне по программе средней школы

3. собеседование

4. более высокий проходной бал

5. местный орган образования

6. работают

7. освобождают от работы для учебы

Прочитайте 4-й абзац и вопрос к нему. Из приведенных вариантов ответа укажите номер предложения, содержащего правильный ответ на поставленный вопрос:

What is grant?

1. … money borrowed from the bank.

2. … money for rent, food, books, transport and etc.

3. … money have to pay to go to university.

Вариант 2

The open university

1. The Open University was founded in 1964 by the Labor Government for those people, for some reason, had not a chance to enter any of the universities, especially those above normal student age. It takes both men and women at the age 21 and over. At the beginning of the 1990s some 150000 students followed the Open University courses.

2. No formal academic qualifications are necessary for entry to these courses, but the standards of its degrees are the same as those of other universities. The first course began in 1971, and in a decade the number of undergraduates reached 65,000. It’s a non-residential¹ university. In teaching the university uses a combination of television and radio broadcasts, correspondence courses and summer school, together with a network of viewing and listening centres².

3. Lecturers present their courses on one of the BBC’s television channels and by radio. They have also produced a whole library of short course-books, which anyone can buy at bookshops. Students write papers based on the courses and discuss them with tutors at meetings or by correspondence once a month.

4. Degrees are awarded on the basis of creadit³ gained by success at each stage of the course. Six credits are necessary for a BA degree⁴ and eight credits for a BA Honors degree. The time of staying on at the Open University is unlimited.

Пояснения к тексту:

1. без постоянного помещения

2. видео- и аудио центры

3. «успешно» – оценка за сданные экзамены

4. степень бакалавра

Прочитайте 4-й абзац и вопрос к нему. Из приведенных вариантов ответа укажите номер предложения, содержащего правильный ответ на поставленный вопрос:

What are degrees awarded on?

1. … because students write papers.

2. … because the time of staying on at the Open University is unlimited.

3. … on the basis of credits gained by success at each stage of the course.

Вариант 3: