THE
VALUE OF EDUCATION
LANGUAGE
MATERIAL VOCABULARY
1.
Прочитайте вслух новые слова, познакомьтесь
с их русскими эквивалентами. Определите
их значения в данных предложениях.
EDUCATION Не
got a good education at Oxford. образование
LANGUAGE What
language does this man speak?
язык
TO
INTRODUCE The teacher introduced a new вводить
grammar rule at the lesson.
SHOP There
are many shops at this factory.
цех,
мастерская
STATE Railways
in Russia belong to the государство
state.
PRIMARY
начальный 1)
There was only a primary school in
the
village.
основной,
первостепенный
2) This question is of primary
importance.
NEVERTHELESS She
was very tired, nevertheless she
все
же,
тем
не
менее
continued working.
8.
ENTRANCE
поступление 1)
Entrance to the institute is by
examination
only.
вход 2)
There were many people at the
entrance
to the theatre.
TO
ENTER
1)
поступать 1)
He entered the institute last year.
16Part I english in practice
Unit 1
2)
classroom.
9. AGE
возраст 1) I have brother of your age.
век 2) We live in the atomic age.
10. SUBJECT That’s an interesting subject of
предмет conversation.
HIGHER EDUCATION His parents don’t have a higher
высшее образование education
SECONDARY EDUCATION After she got her secondary education среднее образование she started working as a secretary.
TO ATTEND All children of the village attend
посещать school.
AFTER After school the boys played tennis.
после
TO LEAVE (LEFT) They leave Moscow in summer.
оставить, уехать
TO PASS AN EXAMINATION The pupils of the 10th form passed all сдать экзамен their examinations well.
TO RECEIVE Did you receive a letter from your
получать friend last week?
TO FAIL (IN) AN He isn’t very good at physics, he may
EXAMINATION fail in his examination.
не выдержать экзамен
TO TAKE AN EXAMINATION Our students will take their examina- держать экзамен tions in January.
TERM The first term at the institute lasts
семестр four months.
ALMOST She has almost finished her
почти homework.
AIM The aim of the new methods was to
цель improve the quality of teaching.
TO AIM My brother aims to become a doctor.
стремиться
BROAD This river is 30 metres broad.
широкий
GENERATION Several generations of their family
поколение were musicians.
COURSE Next term they will have a course of
курс lectures construction mechanics.
FOREIGN All
pupils study a foreign language at
иностранныйschool.
TO
TAKE PLACE (TOOK, The meeting
took place after the
TAKEN) lectures.
происходить,
случаться
TO
EQUIP
They will equip the laboratories with
оборудовать,оснащатьnew apparatus.
LATEST
Which is the latest book by this
новейший,последнийwriter?
TO
REQUIRE
1)требовать1) The
situation requires my
presence.
2)нуждаться2) They
require our help.
DURING We
speak English during the lesson.
втечение,вовремя
USUALLY
What do you usually do on Sunday?
обычно
TO
LAST The lesson at school lasts 45 minutes.
продолжаться,длиться
GRADUATION After
graduation some of the students
окончаниевысшегоучебногоwill
work at automobile plants.
заведения
TO
GRADUATE (FROM) My
friend graduated - from the
окончить
высшее учебное заве- institute
last year.
дение
TO
RETURN
Yesterday he returned home late.
возвращаться
FIELD
1)поле1) There were a lot of flowers in the
fields.
2)область,сферадеятельности2) This man works in the field of
mathematics.
FORMER She
often wrote letters to her former
прежний,предшествующийteacher of
literature.
BETWEEN
Our
house is between the hotel and
междуthe
hospital. TO
REALIZE
1)понимать,
осознавать
1) She didn’t realize her mistake.
2)осуществлять2) Peter’s
friends helped him to
realize
his plans.
TO
COMPLETE
When will they complete the
заканчивать,завершатьconstruction of the road?
18
41.COMMON
Thcy
were good friends because they
Общий
had common
interests and hobbies.
42.KIND There
are different kinds of books in
Род,сорт,вид
our library.
WISH
We have no wish to go to this
желание
concert.
TOWARDS
1)
new student.
2) по направлению к 2) First they were moving towards the
north but then changed direction.
IMPORTANT It’s important to learn to speak
важный English.
2. Прочитите следующие интернациональные слова вслух и, основываясь на значениях слов русского языка, определите их значения:
accumulation [9,lyu:mju'leiJh] system ['sistam]
phenomena [fi'nomina] democratic [«dema'kraetik]
centre ['sentd] reform [ri'fo:m]
theoretical 1,013'retikl] technology [tek'noM3iJ
manuscript ['maeryuskript] technological [,tekna'lod3ikl]
literature J'litentJa] economic [,i:ke'nomik]
geography [d3i'ografi] information [,infe'meijh]
mathematics [,m*0i'nuetiks] computer [kam'pjurta]
physics ['fiziks] ethics ['eGiks]
logic [ lod3ik] psychology [sai'kolad3i] national ['naejanal]
3. Подберите пары слов, имеющих противоположные значения.
А. 1. to complete Б. 1 .to return
after 2. to fail in an examination
to leave 3. to begin
to pass an examination 4. before
to ask 5. yesterday
much 6.little
tomorrow 7. to answer
here 8.to enter
to graduate (from) 9.morning
evening 10.there
to receive 11.bad
south 12. north
good 13.
to give
to
open 14. white
black 15.
close
Найдитевкаждомрядуслово,имеющее наиболее общее
значение.
a)
February, b) November, с) March, d)
month,е) July
a)
colour, b) brown, с) white, d) green, e)
black
a)
year, b) time, c) month, d) week, e) day
a)
man, b) woman, c) boy, d) girl, e) person
a)
tennis, b) football, c) sport, d) hockey, e) chess
a)
bus, b) transport, c) plane, d) train, e) car
a)
engineer, b) doctor, c) teacher, d) specialist, e) pilot
a)
winter, b) summer, c) season, d) autumn, e) spring
a)
body, b) arm, c) leg, d) head, e) hand
a)
nose, b) mouth, c) eyes, d) head, e) hair
Образуйте
возможные словосочетания из слов в
обеих колонках.
1;
to pass school 2. short school 3. laboratory
state
to
attend a letter foreign street long
equipment
to
receive an examination primary language great
letter
Прочитайте
и переведите на русский язык следующие
словосочетания:* .
important
work to return the book
his
last wish in the field of physics
not
to attend school during the term
before
and after the conference big shops of the factory
school
age to equip a laboratory
a
complete course of lectures in the latest news
history at
the beginning of the term
to
introduce new methods of to receive a grant
teaching to
complete important work
a
foreign language primary and secondary education
to
leave the country to take an examination in literature
to
enter the room to realize a new plan
it
takes place in the field of common interests
economy to
require much time
the
course of the ship the young generation
usually
in time the former school teacher
to
last longer between two houses
to
graduate from Moscow State the aim of his life
University to
realize his mistake
20
Решите
кроссворд.
A
period of time which usually lasts 30- 6. A season
31
days 7.
Father and mother
A
student who studies in the same group 8. An adjective
denoting a town where you
The
place where pupils study for 11 years were bom
An
automobile
9.
One
of the main subjects taught at
The
place where students from different schools and
colleges towns live
WORD-BUILDING
8.
а) Проанализируйте модели образования
слов, прочтите и переведите слова,
созданные на их основе, б) Затем
прочтите текст и найдите в нем слова,
имеющие общий корень со словами
перед текстом. Определите, к какой части
речи они относится и каковы их
значения. Перевед ите текст. А.
МОДЕЛЬ
1
основа
глагола
+ -tion,
-sion,
-ion
-» существительное
to
include — включать inclusion
- включение
to
continue — продолжать continuation
—
to
produce — производить production
—
to
absorb — поглощать absorption
—
to
consider — рассматривать consideration
—
МОДЕЛЬ
2
основа
глагола
+ -er/-or
-> существительное
со значением лица, производящего
действия, или орудия действия
to
generate — генерировать generator—
генератор
to
distribute — распределять distributor
—
to
cool — охлаждать cooler
—
to
operate — оперировать operator
—
to
consume — потреблять consumer
—
21
|
Present |
Past |
Future |
|
am (I) if (he, she, it) are (we, you, they) |
was (ед. ч.) were (мн. ч.) |
shall be(l-е л.) will be |
Victor
is free in the evening.
John
is in America.
I
am very busy.
She
is at the lecture.
The
child is 10 years old.
This
work is interesting.
The
expedition is in Africa.
The
new film is long.
My
mother is at home.
The
workers are at the factory.
The
children are at school.
The
students are at the Institute.
Дайте
краткие ответы на вопросы, следуя
образцу.
ОБРАЗЕЦ:
Is Kovalev present at the lesson?
Yes,
he
is. No,
he is not.
Is
Tverskaya Street long?
Was
it cold last winter?
Are
your friend’s sisters beautiful?
Is
it hot today?
Is
it Sunday today?
22
|
Present |
Past |
Future |
|
have (got)
has (got) |
had |
shall have
will have |
|
They
have a big house in the country.
My
friend has many interesting books.
His
mother has a nice garden.
She
has a good map of London.
We
have a good dog.
I
have a beautiful picture.
These
students have five examinations.
His
parents have a comfortable flat.
John
had good work.
These
pupils have four lessons every day.
12.
а) Проанализируйте формы оборота
there
is/are,приведенные в таблице. б) Зятем прочтите
и переведите текст.
Оборот
there
+ to
be
в Indefinite Active |
Past |
Future |
|
there is (ед.ч.)
there are (мн.ч.) |
there was (ед.ч.)
there were (мн.ч.) |
there will be |
23
My
name is Natasha. I am Russian. Now I study English in London. There
are six students in my class. I have friends among them. My friend
Nicole is French. She is 20 years old. She is from France. She has a
big family in Paris. George is Greek. He is from Greece. He is 18
years old. His parents are rich. They have a bank. George thinks he
will be a banker too. I like my new life. I visited many places. I
was in Oxford and Cambridge. My friends and I were in Scotland. We
had a very good time. There were many interesting things to see
there.
Отнесите
факты, о которых идет речь, сначала к
будущему, затем к прошлому, используя
соответствующие формы глагола to
be.
There
are twelve students in our group.
There
is a beautiful garden near the house.
There
is a big blackboard in the classroom.
There
is a letter for him on the table.
There
are two lifts in the house.
There
are 300 pages in the book.
There
is a new stadium in the town.
There
is a table in the middle of the room.
There
is a hospital in the village. .
Are
there many sentences in this exercise?
Is
there much work to do at home?
There
are no pictures in the book.
There
is no theatre in the town.
There
are no maps on the walls of the classroom.
Перефразируйте,
используя соответствующие формы
глагола to
have.
ОБРАЗЕЦ:
There are no
books in his bag.
He
has no books
in his bag.
There
is no TV-set in his room.
There
are no mistakes in his dictation.
There
is no garden near his house.
There
are no pictures in her room.
There
are no French books in her library.
There
is no English newspaper on her table.
There
is no coffee in my cup. 4'
There
is no telephone in my flat.
There
are no maps on the walls of our classroom.
There
is no sugar in Peter’s tea.
а)
Проанализируйте степени сравнения
прилагательных, приведенные в таблице,
б) Затем прочпгге и переведите тексты
а) и b).
24
|
|
Положительная |
Сравнительная |
Превосходная |
|
I |
long |
longer |
(the) longest |
|
|
easy |
easier |
(the) easiest |
|
II |
interesting |
more interesting |
(the) most interesting |
|
ml |
good |
better |
(the) best |
|
|
bad |
worse |
(the) worst |
|
|
much, many |
more |
(the) most |
|
|
little |
less |
(the) least |
a)
Wise people said:
“We
have two ears and only one tongue in order that we may hear more
and
speakless."
(Diogenes)
“Few
sons are like their father, many are worse,
Few,
indeed, are better
than
the father.”(Homer)
b)
The Taylor family lived in Newport for many years, but last year
they
moved to Liverpool. They like their new city. It is much
nicer
andmore
interesting
than
Newport. In Liverpool the streets arecleaner.
The
parks
aresafer.
The
bus system ismore
reliable,
and the schools arebetter.
But
the Taylors think that the people in Newport werenicer,
more polite
andmore
hospitable
than
the people in Liverpool.
Измените
данные словосочетания, используя
сравнительную и превосходную сте-
пени
прилагательных.
a
short story
a large garden
a beautiful flower
a big table
a
high building
a difficult exercise
a new dress
an
old book
late
news
a
comfortable flat an easy question clean water
thin
ice
a
thick dictionary
a
good friend much snow bad weather little time many cars few mistakes
Прочтите
предложения, употребив нужную форму
прилагательного по смыслу.
Moscow
is (large)than Petersburg.
John
is (short)than William.
Henry
is (tall)of all.
This
summer is (hot)than last summer.
December
22 is (short)day of the year.
This
is (beautiful)house in the city. He
is (good)student in the group.
Which
is (large)city in your country?
25
Mathematics
is (difficult)
for
him than physics.
The
Volga is one of the (long)
rivers
in the world.
January
is (cold)
than
March.
Agatha
Christie is one of (famous)English writers.
There
were (many)
students
at the lecture today than yesterday.
The
Assembly Hall is (large)
room
in the Institute.
Yesterday
our team played football very badly. I think it was their (bad)
match.
Their
house in the country is (little)
comfortable
than their flat in the town.
18.Дайте
полные ответы на следующие вопросы.
Who
is the youngest in your family?
Who
is the oldest in your family?
Is
your father older than your mother?
Are
you as young as your friend?
Which
is the most difficult subject for you?
Which
is the easiest subject for you?
Is
mathematics more difficult for you than English?
Is
English easier for you than physics? Ц
Is
chemistry as difficult for you as physics?
Which
is the most interesting subject for you?
Which
is the longest day of the year?
Which
is the shortest month of the year?
Is
Washington bigger than New York?
Which
is the largest city in the world?
Which
is the highest mountain peak in the world?
Who
is the most famous Russian singer now?
Is
it warmer today than it was yesterday?
Do
you have more or less free time now than you had last year?
Найдите
в каждом ряду прилагательное в
сравнительной степени.
father,
foreigner, faster 8.
larger, mother, dinner
receiver,
summer, richer 9. letter, last, less
better,
brother, farmer 10.
their, longer, her
word,
worse, worker 11. smaller, worker, paper colder,
comer, car 12.
floor, answer, more door,
daughter, darker 13. older, poor, brother water,
teacher, higher 14. sister, shorter, summer
а)
Ознакомьтесь с союзами сравнения и их
значениями, б) Переведите предложения
и словосочетания на русский язык.
as
... as
-
так же (такой же) ...
как
not
as ... as, not so ... as - не
так
(не
такой)
... как.
26
|
Present |
Past |
Future | |||
|
I you we they |
work, go |
I you he, she we they |
worked, went |
I we you he, she they |
shall/will work, go
will work, go |
|
he, she, it works, goes | |||||
“If
you refuse me,” said the young man to his girl, “I shall die.”
She
refused him.
And
he died ... sixty years later.
Укажите
номера предложений, в которых сказуемое
выражено формой глагола: а) в прошедшем
времени, б) в настоящем времени, в) в
будущем времени.
My
friend titered the Medical Institute last year.
All
students take exams in winter.
The
delegation will leave Tomsk on Monday. Do
you receive letters from your friends?
27
The
students of our group attend all the lectures.
Some
students failed their entrance exams.
The
lecture will last two hours.
Shall
we go to the disco in the evening?
He
was good at mathematics, but he failed in physics.
Перефразируйте
следующие предложения в единственном
числе, изменив соответ- ственно форму
сказуемого.
ОБРАЗЕЦ:
My sisters work at the factory.
My
sister works at the factory.
My
friends work in summer.
These
girls go to the theatre in the evening.
These
apples are very green.
My
friends do not like fish.
His
brothers work hard all day long.
They
get new books from the library every week.
They
have breakfast at eight o’clock.
The
postman brings letters three times a day.
They
want to buy some toys, because their sons have a birthday tomorrow.
Отнесите
события, о которых идет речь, сначала
к будущему, затем к прошлому, используя
соответствующие формы глаголов.
Предварительно повторите формы
неправильных глаголов come,
go,
have,
read,
take,
begin,
leave,
swim,
tell,
know.
I
come to the Institute at 9.
He
goes to the Institute by Metro.
We
have dinner at 3.
They
read newspapers in the morning.
My
friend takes books from the library.
know
many English words.
The
lectures begin at 8.30.
The
plane leaves Minsk for Moscow at 11.05.
play
tennis in summer.
The
boy tells us everything.
He
swims well.
He
helps me in my work.
The
students repeat new words before the lesson.
She
does her homework in the evening.
The
little boy skates well.
We
listen to the radio in the morning.
28
Прочтиге
предложения, поставив глаголы, данные
в скобках, в соответствующем
времени.
My
friend (to
work)
at
the factory.
This
group (to
go)
to
the theatre next month.
We
(to
get)
books
from the library last week.
I
(to come)
home
later than usual yesterday.
This
student (to
answer)
well
at the last lesson.
They
(to
translate)
text
two tomorrow.
He
(to
read)
the
book about Robinson Crusoe in his childhood.
We
(to
want)
to
live in peace.
Schoolchildren
(to
have)
the
longest holidays in summer.
The
great Russian poet Pushkin (to
be bom)
in
1799.
I
(to speak)
with
my teacher tomorrow after classes.
The
farmer (to
like)
to
work in his garden every day.
The
child always (to
wash)
his
hands before dinner.
The
teacher (to
ask)
the
new grammar rule at the next lesson.
Last
Sunday his little sister (to
sleep)
till
ten o’clock.
Прочитайте
следующие предложения, заполнив
пропуски глаголами to
be,
to
have
л
соответствующих
формах. Переведите предложения.
1.1know that his father... many books in different foreign languages.
Usually
he ... at home on Sunday.
Next
year there ... new equipment in our school laboratory.
Tomorrow
I... either at the Institute or at home.
Now
there ... a beautiful garden near the house.
Ten
years ago there ... only a primary school in our village.
Now
his parents ... a comfortable flat.
1.V.
Kurchatov ... a well-known Russian physicist.
There
... two terms in the academic year.
а)
Повторите предлога времени, места и
направления, б) Затем прочитайте текст,
употребляя
предлога по смыслу.
ПРЕДЛОГИ
ВРЕМЕНИ
IN (с названиями
месяцев) - in
September/May
(с
названиями времен года) - in
summer/autumn
(с
названиями частей дня) - in
the
morning/evening
(с
обозначением года) - in
1999
ON (с названиями дней
недели, дата-
ми) I on
Tuesday, on the
first day
at
school
AT
(с обозначениями времени) - at
3 o'clock
ПРЕДЛОГИ
МЕСТА И НАПРАВЛЕНИЯ
29
Перед следующими
сочетаниями предлоги не употребляются:
week,
month, year
last
this
next
We
are students, ...
the morning we go …
the Institute. Our lectures begin … 9 o’clock. We have no
lectures …
Sunday. We take examinations… January and June. We do not study …
summer. We come ... the classroom and sit down ... the tables. We
take our books and notebooks ... ... the bags and put them ... the
table. Our pens are ... the table too. Our bags are usually ... the
tables. Sometimes they are ... the table ... the floor. During the
lesson we go …
...
the blackboard and write sentences ... it. When the lessons are over
we go ... ... jdie classroom and go home. We usually come back…
the Instituted … 3 o’clock … the afternoon.
LISTENING
PRACTICE
1.
We come to know the origin of many words when studying English. Some
of them have a very interesting history. The word sandwich
is one of them. Sandwich
is an English word but now it is used in many other languages.
a)
Listen to the story “Sandwich” about the origin of the word. Be
ready to answer the questions below.
What
do wo call a sandwich?
What
sort of sandwiches do you know?
When
do people in England eat sandwiches?
What
is the origin of the word sandwich?
What
was the Earl of Sandwich famous for?
What
other facts about the man do we know?
When
did he first make a sandwich?
Do
you like sandwiches? If so, what sort of sandwich would you like
for your lunch?
b)
You are the Earl of Sandwich’s grandson/granddaughter. Tell your
friends about your (grand)father and his “invention”.
2.
In Great Britain when a boy or a girl reaches the age of fifteen he
or she can
either stay at school or leave it and start work. Two teenagers
called William Parker and Margaret Weber also had to make their
choice.
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|
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William Parker |
Margaret Weber |
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London |
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|
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The city they live in |
Birmingham |
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|
Glasgow |
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|
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|
a university |
|
|
|
The institution they study at |
a technical college |
|
|
|
|
a school |
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|
|
a shop |
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|
The place they work in |
a library |
|
|
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|
an engineering firm |
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The occupation they are |
a secretary |
|
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trained for |
an electrician |
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a typist |
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|
Check
your ticks with your teacher or groupmates.
Read
the transcript of the text on p. 419. Look up the words you do not
know in your dictionary.
ORAL
PRACTICE
Topic.
The school
I went to.
Now
you are first-year students. You passed your entrance exams thanks
to the knowledge you gained at school, at a vocational school or at
a technical college. Say a few words about the educational
institution you studied at before entering the institute. Give
information about:
the
type of school you studied at;
the
place where it is situated;
the
age at which you began to attend it;
compulsory
and optional courses there were at your school (chemistry, drawing,
history, geography, etc.);
how
many times a week you had your lessons of English;
your
favourite subjects;
31
I
the
entrance exams you passed before entering the institute;
what
you liked and what you didn’t like about your school.
Pairwork.
Two girls are having breakfast in the institute coffee-bar. A tall
boy comes up to their table.
Listen
to their conversation.
PA
UL:
Excuse me, is anybody sitting here?
ANN:No, no. Oh! I’ll just move my bag.
PAUL:Thanks a lot. And could you tell me the time? I am afraid I may be
late for my English lesson.
ANN:I hope we have a few minutes left.
PAUL:That’s fine. Are you first-year students? I think we’ve met
before.
I'm
Paul. 1 think we live in the same hostel.
ANN:Yes, you’re right. My name is Ann. This is my friend Julia. She is
from Moscow.
PAUL:Nice to meet you. The bell’s ringing! I hope to see you both in
our video-club tonight. A new film is on. See you later.
ANN:So long.
JULIA:So long.
Complete
the dialogues.
A.: 3.
A.:
B:It’s 10 minutes to 10.B.:Oh, no. Sit down, please. I’ll
:just
move my bag.
A.:I’m afraid we may be late for 4.A.:Meet my friend Helen
our
lesson.
... My
name is...
:A.:
A.:That’s fine.B.:No, I’m not. I am from Nov-
gorod.
I live in a hostel.
Think
of some questions for the following answers. The answers need be
true.
Almost
all the students. 6. Foreign.
Between
you and me. 7. My friends.
During
the lecture. 8.I don’t think so.
Either
today or tomorrow. 9. In the institute.
Very
difficult. 10. Never.
You
want to know something about your groupmates. Think of the
questions you would like to ask them (their family, native town,
32
|
For |
Against |
|
3.1 can read interesting articles when they are translated into Russian. 4. I think it is very difficult to leam a foreign language. |
Discuss
the problem in groups of 3-5 students. You may find the following
expressions helpful:
to
express your opinion
I
think... I suppose...
Speaking
for myself... I’m sure ...
I
believe ... In my opinion ...
to
agree with somebody
Yes,
I agree (with you) I think so too
That’s
true You are quite right
2-320
33
|
|
Group 1 |
Group 2 |
Group 3 |
Group 4 |
|
It is accessary for a future engineer to study a foreign language. |
|
|
+ |
|
|
It's not necessary for a future engineer to study a foreign language. |
|
--- |
|
|
READING
PRACTICE
As
soon as we are born we begin to learn. We go to kindergartens,
schools, colleges, institutes, universities. These make up a system
оf education. The system of education in
Russia has a long history. Below you will find the text “Education
in Russia”.
Before
reading the text try to predict what information you will find in
it, choosing the
statements
from the list below.
a
The education in ancient Europe.
The
education in Byzantine.
The
education and the Russian Orthodox Church.
The
greatest teachers of Russia.
The
foundation of the first universities in the world.
The
changes in education to prepare young people for
modern life.
The
types of schools in Russia before the revolution.
The
system of education in the Soviet Union.
The
system of education in Russia today.
Read
the text r TEXT
1A EDUCATION
IN RUSSIA Ancient
Rue was one of the early feudal states and held
a leading place
in the world history.
34
aptdfr
to find out if you are right.
The
Slavonic written language came to Rus from Bulgaria in the 9th
century Towards the end of this century the replacement of religious
books in Greek for those in the Slavonic language began.
Between
the 10th and 13th centuries Russians developed a high civilization,
which formed the foundation of the Russian culture in the following
centuries. During this period numerous cultural treasures were
accumulated. The written works of the time show that the level of
knowledge on most natural phenomena was as high as that of Ancient
Greece.
Monasteries
were cultural and educational centres. They had large libraries and
well-equipped book-making shops, in which not only church
manuscripts were copied and translated but original books were
written. Today we can confidently say that Ancient Rus was a state
of high culture and knowledge.
In
pre-revolutionary Russia there was a network of primary schools for
common people. Nevertheless illiteracy among common people was very
high. Well-off people taught their children in grammar schools,1commercial schools or secondary schools teaching no classics.2
There
were also schools for nobles only. Entrance to those schools was
limited. For example, at lycee where A.S. Pushkin studied the number
of pupils ranged from thirty to one hundred. Only boys at the age of
10 or 12 from noble families of high rank were admitted and studied
there for six years They were taught many different subjects. The
most important were Russian literature, history, geography,
mathematics, physics, logic, law, rhetoric and such foreign
languages as French, English, German and Latin. Great attention was
paid to different aits and physical training: riding, swimming,
fencing and dancing. The aim of this school was to bring up
intelligent people in the broad sense of the word. Those who
graduated from such educational institutions usually entered the
service of their country to realize their abilities and knowledge to
the benefit of their state.
The
history of higher education in Russia goes back to 1755 when the
first University was founded in Moscow on the initiative of M.V.
Lomonosov and in accordance with his plan. Later, universities
were opened in many other big cities of the country.
After
the revolution in 1917, education was guaranteed to Soviet citizens
by the Constitution and was free of charge, including higher
education. Teaching at schools was conducted in almost all national
languages.
The system of education was the same throughout the country.
School
attendance was compulsory for those between 7 and 15. Those who
completed their secondary education and passed entrance examinations
to higher education establishments received monthly grants if they
did not
35
fail
the examinations that they took at the end of each term. Higher
education lasted five years.
In
1991 the former fifteen republics of the Soviet Union became
independent states. The Russian Federation, the biggest and the
most powerful of them began to develop as a democratic state. From
the very start democratic reforms began to take place in many
fields of life. The latest changes in political, economic and
social conditions required changes in the system of education. Its
aim is to prepare the growing generation for independent life and
work in new conditions.
New
curriculums were introduced in schools such as ‘The
World
Around Us” for younger students and "Fundamentals ofInformation
Science
and Computer Engineering", “Ethics and Psychology of Family
Life" for senior students. Along with state schools where
education is free of charge there appeared many private schools,
colleges, lycees, gymnasiums and different courses where students
can study sciences and humanities including foreign languages.
At
some schools the leavers are sent abroad to continue their
education at Sorbonne in Paris, at the Universities of Great
Britain, Germany, USA and other countries
After
graduating from those Universities they return to their country to
work in different fields of national economy.
A
former student of a Russian school said on his return home:
“I
was surprised how much there is in common between Russian and
Western young people - their love for entertainments and the same
kind of music and their wish to know everything new. I
hope
there will be time when young people from abroad will also come to
our country to study Such exchanges of students will undoubtedly
result in better understanding among people which in its turn will
bring greater stability to the whole world.”
36