3.2. The us Educational System

Reading and Writing

1. Scan the text "Education in the USA" to get the full idea of it. Find the paragraphs about:

• the funding sources of the US education;

• the US elementary education;

• the US secondary education;

• the higher education of the USA.

2. Find in the text the English equivalents to:

–  особенностью американского образования является отсутствие государственного управления;

–  продолжать образование в одной из общеобразовательных (средних) школ;

–  являться промежуточным звеном между подготовительными классами начальной и старшими классами средней школы;

–  продолжать образование в высшем учебном заведении;

–  выбирать по меньшей мере один курс из каждой основной предметной области.

3. Read and translate the text for getting the detailed content.

Education in the usa

Education in the United States is provided mainly by government¹. Its control and funding comes from three sources: federal, state, and local. Private schools in the United States include parochial schools and non-profit independent schools. The peculiar feature of American education is the absence of national administration. Each of the 50 states controls and directs its own schools. Most states require that children attend school from the time they reach 6 or 7 years old until they are 16 or 17.

In most public and private schools, education is divided into three levels: elementary school, junior high school (also often called middle school), and senior high school.

Elementary education begins at the age of six or seven, when a child goes to the first grade (form). Elementary school, also known as grade school or grammar school, is a school of kindergarten through fifth grade (sometimes, the first eight grades or up to fourth grade or sixth grade), where basic subjects are taught. Sometimes it includes kindergarten as well. The curriculum in the elementary school includes English, Arithmetic, Geography, History of the USA, Na- tural sciences, Singing, Drawing, etc. Sometimes they learn a foreign language.

At the age of sixteen schoolchildren leave the elementary school and may continue their education at one of the secondary schools (or high schools), as they call them. Junior high school is any school intermediate between elementary school and senior high school. It usually includes seventh and eighth grade, and sometimes sixth or ninth grade. Junior high school is followed by 3 years study in senior high school. In most high schools children (called students) may choose between the subjects.

Besides giving general education some high schools teach subjects useful to those who hope to find jobs in industry and agriculture or who want to enter colleges or universities. After graduating from secondary schools a growing number of Americans go on to higher education.

Higher education in the United States is known as college or university and commonly consists of four years of study at an institution of higher learning. The most famous and prestigious universities in the USA are Harvard, Princeton and Yale.

The students do not take the same courses. During the first two years they follow a basic programme. It means that every student must select at least one course from each of the basic fields of study: English, Natural Sciences, Modern languages, History or Physical education. After the first two years every student can select subjects according to his professional interest.

In order to get bachelor’s degree (Bachelor of Art or Bachelor of Science) young people study for 4 years. To get master’s degree (Master of Art or Master of Science) pupils must study 1–2 years more and do a research work.

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¹ Education in the United States is provided mainly by government – образование в США находится в основном на государственном обеспечении.

Names:

Harvard [`ha:va:d] – Гарвардский университет – один из старейших и лучших университетов Америки, находится в г. Гарвард. Основан пуританами в 1636.

Princeton [`prinstəun] – Принстонский университет, один из наиболее престижных вузов США. Находится в г. Принстоне, шт. Нью-Джерси. Основан в 1746 как Колледж Нью-Джерси.

Yale [jeil] – Йельский университет – частный университет, один из крупнейших учебных и научно-исследовательских центров США. Основан в 1701.