T alking and Writing

64. Look back to the texts "Japanese Pursue English with Passion" and "Should English be Made Official Language?" in Part 2 of the Unit. Compare the Japanese circumstances to the situation in this country in terms of English proficiency and the countries' readiness to meet the globalisation challenge. As you mull over the issue, make extensive use of the vocabulary from the said texts (see below).

mull over the condition	broaches a subject	threat of encroachment
fall father behind	make allowances	with an interpreter in tow
made national headlines	dawning of the Internet age	talk in terms of black and white
acquire a working knowledge	left out of the loop	non-committal bureaucratic language
calls for reorganising	essential tool	too wishy-washy to translate
scores near the bottom	take root	fudge on the issues
pulled ahead of	call for greater emphasis	overemphasise the importance
anything but apathetic	the idea is catching on	pace of change
rank on a par with	representative assemblies	teaching by rote
broke through the 500-point barrier	adept at English	tackle the challenge
dire situation	global lingua franca	incumbent Parliament members

65. What measures might Ukraine take to turn out school graduates fully prepared to take degrees at universities throughout the world? Consider the tips below, ponder the points and add your own ideas.

    Upgrade facilities;	Adjust curricula;	Raise standards and requirements for English ability;	Introduce English for Science and Social Studies;	Establish international links at all levels for co-ordination of activities;
    Eliminate cheating	Do away with plagiarism	Retrain the present teachers to boost their qualifications;	Adjust and standardise the English language testing system;	Set up English as the teaching medium for certain subjects.

66. Based on your experience and possible printed information, write a survey report about the state of English teaching and learning at a specified school or area, using the language of the previous exercises and Parts. See the tips on survey report writing below.

Paragraph Plan for Survey Reports

Survey reports*

Introduction. State the purpose and content of the report or summarise the most important results of the survey.

Development. Summarise your information under suitable sub-headings.

Conclusion. Make recommendations / suggestions or end with a general conclusion.

* Formal style with sub-headings.

When reporting the results of a survey the figures gathered should be included either in the form of percentages or proportions. Proportions can be expressed by using expressions such as "one in four" or "seven out of ten", or more accurately in the form of percentages (75%, 90%, etc.). Less precise expressions such as "the majority, a minority, a significant number, a large proportion, a small number, by far the largest proportion, etc." can also be used and are less formal than percentages and figures.

Generalisations can be made about the facts and figures contained in a report. First, state the facts and then make a generalisation e.g. 100% of pupils take English as an obligatory subject. This suggests/implies/indicates that with the right organisation of studies, contents and teaching methods… There can be used a reversed approach: you first make a generalisation and then state the facts e.g. With the right organisation of studies, contents and teaching methods… This is illustrated/demonstrated/indicated/shown by the fact that 100% of the pupils take English as an obligatory subject.

Like in other types of reports, events and conversations should be summarised using reported speech and more formal language. The report should include the writer's name, the recipient's name and the subject of the report. E.g.

To: Ms. Mary Rose

From: Sally Forgetmenot

Subject: State of English Teaching at Knyazhe Secondary School

1 him or her

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