Table 2

Exercise 2. True or false?

1. Higher education is provided only by universities in America.
2. Students have to pay in order to enter not only private but also State universities.
3. American universities and colleges are usually built as a “campus".
4. In the American system there are final examinations at colleges and universities.
5. Students receive a bachelor’s degree if they have collected enough credits in a particular subject.
6. The highest academic degree is the Academician.

Exercise 3. Translate into English:

Оплата за обучение, степень бакалавра (магистра), степень доктора философских наук, пригород, специализироваться, коренной житель штата, отдельный комплекс, частный университет, государственный колледж, исследовательская работа, получить степень, главное отличие, обеспечивать.

Exercise 4. Retell the text using the following questions:

1. What is higher education in America provided by?
2. What is the main difference between a college and a university?
3. How many colleges and universities are there?
4. What can you say about the tuition fees at private and public universities?
5. How are American universities and colleges usually built?
6. Are there any final examinations at colleges and universities?
7. How do students receive a degree?
8. When is study generally and specialized?
9. When do students receive a bachelor’s (master’s) degree?
10. What is the highest academic degree?

FOR ADDITIONAL READING

TEXT 1

PUBLIC EDUCATION: HISTORICAL REVIEW

Task. Read and translate the text.

Part I

The history of education in the United States has certain peculiarities which are closely connected with the specific conditions of life in the New World and the history of the American society.

The early Colonies and different politics of education for the first white settlers who came to North America from Europe in the 17^th century brought with them the educational ideas of the time most typical of the countries they represented. In Virginia and South Carolina, for example, education was entirely private. The children of the rich either had tutors or were sent to Europe for schooling. Many of the children of poor parents had no education at all. In Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York many of the schools were set up and controlled by the church.

In Massachusetts, which was much more developed at that time, three educational principles were laid down: 1) the right of the State or Colony to require that its citizens be educated; 2) the right of the State to compel the local governmental divisions, such as towns and cities, to establish schools; and 3) the right of the local government to support these schools by taxation.

At the very beginning, school buildings were often rough shacks. They were poorly equipped with a few benches, a stove, and rarely enough textbooks. Discipline was harsh, and corporal punishment was frequent.

The program of studies consisted largely of reading, writing, basic arithmetic, and Bible lessons. Since each community was responsible for solving its own educational problems, there was no attempt to find a common standard of excellence. Even the Constitution of the United States, ratified in 1789, contained no direct mention of education.

The schools of the early 1800s were not very different from those of the pre-revolutionary period. Some historians consider that they actually deteriorated in the three or four decades following the American Revolution, for the new country turned its attention to the development of its land, cities, and political institutions.

And yet, in attempt to generate interest in education, a number of communities continued founding schools. Some classes were opened to children for secular instruction and a number of schools for poor children which were a forerunner of the public schools in several major cities. Some States tax-supported schools and urged their spread.