American and british system of education

Education in Britain developed by steps. Education in Britain is compulsory and free for all children between the ages of 5-16. About 93 % of all children are educated in state schools and the rest attend private schools. There are over 2500 private schools in GB Most private schools are single-sex until the age of 16. The most expansive schools in Britain - public schools like St. Eton college for boys and St. James school for girls.

Primary education takes place in infant schools (5 to 7 years old) and junior schools (from 8 to 11 years). Children attend a primary school for 6 years (5 to 11 years). When students transfer to Secondary School at the age of 11, they do not take any examination, but their reports are sent on from the Primary School. Most children – over 80% – go to a comprehensive school. Pupils in all states in schools in England and Wales study 10 main subjects, among them: English, Mathematics, Science, History, Geography, Art, Music etc. Religious education is also taught. Attainment tests are given at the ages of 7, 11 and 14. At the age of 16 students sit the exams in as many subjects as possible. Weak students may only sit for 3 or 4 subjects. Better students take 10 subjects. At the age of 16 about two thirds of these pupils leave school and get jobs. Rest-stay on at school until the age of 18, preparing themselves for higher education. More ambitious pupils continue to study in the 6th form.

Universities and Colleges in Great Britain. There are over 90 universities in GB. They are divided into three types the old universities Oxford, Cambridge and Edinburgh Universities, in the 19th century universities, such as London and Manchester universities, and the new universities. Today higher education students in Britain is around 30%. There are some 90 universities, which enjoy academic freedom. Every University is responsible to its governing body. The regulations differ from University to University. Most degree courses at universities last 3 years, language courses 4 years including year spent aboard. Medicine and dentistry courses are longer 5-7 years.

Education system of America The USA does not have a national system of education. All educational matters are left to states. There are 2 major types of schools in the USA— public which are free, and private, or fee-paying. 4of 5 private schools are run by churches or other religious groups.

Elementary education starts at the age of 6 and continues till 10-11 years. Secondary education is provided from the age 11 — 12. Intermediate school includes grades 6 through 9 for ages 11-12 up to 14—15. A senior high school may include grades 9—10 through 12. A senior high school may be comprehensive, general or vocational. High school students who wish to attend a college or a university go through one of the two standard tests — SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test) and ACT (American College Test).

There are several ways to continue in education: universities, colleges, community colleges, and technical and vocational schools. A program for undergraduates usually takes 4 years and leads to the Bachelor of Arts or Science degree. After that, students may leave the university or go on for a graduate or professional degree. Nevertheless, many students of high school don't finish it. 1% of American citizens at the age of 14 can neither read, nor write.

College students usually spend 4 years at the college, too, and get the Bachelor's degree. In contrast to universities, colleges don't have graduate or professional programs. Colleges in the USA differ greatly in size — they may include from 100 students to 5000 and more. Most of the larger institutions fall into the category of universities, the largest being the University of California, State university of New York, New York university, Columbia University and others.

The course of study in a community college lasts 2 years and doesn't lead to any degree. Technical, or vocational schools have no academic programs and provide only job training. Programs may take from 6 months to 2 years and more.

22. “Friendship is a pretty full-time occupation if you really are friendly with somebody”.

Your friends should see you through thick and thin, right? Well sometimes, friendship is not that simple. Maybe your friend is having some problems and you are not sure how to help her. Maybe you are not seeing eye-to-eye with your pal anymore, and want to say goodbye but do not know how to. Whatever a friend is someone who knows the song in your heart, and can sing it back to you when you have forgotten the words.

Firstly, I have had a lot of experience with friends and friendships. It can be depressing at times, but happy at others. For example, when I made my first best friend, I was in kindergarten. My friend was the person who let me have the red crayon when all that was left was the ugly black one. Usually during these times, children can make friends simply. Friends help develop social and emotional skills. You can learn how to-use proper manners.-So, having friends can affect your life later on, even-when you reach, adulthood.

Now, my best friend is still the person who gives me the better of the two choices, hold my hand when I am scared and helps me put the past behind me but understands when I need to hold on to it a little longer. When I do eventually have a friend (or more), try to become closer by asking questions about their life or anything out of the ordinary. When I complete that part of the process, I should know how to treat a friend. They have to be treated in a way that does not offend them, or like the golden rule, says, " Treat people the same way you would like to be treated."

However, it is good toshare the good times and the bad times with friends. You can have different friends who share your different interests. My Best friend is special for me. He helps mc deal with pressure from others, smiles for me when I am.sad and thinks of me at times when I am not there. Moreover, he helps me become a better person and most importantly loves me! Most people would say that they are friendly with lots of people but they only have a. few close friends, even when they are grown up. We should never refuse any advance of friendship, for if nine out often bring you nothing, one alone may repay you.

As you can see, there are many' parts of becoming a great and wonderful friend. It is a responsibility, but it is an important one, and one that you must keep fulfilling and keep organized. If you keep a friend, you have accomplished a big goal, and you can have a shoulder to lean on for the rest of your life.

23. What are the pros and cons against the statement: “The masterpiece of painting, like the masterpiece of music and poetry transform experience, they are an inexhaustible source of beauty which derives from the originality of the artist’s outlook, his capacity for combining form and colour into a harmonious unity”.

It’s hard to overestimate the role of art in our life. It forms our outlook and enriches our inner world, proclaims life. Visiting picture galleries can be compared to reading historical books and watching some TV programmes for it produces a great source of information about different countries and their culture, the life of other people and their inner world.

Real art touches our feelings, moves our emotions and purifies our souls. The pictures of the great artists present poems without words, which should be read like open books. The language of art is universal. It does not matter where the artist comes from, what nation or faith he belongs to – art is such sphere of human communication, which brings people from all over the world to mutual understanding without a single word. Art unites world like a source of beauty.

The Arts play a large role in the expression of inner thoughts and beauty in my life. From dance and music to abstract art our concept of life is shown through the various ways in which we interpret it.

It helps us become closer to ourselves and to others around us.

The arts teach us how to communicate through creative expression. Show us how to understand human experiences, past and present. Prepare us to adapt to and respect the ways others think, work, and express themselves. Music, singing, dancing, poetry, and sketching are just a few of the different forms of art that I use to express myself in a way that I enjoy.

Because each art discipline appeals to different senses and expresses itself through different media, each adds a special richness to the learning environment. Arts help people Learn to identify, appreciate, and participate in the traditional and non-traditional art forms of their own communities and the communities of others. Art teaches us how to be imaginative, creative, and reflective. Different art forms help us develop the verbal and nonverbal abilities necessary for lifelong learning. The intellectual demands of the arts help us develop problem-solving abilities and such powerful thinking skills as analyzing and evaluating. Numerous studies point toward a consistent and positive comparison between concrete education in the arts and student achievement in other subjects. A program in arts education would engage students in a process that helps them develop the self-esteem, self-discipline, cooperation, and self-motivation necessary for success in life. Most important, the arts should be experienced and studied for their own true value.

If art was not present in my life, I know that I would be missing so much. I would not be able to do the things that I love to do each day. The only way to express yourself is through art, and the presence of art in the lives of today’s society plays a big role. People listen to music every day, they dance, and sing.

For many people’s art is a way of life, and without it they would be lost. Art is the only way to express one’s true feelings. Without art the world would be function more purely.

24. Comment on the statement: “The Internet will really change the way we live and work, or is the Internet just a passing fad and simply a new form of communicating? ” Support the idea with relevant reasons and examples.

The Internet has already changed the way we live and work. Well, it helps us to find necessary information in a short time, to communicate with people from different countries (talk on SKYPE) or simply watch a film online etc.

Governments are increasingly using technology that monitors online activity and intercepts electronic communication in order to arrest journalists, and dissidents. Around 180 netizens worldwide are currently in prison for providing news and information online.

But it has also and disadvantages.

As you go about your business today, you may think you enjoy a relative anonymity and privacy. Not so. Along with the government’s ability to track its citizens as they move about the Internet, computerization seems develop the ability to track people in the material world. Moreover, it can be done cheaply and almost invisibly.

Sometimes it is good. In 1998, the London borough of Newham connected the US firm Visionics’ software to cameras covering one shopping area. The face recognition software was reported to decrease crime rates relative to other boroughs, achieving a dramatic drop in street robberies and burglaries.
The system tries to match faces on Newham’s cameras to a ‘watch list’ of nearly 100 active criminals, chosen by a Metropolitan Police committee. The software shows probable matches to a Newham employee who is decides if the match is valid and whether or not to contact the police.
And what about the examining location data sent out by mobile telephones. When switched on, each unit transmits its identity. As a result, your network always knows roughly where you are.
Base-station data is already used to provide traffic news.

The data is sure to become more accurate in the long-term. You could find yourself getting text messages advertising shops you are passing; meantime your network will be keeping a keen eye on your movements. Are you in a trap like a mouse in just one click?

25. Share your views on cultural life of Ukraine as a distinguishing mark of a specific nation. Describe Ukraine’s well-known cultural peculiarities which characterize it among other European nations.

Ukraine has a lot to make foreign guests delighted with the country. Our country has a long and rich history which lives in its architecture, medieval castles, historic and cultural complexes. Churches, temples and cathedrals representing various religions are worth special attention.

For decades, the Western world perceived Ukraine as simply a part of Russia. But borscht, painted eggs and many of the famous Cossack song and dance traditions originated in Ukraine.

The Orthodox Ukrainian people celebrate Christmas on January, 6: the evening before Christmas is called the Holy Evening. On the Holy Evening all the family get together to have the Christmas Supper. According to the religious tradition, it is necessary to prepare 12 different dishes because of 12 apostles; no one at the table can eat till the first star appears in the sky. But, unlike in the English-speaking countries, in Ukraine people do not exchange presents on that day. On the Christmas Evening the religious people go to church; some of them spend the whole night there — they pray and listen to Christmas religious songs which glorify Christ’s birthday.

In most parts of Ukraine on the Christmas Eve people create so-called `Vertep '. These are scenes from Bible of Jesus birth. They show little Jesus, Mary, strangers offering their gifts and Bethlehem star in the sky. Those verteps are exhibited at public places, usually near or inside churches. At night candles are installed inside verteps for people who come to church for the night service can observe them. There are also so called real Verteps created by children or adults. They go from house to house and sing Christmas songs.

Another religious festival in winter is Twelfth-day or the Jordanian Holiday which is celebrated on memory of Jesus Christ’s christening (on the 19th of January). Оn the eve of this holiday at their supper people sing songs which are called “the generous songs” — that is why this evening is called “the generous evening”, too.

In the morning of the Jordanian Holiday the festival procession goes from a church to a river or to a pond where christening of water takes place. After that the priest consecrates the peoples’ homes and things.

Easter is another great religious festival: usually it is celebrated on one of Sundays in spring. On that day the religious people go to church and listen to the service; usually they bring with them baskets with food — Easter cakes, butter, cheese and, of course, painted eggs..

Lviv Coffee Festival - Lviv has an unpublished status of coffee capital of Ukraine for a long time, and its residents have a reputation of experienced coffee lovers. It is here that people come to enjoy the taste of real coffee and it is here that festival devoted to this wonderful drink takes place.

Spring theatrical and musical " Festival Virtuosi" (May) is also interesting and is held in Lviv.

On Aug. 28 a religious pilgrimage to the majestic Pochayivsky monastery is carried out.

In September in Kosovo (Ivano-Frankivsk region) the International Hutsul Festival is held.

It is not a big secret that Ukrainian girls are very beautiful

26. Tell some words about your University. What would you advise a fresher in order to do well at the university? Tell her/him about your method of study. Are there things about the way you study which you would like to change or improve?

The history of Drohobych State Teacher Training University named after Ivan Franko began in April 15, 1940. In December 1944 there were only three faculties: historical, physical-mathematical, philological. In 1954, the Institute was given the name of Ivan Franko. The first agreement with international cooperation, the Institute was signed in 1967 with a high teacher school (Poland). In 1995, the Institute was certified and the university received the III - IV levels of accreditation. The University prepares teachers of more than 50 specializations.

To study means “to give one’s attention to learning a subject; to look at with careful attention.” Notice that the word attention comes up twice in this definition. To study well, you need to be able to focus all of your attention on the material. So the first step is to make sure you have the right kind of learning environment and attitude. You can have the best attitude in the world, but if you are tired or distracted, you are going to have difficulty studying. To be at your best, you need to be focused, alert, and calm. That means you need to study under the right conditions.

WHATEVER your general learning style, most of us learn to speak and understand language best by listening. So as you practice understanding spoken English, close your eyes and listen. Let your ears do the work of understanding what you hear. The more familiar you become with the sounds and rhythms of the language, the more quickly you will learn. Spend as much time as possible around people speaking English. Go to places where you will see and hear English, such as to plays or to the cinema.

27. Imagine that you are answering a question in the questionnaire about your tastes in music. Indicate the extent to which you like different music genres. What styles do you listen to, play or sing when you are waking up, energetic, working, tired or sad?

Can you live a day without music? We can hear music everywhere: in the streets and at home, over the radio and on TV, in the shops and in the parks. People all over the world are fond of music. They listen to music, they dance to music, they learn to play musical instruments.

But what is music? Specialists explain that music isn't only a combination of pleasant sounds. It is an art which reflects life. There are a lot of different kinds of music. Some of them appeared long ago, and some are modern.

Folk songs are very tuneful and pleasant to listen to. Classical music is often associated with the music of the past. Rap is a modern musical style where the singer speaks the words in time to music with a steady beat.

Great Britain has produced more popular music stars than any other country. Over the last 30 years rock and pop music have been very popular in Britain. The Beatles is still one of the most popular groups.

Tastes differ. So people's musical interests range from pop and rock music, which are extremely popular nowadays, especially among young people, to classical music and opera.

My favourite style of music is pop music, because it is breathtaking and full of energy. When I listen to pop music it makes me remember happy times and forget the problems of everyday life. It helps me to relax when I'm tired, and entertains me when I'd like to have fun. My favourite group is Abba. It was formed in 1973 in Sweden. Abba's cheerful tunes made them international pop stars and one of the most successful groups of the seventies. Their most famous songs (" Waterloo", " Money, Money, Money", " Knowing Me, Knowing You", etc.) often topped European charts. When I have free time I listen to their records.

I like listening to dance music, especially when I go to disco clubs. This style of music is catchy and I like catchy tunes. It makes me more energetic.

It's a pity that many young people like to listen only to modern music. As for me, I also enjoy listening to classical music. I find it tuneful and appealing. Classical music is always a complex of emotions.

The music I hate is heavy metal. I find it noisy and dreadful. When I listen to this style of music it presents to my mind pictures of dark days. Though some young people are fond of this style of music, it is not to everyone's taste. To my mind, music too loud can destroy our ears. I am indifferent to other styles of music. For example, I don't mind listening to jazz. Improvisation is an important part of this style, that's why a jazz song may sound a little different each time it is played. I think that jazz is a mixture of many different kinds of music, but I consider it a bit complicated.

My mother and father prefer to listen to classical, they think that, on the whole, modern music is not too bad. My parents agree that each generation has its own tastes.

It goes without saying that music plays a very important role in people's lives. It reflects our moods and emotions. Music appeals to our hearts and transforms our feelings. Besides, listening to music is the perfect way to spend free time and not to feel bored. You can hardly find a person who doesn't like or need music and who never sings or dances. Music is beauty in sounds; it is our magic source of inspiration.

28.Give your arguments for or against the following quotation by O. Wilde: “Children begin by loving their parents. After a time they judge them. Rarely, if ever, do they forgive them”.

Everyone says that youth is probably the best time of our life. Being young means love, friendship and romance, new discoveries and so on. But it is also the most difficult time for making some very important decisions which will have influence on all our life. Our time is not the easiest even for adults, but for teenagers who are to find own place in the society, is very difficult, that`s why parents must help their children solve youth problems and children should be a good and positive example for them showing how it is important to treat other people with respect. I think that all these can really help construct good relationships between parents and children.

But in our modern life there is often a lack of communication between parents and their children. Lack of the love and attention to children can make them unhappy. One can simply open the daily newspaper to find teenagers committing suicide or various crimes due to stress derived from family issues. These incidents reveal the importance of parents` communication with their children. Love for their children is within every parent, which is frequently revealed through the concern they show. But superfluous control cannot in the best way influence on child. Often children at school or in the street begin mock at this child. Call him nondependent. In result of this pressure child lose his temper and starts be rude, closed. I think parents should not all the time control their children. Sometimes they have to allow freedom.

As for me, I get on very well with my parents. Whenever I have problems with my friends or with or with my schoolwork, I know they are always there to listen and give advice. They have taught me a lot. They have got a lot of experience and they have always happy to share their knowledge with me. But sometimes my Mum and Dad seem to think I`m still a kid. When I go out with friends, I always have to be back home by ten o`clock and they call me on my mobile to check where I am. I have to ask permission for almost everything I do. It doesn`t seem fair sometimes but I anyway love my parents very much and I think they are the kindest in the whole world.

In conclusion, the ability to solve or avoid family problems depends on children and parents. If the relationship between parents and children is based on love, mutual respect, and kindness, the family will be happy.

Give your suggestions as to how to improve the quality and raise the standard of TV programmes. Consider which positive or negative effects the amount of violence in the media has on society.

TV is very important thing in our life. We can say that TV is our eyes because TV helps us to know more about the world, about the others countries, about the events that happened in the world. TV even helps you to know more about yourself.

Studies have been done by scientists, pediatricians, and child researchers in many countries over the last 30 years. These studies have tried to find out what it is about television violence that makes it such a big influence on the way kids act and behave.

47% of violent television programs show the victim going unharmed, especially in cartoons.
The person in the cartoon or television show gets bowled over by another character and they get back up without being harmed. Children begin to believe that violence doesn’t really hurt others.

Television shows that allow the character who commits the crime to receive no punishment, teaches children, teenagers that it is alright to commit a crime because nothing will be done. Criminals and violent acts do not get punished.