"Education" (33)
There are 44 universities (not counting the Open University) in Britain. Although the Goverment is responsible for providing about 80 per cent of universities income it does not control their work or teaching nor does it have direct dealings with the universities.The grants are distributed by the Secretary of State for Education and Science.
The English universities are : Aston (Birmingham), Bath, Birmingham, Bradford Bristol, Brunel (London), Cambridge, City (London), Durham, East Anglia ,Essex, Exeter, Hull, Keele, Kent at Centerbury, Lancaster, Leeds, Leicester, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Newcastle upon Tyne, Nottingham, Oxford, Reading, Saford, Sheffield, Southhampton, Surrey, Sussex, Warwick and York. The federated University of Wales includes five university colleges, the Welsh National School of Medicine, and the University of Wales Institute of Science and Technology.The Scottish universities are : Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, Belfast, Glasgow, Heriot-Watt (Edinburgh), St. Andrews, Stirling, and Strathclyde (Glasgow).In Northen Ireland there is Queen"s University, Belfast, and the New University of Ulster in Coleraine.
The Universities of Oxford and Cambridge date from the twelfth and thirteenth centuries and the Scottish Universities of St. Andrews, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Edinburgh from the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. All the other universities were founded in the nineteenth or twentieth centuries.
There are five other institutions where the work is of university standard : the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology ; the two post- graduate business school which are supported jointly by industry and the Government - the Manchester Business School and the London Graduate School of Business Studies, associated with the London School of Economics and the Imperial College of Science and Technology ; Cranfield Institute of Technology for mainly post- graduate work in aeronautics and other subjects ; and the Royal College of Art.
Cambridge.
My coming to Cambridge has been an unusual experience. From whatever country one comes as a student one cannot escape the influence of the Cambridge traditions - and they go back so far! Here, perhaps, more than anywhere else, I have felt at one and the same time the Past, the Present and even the Future. It's easy to see both how the past has moulded the present and how the present is giving shape to the future. So let me tell you a little of what this University town looks like and how it came to be here at all. The story of the University begins, so far as I know, in 1209 when several hundred students and scholars arrived in the little town of Cambridge after having walked 60 miles from Oxford. As was the custom then, they had joined themselves into a "Universitas" of Society - the word "University", like the word "College", meant originally a society of people with a common employment ; it was only later it came to be associated with scholarship.
These students were all churchmen and had been studying in Oxford at that city's well-known schools. It was a hard life at Oxford for there was constant trouble between the townsfolk and the students. Then one day a student accidentally killed a man of the town. The Mayor arrested three other students, who were innocent, and by order of King John (who was quarrelling with the Church and knew that the death of three clergymen would annoy it) they were put to death by hanging. In protest, all the students moved elsewhere, some coming to Cambridge; and so the new University began.
There took place a new quarrel with the townsfolk, for the University was anxious to be independent of the Town, and the Town was equally anxious for authority over the new student population. "Town" and "Gown" battles were frequent.
The boarding-houses and shopkeepers cheated the students, who very soon organized themselves under an elected leader called a Chancellor, and he fixed prices that should be paid. Gradually the University gained control.
Side by side with the fight for freedom from Town rule was another for liberty from Church rule, until by 1500 the University was its own master at last. Of course there were no Colleges in those early days and student life was very different from what it is now. Students were of all ages and came from every - where. Those from the same part of the country tended to group together and these groups called "Nations" still exist, by the way, at some European Univer- sities.
The students were armed; some even banded together to rob the people of the countryside. Gradually, the idea of the College developed and in 1284 Peterhouse the oldest College in Cambridge, was founded.
Life in College was strict ; students were forbidden to play games, to sing (except sacred music), to hunt or fish or even to dance.
Nowadays a lot of people all over the world learn English as the world language. There are many ways of learning a foreign language but most people begin learning it at school.
So, what should we do to master a language.
We must learn grammar in any language. Because we can't build a house without a foundations. But we have too many drills at school. So grammar is important, but it should not be taught in isolation.
We need to practise grammar together with vocabulary. It's not good when we learn new words but we don't have much practice using them with the grammar. Practice helps us to memorize the words. I remember words better if they are related to my interests and connected with my hobby.
One of the problems for learners of English is phrasal verbs and idioms. They're very difficult. And you have to keep yourself up-to-date with them too. For example, the idiom "It's raining cats and dogs" is so old-fashioned and the average English person doesn't use that expression.
English pronunciation is hard but English intonation is awful! I think it's the most difficult part of pronunciation, because if you say it wrong, people think you're rude.
It's important to learn both formal and informal English — how to ask for information, how to be polite.
I find reading very helpful — 1 read books, newspapers, magazines and other periodicals. I try to guess the meaning of words I don't know from their context. This helps me to read more quickly. But I also look words up in the dictionary and make a note of the most useful ones.
Listening to songs can be useful, but some songs have such silly words, though the music is lovely. Listening to the radio and watching videos and educational TV programmes in English help me, too. Especially listening to the news. I was very proud when I realized that I could easily get the idea of what I was listening to.
As I can see, learning a language isn't easy.
The educational system of G.B. is extremely complex and bewildering. It is very difficult to generalize particular types of schools as schools differ from one to the other. The department of education and science is responsible for national educational policy, but it doesn't employ teacher or prescribe curricula or text books.
Each school has it's own board of governors consisting of teachers, parents, local politicians, members of local community, businessmen and sometimes pupils. According to the law only one subject is compulsory. It is religious instruction.
Schooling for children is compulsory from 5 to 16, though some provision is made for children under 5 and some pupils remain at school after 16 to prepare for higher education.
The state school system is usually divided into 2 stages (secondary and primary).The majority of primary schools are mixed. They are subdivided into infant schools (ages 5 to 7),and junior schools (ages 7 to11). In junior schools pupils were often placed in A,B,C or D streams, according to their abilities. Under the pressure of progressive parents and teachers the 11+ examination has now been abolished in most parts of the country. There are several types of schools in G.B. Grammar schools provide an academical cause for selected pupils from the age of 11 to 18. Only those children who have the best results are admitted to these schools. They give pupils a high level of academic education which can lead to the university.
Technical Schools offer a general education with a technical bias and serve those pupils who are more mechanically minded. The curriculum includes more lessons of science and mathematics. Secondary modern schools were formed to provide a non-academic education for children of lesser attainment. The curriculum includes more practical subjects. Comprehensive schools bring about a general improvement in the system of secondary education.
First of all, grammar is a main component of any language in the world. Without grammar, you can't understand, for example, the time of action whether it happened in the past or in the present. So, it has a fundamental role in the language. Really, it is beyond description how much important to know the grammar for the perfect use in every skills of English Language. It's very important to learn grammar which helps in building conversation. Tenses, prepositions, direct indirect, articles and subject verb agreement. Grammar is the platform of learning English.
I think grammar is the foundation of learning English. If you want to learn English effectively, you must learn how to use the words rightly. Therefore, people could understand what you say correctly. Language is a tool.
I think grammar is the most important part to learn in a language. Since you learn it, you get more confident to show off all your other skills. My point of view is that first you have to learn as much as you can on grammar, and then you focus in other skills to brush up on the language. Practicing all the time is the best way to succeed!
Generation of 90-ies is really lucky because it has new oportunities and great future. "Iron Curtain" fell down, so now young people can travel all over the world, can talk with people of the same age from different countries, can study culture of capitalistic nations. Certainly, it is impossible to do it if you don't speak foreign language. I suppose, that the most usefull language in modern world is English. It is spoken in many countries, millions of people speak English because it is their own language, millions of people study it, because it is probably impossible to make a good career in any branch if one doesn't speak English.
In Russia just few last generations realized the necessity of studying English. I think it partly dependes of computerizing of our country. Now computers are used everywhere: in banks, offices, shops, hotels etc. Certainly, no one can live without computers in present time. Also a lot of people can't imagine their life without using World Wide Web. But using Internet and computers is connected with studing English, because English is almost always used in programmes.
For example I decided to study English when I got a computer. Since that time I've been studing English at school. I had my first lessons of English in the fifth form. Those lessons interested me very much so I understood that English is what I'm really fond of.
As I remember, our teacher of English did everything to make us interested. She used toys and pictures, also we learned songs by heart.
But some months or probably a year had passed and our lessons became rather monotone and alike. Every day we read similar stories about celebration of different holidays or about heroes of revolution. The strangest thing was, that we read topics about the USSR, which already didn't exist, and even the memory about that country gone away from our minds.
I think that communication with English-speaking people is very importent and unvalued for pupils, who learn English. Opportunity of comunication with English-speaking, was a real luck for me. And I'd like to have meetings with guests from England in my own school. My parents remember: "Even in soviet time we had meetings at our schools, where we could talk to foreigners, though we lived far away from the capital". Now, when Russia is opened for the West, it is not really difficult to invite to school foreigner, isn't it? More over we live in Moscow, which is full of foreigners. I'm sure, that such a meeting could be very interesting for pupils.
Teachers of English in our school are great professionals. They speak English perfectly. Certanly, they are always ready to teach and help us, but as the matter of fact they has no opportunity to do it. For example, my group even can't use the same classroom. And we haven't got a tape-recorder and tapes. We use textbooks, which are far from being new. Is it possible to study language with old textbooks, if the language changes as the water in the river? I do not think so.
Besides, I suppose, that it is impossible to have a good pronunciation without listening to the speech of English-speaking people. The most of pupils has no opportunity for travelling abroad or talking to foreigners in their motherland. That's why it is really necessary to have a tape-recorder at the lessons.
In our school teachers,unfortunetly, have nothing exept old textbooks. It is clear that there it is a crisis in Russia, but the education is one of the most important problems. The future and the well-being of our country depend on the quality of the education of our generation. That's why I think those problems of education must be discussed and solved. Certanly it is very important, because the solving of those problems will help teachers as much as pupils.
English - is one of the most important lessons in school. If I speak English, it is easy for me to read books of English writers. Reading of originals helps to understand the ideas of the novels, stories, etc. And I also suppose that it is very exiting to find something new in our favorite characters,such as Tom Sawyer, Jane Eyre, Romeo and Juliet or Sherlock Holmes. The opportunity of communication, which English gives me is also a great thing. So I think that English will help me not only in my fiture life, but it helps me now in my school life. My good marks in some subjects partly depend on my marks in English lessons.
In my composition I discussed some questions, which interest me very much. I found some problems,but inspite of them I think I'm really lucky because it is possible in our country to get free education. And I am happy that I'm studing English. I suppose that every problem will be solved. I really think so!
Standard variety is the variety of a language which has the highest status in a community or nation and which is usually based on the speech and writing of educated native speakers of the language. A standard variety is generally used in the news, media and in literature; described in dictionaries and grammars; taught in school and taught to non-native speakers when they learn the language as a foreign language. A standard variety may contain some variation in pronunciation according to the part of the country where it is spoken, e.g. Standard British English in Scotland, Wales, Southern England. Standard English is sometimes used as a cover term for all the national standard varieties of English. These national standard varieties have differences in spelling, vocabulary, grammar, and particularly pronunciation, but there is a common core of the language. This makes it possible for educated native speakers of the various national standard varieties of English to communicate with one another. British English The British accept and enjoy the class distinctions. And these class distinctions influence people's speech greatly. The way English is spoken helps to identify not only the region that one lives in, but the class status too. Since the days of Shakespeare the English of South-East England has been considered "the standard", and by the way the South-East is the region of economic and political power. Many people in England possess so called Received Pronunciation (RP), derived from the public school system attended by the boys from rich families. RP remains the accent of the elite. There are two kinds of RP. One is "unmarked" RP, which suggests no more that the speaker is well educated. This is the dialect of the BBC. Through radio and television "unmarked" RP is becoming more and more widely spoken accent. Then there is "marked" RP, which indicates high social class and is spoken by many army officers who come from upper class families. Although spoken by less than 5% of the population, RP has great influence and social authority. Regional accents are also often spoken in Britain. Scottish, Welsh and Irish are generally the most popular regional accents. Then come Northern and West country accents and then - the least popular urban accents of London, Liverpool, Glasgow. It is interesting to notice that the television news is usually read by RP speakers, while the weather forecast following the news is often read by someone with a regional accent. The American English English in the USA differs considerably from British English. Pronunciation is the most striking difference but there are also a number of differences in vocabulary and spelling as well as slight differences in grammar. On the whole British people are exposed to a lot of American English on TV, in films, in literature and so they will usually understand most American vocabulary. Examples: British: colour, centre, practice. American: color, center, practise. But American English and British English are not too separate languages. It is one language in different variations. American English is not the only special variety of English. Each area of the English-speaking world has developed its own special characteristics, its own vocabulary and pronunciation characteristics. Australian English Australian English is particularly interesting for its reach store of highly colloquial words and expressions. Australian colloquialism often involves shortening a word. Sometimes the ending "ie" is changed into "o". Instead of "smokie" they say "smoko". Instead of "beautiful" they often say simply "beaut". Because of current popularity of Australian TV-programs and films some of these words are now being used by British people, too. Scottish English Scottish English uses a number of special dialect words. For example lake - loch; mountain - ben; church - kirk; to remember - to mind; beautiful - bonny; to live - to stay; a girl - lassie; no - ken.
Standard variety is the variety of a language which has the highest status in a community or nation and which is usually based on the speech and writing of educated native speakers of the language. A standard variety is generally used in the news, media and in literature; described in dictionaries and grammars; taught in school and taught to non-native speakers when they learn the language as a foreign language. A standard variety may contain some variation in pronunciation according to the part of the country where it is spoken, e.g. Standard British English in Scotland, Wales, Southern England. Standard English is sometimes used as a cover term for all the national standard varieties of English. These national standard varieties have differences in spelling, vocabulary, grammar, and particularly pronunciation, but there is a common core of the language. This makes it possible for educated native speakers of the various national standard varieties of English to communicate with one another. British English The British accept and enjoy the class distinctions. And these class distinctions influence people's speech greatly. The way English is spoken helps to identify not only the region that one lives in, but the class status too. Since the days of Shakespeare the English of South-East England has been considered "the standard", and by the way the South-East is the region of economic and political power. Many people in England possess so called Received Pronunciation (RP), derived from the public school system attended by the boys from rich families. RP remains the accent of the elite. There are two kinds of RP. One is "unmarked" RP, which suggests no more that the speaker is well educated. This is the dialect of the BBC. Through radio and television "unmarked" RP is becoming more and more widely spoken accent. Then there is "marked" RP, which indicates high social class and is spoken by many army officers who come from upper class families. Although spoken by less than 5% of the population, RP has great influence and social authority. Regional accents are also often spoken in Britain. Scottish, Welsh and Irish are generally the most popular regional accents. Then come Northern and West country accents and then - the least popular urban accents of London, Liverpool, Glasgow. It is interesting to notice that the television news is usually read by RP speakers, while the weather forecast following the news is often read by someone with a regional accent. The American English English in the USA differs considerably from British English. Pronunciation is the most striking difference but there are also a number of differences in vocabulary and spelling as well as slight differences in grammar. On the whole British people are exposed to a lot of American English on TV, in films, in literature and so they will usually understand most American vocabulary. Examples: British: colour, centre, practice. American: color, center, practise. But American English and British English are not too separate languages. It is one language in different variations. American English is not the only special variety of English. Each area of the English-speaking world has developed its own special characteristics, its own vocabulary and pronunciation characteristics. Australian English Australian English is particularly interesting for its reach store of highly colloquial words and expressions. Australian colloquialism often involves shortening a word. Sometimes the ending "ie" is changed into "o". Instead of "smokie" they say "smoko". Instead of "beautiful" they often say simply "beaut". Because of current popularity of Australian TV-programs and films some of these words are now being used by British people, too. Scottish English Scottish English