1. Do you remember your school years? Yes, I do. I remember my school years.

2. Were they good or had for you? They were good.

3. What your favorite subject/teacher was? My favourite subject was English. My favourote teacher was Anna Petrovna.

4. How many hours did you spend at school? I spent about 7 hours at school.

5. Did you attend extra-classes? Yes, I did. I attended extra-classes.

6. Did you use to do something forbidden at school? No, I diddn’t.

EDUCATION

Types of school

University boarding nursery school uniforms secondary school schools private nuns mixed primary school schools pupils priests state schools head

1. nursery school (ages 2-4)

2. primary school (ages 4-11)

3. secondary school (ages 11-18)

4. University (ages 18+)

In a typical school system in many countries, there are two kinds of schools: state , which are run by the government, and private. Private schools are often stricter than state schools, and in many of them the pupils (schoolchildren) have to wear uniforms.

Both state and private schools are often mixed (for boys and girls) or are for boys only or girls only. There are also some schools, usually private, where the pupils sleep at school, which are called boarding.

The boss’ of a school is called the head (teacher). In some religious schools there are also nuns (women) and priests (men) who work as teachers.

2) Higher Education arts subjects professors fail science degree take/do terms courses do research marks pass

 

At university you can do courses in many different subjects (e.g. law). Some students prefer to do an arts course (e.g. languages) and others prefer a science course (e.g. engineering). In Britain, it usually takes three or four years to get a university degree. When they finish their course, some people stay at university and do research. The most important teachers at a university are called professors.

The school year is divided into three terms. Most children at secondary school have to pass exams at the end of the summer term. Copying in exams is strictly forbidden. Of course all pupils hope to get good/high marks and to fail their exams, not to take them!

Reading

1. Read the text carefully.

What do you think are the advantages and disadvantages of this education system? The advantage is that pupils study hard, and the disadvantage is that they are very bored.

How different is it from the system in Russia? The lifestyle of European schoolchildren is not so hard, pupils are accustomed to going out most weekends, and watching TV every evening.

AT SCHOOL FOR 17 HOURS A DAY

В ШКОЛЕ 17 ЧАСОВ В ДЕНЬ

It is 6.30 a.m. and the sun has only just come up when the two alarm clocks next to Jie Sun’s bed ring simultaneously. She gets out of bed and goes to the kitchen. Her eyes half closed, she hardly says a word while she eats breakfast. Next to the table is her blue Benetton school bag which she packed the night before. It weighs just over six and a half kilos.

At 7 a.m. she says goodbye to her parents and sets off to her school, just outside the capital city, Seoul. She returns home at 6 p.m. for dinner, but half an hour later she sets off again for a private academy where she studies for another four hours. On a typical night she gets home at midnight and falls asleep, completely exhausted.

Studying for up to 17 hours a day is a fact of life for South Korean secondary school pupils. They live in a society where education is very important, and there is great competition for a place at university. Getting a good degree from a top university is the only way to be sure of getting professional well-paid job. The normal secondary school day, as in most other countries, lasts eight hours. But after that most parents make their children stay at school for extra classes. In theory these classes are optional, but in practice they are compulsory. When the school day ends, the children are not allowed to relax and enjoy themselves. Most of them have to study all evening in libraries, with private tutors or at private academies.

Classes of 50 are not uncommon and the teachers are strict. Pupils have to repeat after the teacher and memorise everything. Teachers at my school don’t give you any individual attention because they haven’t got time’, says Jie Sun. «They don’t let us ask questions because they say it wastes time.»

Young people like Jie Sun have almost no social life. They rarely have time to see their friends, and having a boyfriend or girlfriend is unthinkable. ‘I’ve never had a boyfriend and neither have any of my friends/ says Jie Sun. Our studies come first».

This lifestyle may seem very hard to many European schoolchildren, who are accustomed to going out most weekends, and watching TV every evening. But on the other hand, in many British schools, up to 40% of teenagers leave school with no qualifications and the prospect of unemployment. So which system really is better?

 

Сейчас 6.30 утра, и солнце только что взошло, когда два будильника рядом с кроватью Цзе Сун одновременно зазвонили. Она встает с постели и идет на кухню. Ее глаза полузакрыты, она почти не разговаривает, пока завтракает. Рядом со столом — ее синяя школьная сумка Benetton, которую она собрала накануне вечером. Он весит чуть больше шести с половиной килограммов.

В 7 часов утра она прощается с родителями и отправляется в школу, расположенную недалеко от столицы Сеула. Она возвращается домой в 18:00. на обед, но через полчаса она снова отправляется в частную академию, где учится еще четыре часа. Обычно она приходит домой в полночь и засыпает совершенно измотанной.

Учиться до 17 часов в день — это факт жизни южнокорейских учеников средних школ. Они живут в обществе, где образование очень важно, и существует большая конкуренция за место в университете. Получение хорошей степени в лучшем университете — единственный способ получить профессиональную высокооплачиваемую работу. Обычный день в средней школе, как и в большинстве других стран, длится восемь часов. Но после этого большинство родителей заставляют своих детей оставаться в школе на дополнительные занятия. Теоретически эти занятия необязательны, но на практике они обязательны. Когда школьный день заканчивается, детям не дают расслабиться и повеселиться. Большинству из них приходится весь вечер учиться в библиотеках, с частными репетиторами или в частных академиях.

Классы с 50 учениками- не редкость, а учителя строгие. Ученики должны повторять за учителем и все запоминать. Учителя в моей школе не уделяют вам особого внимания, потому что у них нет времени », — говорит Цзе Сун. «Они не позволяют нам задавать вопросы, потому что говорят, что это пустая трата времени».

Такие молодые люди, как Цзе Сун, почти не ведут общественной жизни. У них редко бывает время увидеться с друзьями, а иметь парня или девушку — немыслимо. «У меня никогда не было парня, и у меня тоже нет друзей», — говорит Цзе Сун. Наша учеба на первом месте ».

Такой образ жизни может показаться очень трудным многим европейским школьникам, которые привыкли выходить на улицу почти все выходные и каждый вечер смотреть телевизор. Но с другой стороны, во многих британских школах до 40% подростков бросают школу без квалификации и с перспективой безработицы. Итак, какая система на самом деле лучше?

2. Test your memory.

Ask these questions, and see if he/she can remember the answers.

Student A

1) What time does Jie Sun get up? (At6.30a.m.)

2) How much does her school bag weigh? (Six and a half kilos.)

3) Where’s her school? (Just outside Seoul.) .

4) What time does she go to bed? (At midnight.)

5) Why do South Korean children study so much? (Because there’s a lot of competition to get into university, and going to university is the only way to get a good job)

6) What’s the teaching like in South Korean schools? (Traditional.)

7) What are the teachers like? (Strict, hardly ever give pupils individual attention.)

8) What kind of social life does Jie Sun have? (Very little — she hasn ‘t got a boyfriend. Her studies come first.)

 

Student B

1) What’s the first thing she does when she gets out of bed? (She goes to the kitchen.)

2)What time does she leave home? (7 o’clock)

3) Where does she study after dinner? (At a private academy.)

1) How many hours a day do South Korean secondary school pupils study? (Up to 17.)

5) Do students have to go to extra classes after school? (No, but most parents make them.)

6) How many pupils are there sometimes in a class?

7) Why don’t the teachers give pupils individual attention? (Because they haven’t got time.)

8) What happens to many British teenagers when they leave school? (They can’t find jobs because they haven’t got any qualifications.)

LESSON I

FAMILY LIFE

1. There are four people in my family.

2. My father is 45, my mother is 44, my brother is 10 years old, I am 20 years old. My father is an engineer, my mother is a doctor, my brother is a pupil, I am a student.

3. I am in the middle.

4. I like my position, because I can do what I want.

1) Match the adjectives and definitions. Underline the stress. Learn the adjectives.

affectionate co-operative Lazy sensible aggressive charming moody sensitive ambitious insecure self-confident jealous bossy shy selfish sociable

1. She feels very sure of herself. self-confident

2. He only thinks about himself. Selfish

3. She’s always telling other people what to do. bossy

4. He’s always ready for a fight. aggressive

5. She’s good at working with other people. co-operative

6. He likes being with other people sociable

7. She wants what another person has. jealous

8. He’s happy one moment and sad the next. moody

9. She’s not sure of herself. insecure

10. He’s good at making people like him. charming

11. She doesn’t like working. Lazy

12. He’s very loving. affectionate

13. She has a lot of common sense sensitive

14. 14 He feels things quickly and deeply. sensible

15 She finds it difficult to talk to new people. shy

 16 He wants to do well in life. ambitious

 

2) Write the opposite adjectives. Underline the stress. 

1 friendly/nice unfriendly

4. mean generous

7. talkative quiet

2. imaginative unimaginative

5. organized disorganized

8. tidy untidy

3. lazy hard-working

6. patient impatient

3) Add other personality adjectives and write them in your vocabulary book. (5-7 words)

Nice, nasty, friendly, stingy, rude, boring, helpful, wise, unreliable

4) Describe members of your family using personality adjectives. For example: My mother is kind, hard-working, sensible.

Mu father is hard-working and friendly.

Mu mother is organized and imaginative. My brother is lazy and helpful.

 

Read article about how the position in the family affects your personality.

FAMILY FORTUNES

Scientists and psychologists agree that although many factors contribute to forming your personality, for example, your sex, class, culture, or lifestyle, one of the most important is your position in the family. So how have you been affected?

Are you a first child, a middle child, the youngest, or an only child? First-born children. If you are a firstborn child, you are probably self-confident and a good leader — you came first, after all You may also be bossy and even aggressive if you don’t get what you want. You are ambitious, and good at communicating, because you learned to speak from your parents, not from brothers and sisters. On the other hand, you are the oldest and so you have to be the most responsible, and this can make you the kind of person who worries a lot.

Middle children are usually independent and competitive. You had to fight with your brothers and sisters to get what you wanted. You are also co-operative as you always had to negotiate with either your older or your younger brothers and sisters. You are sociable, as you always had someone to play with. On the other hand, you may be jealous and insecure or moody if you felt that your parents preferred your older brother or sister.

Youngest children are often very charming. You learned very quickly that you could get exactly what you want by being charming — and this can make you manipulative. You are usually affectionate and relaxed because when you arrived your parents were more relaxed themselves. But you are often not very independent, as you always had so many people to help you. This makes it hard for You to take decisions. And you may be lazy, because your parents probably pushed you less and were less strict with you than with your older brothers and sisters.

Only children are often quite selfish. You had the wonderful luxury of not having to share your parents’ attention with anybody else. In fact, you received so much attention as a child that you find it difficult to be interested in other people. On the other hand, you are usually organized and responsible, and often imaginative. But you may find it difficult to communicate with others, and are very sensitive to criticism.

 

СЕМЕЙНЫЕ УДАЧИ

Ученые и психологи согласны с тем, что, хотя многие факторы способствуют формированию вашей личности, например, ваш пол, класс, культура или образ жизни, одним из наиболее важных является ваше положение в семье. Какое влияние оказала семья на тебя?

 

Вы первый ребенок, средний ребенок, младший или единственный ребенок? Первенцы. Если вы первенец, то вы, вероятно, уверены в себе и являетесь хорошим лидером — в конце концов, вы родились первым, вы также можете быть властным и даже агрессивным, если не получаете того, чего хотите. Вы амбициозны и умеете общаться, потому что научились разговаривать от своих родителей, а не от братьев и сестер. С другой стороны, вы самый старший, поэтому вы должны быть самым ответственным, и это может сделать вас человеком, который сильно беспокоится.

Средние дети обычно независимы и конкурентоспособны. Вам пришлось сражаться со своими братьями и сестрами, чтобы получить то, что вы хотели. Вы также готовы сотрудничать, поскольку вам всегда приходилось вести переговоры либо со своими старшими, либо со своими младшими братьями и сестрами. Вы общительны, ведь вам всегда было с кем поиграть. С другой стороны, вы можете быть ревнивым, неуверенным или капризным, если чувствуете, что ваши родители предпочитают вашего старшего брата или сестру.

Младшие дети часто бывают очень обаятельными. Вы очень быстро поняли, что можете получить именно то, что хотите, если будете очаровательны — а это может заставить вас манипулировать. Вы обычно нежны и расслаблены, потому что, когда вы приехали, ваши родители были более расслабленными. Но часто вы не очень независимы, потому что у вас всегда было много людей, которые могли вам помочь. Это затрудняет принятие решений. И вы можете быть ленивым, потому что ваши родители, вероятно, меньше вас подталкивали и были менее строгими с вами, чем со старшими братьями и сестрами.

Только дети часто бывают довольно эгоистичными. У вас была роскошь: вам не приходилось делить внимание родителей с кем-либо еще. На самом деле, в детстве вы получали так много внимания, что вам трудно интересоваться другими людьми. С другой стороны, вы обычно организованы, ответственны и часто изобретательны. Но вам может быть трудно общаться с другими людьми, и вы очень восприимчивы к критике.