HIGHER EDUCATION IN GREAT BRITAIN

After finishing secondary school or college you can apply to a university, polytechnic¹, college of education or you can continue to study in a college of further education.

The academic year in Britain's universities, Polytechnics, Colleges of education is divided into 3 terms, which usually run from the beginning of October to the middle of December, the middle of January to the end of March, from the middle of April to the end of June or the beginning of July.

There are 46 universities in Britain. The oldest and best-known universities are located in Oxford, Cambridge, London, Leeds, Manchester, Liverpool, Edinburgh, Southampton, Cardiff, Bristol and Birmingham.

Good A-level results in at least 2 subjects are necessary to get a place at a university. However, good exam passes alone are not enough. Universities choose their students after interviews. For all British citizens a place at a university brings with it a grant from their local education authority.

English universities greatly differ from each other. They differ in date of foundation, size, history, tradition, general organization, methods of instruction and way of student life.

After three years of study a university graduate² will leave with the Degree³ of Bachelor of Arts⁴, Science, Engineering, Medicine, etc. Some courses, such as languages and medicine, may be one or two years longer. The degrees are awarded at public degree ceremonies. Later he/she may continue to take Master's Degree and then a Doctor's Degree.

The 2 intellectual eyes of Britain - Oxford & Cambridge Universities – date from the 12 & 13 centuries. They are known for all over the world and are the oldest and most prestigious universities in Britain. They are often called collectively Oxbridge, but both of them are completely independent. Only education elite go to Oxford and Cambridge.

The Scottish universities of St. Andrews, Glasgow, Aberdeen & Edinburgh date from the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries.

In the nineteenth and the early part of the twentieth centuries the so-called Redbrick universities were founded. These include London, Manchester, Leeds, Liverpool, Sheffield, and Birmingham. During the late sixties and early seventies some 20 'new' universities were set up. Sometimes they are called 'concrete and glass' universities. Among them are the universities of Sussex, York, East Anglia and some others.

During these years the government set up 30 Polytechnics. The Polytechnics, like the universities, offer first and higher degrees⁵. Some of them offer full-time and sandwich courses⁶ (for working students). Colleges of Education provide two-year courses in teacher education or sometimes three years if the graduate specializes in some Particular subjects.

Some of them who decide to leave school at the age of 16 may go to a further education college where they can follow a course in typing, engineering, town planning, cooking, or hairdressing, full-time or part-time. Further education colleges have strong ties with commerce and industry.

There's an interesting form of studies which is called the Open University. It's intended for people who study in their own free time and who 'attend' lectures by watching TV and listening to the radio. They keep in touch by phone and letter with their tutors and attend summer schools. The Open University students have no formal qualifications and would be unable to enter ordinary universities.

Some 80,000 overseas students study at British universities or further education colleges or train in nursing, law, banking or in industry.

Notes

1. a polytechnic - политехнический институт

2. to graduate from - окончить (вуз)

3. to get a degree - получить степень

4. Bachelor of Arts or Science – бакалавр гуманитарных или есте­ственных наук

5. to offer the degree of - предоставлять какую-либо степень

6. sandwich course - курс обучения, чередующий теорию с практикой; сочетание общеобразовательного и профессионального обучения с работой на производстве

1. Ответьте на вопросы.

1. What are the three types of universities in-Great Britain?

2. What degrees do students get after finishing full courses of study?

3. What grants do students receive?

4. Why don't students have jobs during term time?

5. Why is the university life considered «an experience»?

6. What courses do colleges offer?

Расскажите на английском языке о высшем образовании в Великобритании.

Тема № 4

BRITISH MEALS

The first meal of the day in the morning is breakfast (usually eaten between about 7:30 and 9:00). Many British people eat toast with butter or margarine and jam (often strawberry, raspberry, apricot or blackcurrant jam), marmalade (a type of jam made from oranges) or Marmite¹ (a dark brown spread made from yeast). Melon, grapefruit or fruit cocktail are popular. Others eat a bowl of cereal; for example, cornflakes or muesli with milk, or porridge (a mixture of oats, hot milk and sugar). A traditional English breakfast (also known as a cooked breakfast or a fry-up) is a cooked meal which may contain food such as sausages, bacon, kippers² (herring - a type of fish - which has been covered in salt and smoked), black pudding, scrambled or fried or poached egg, mushrooms, fried tomatoes, baked beans, hash browns and toast. People sometimes eat a boiled egg, dipping (dunking) strips of toast (soldiers) into the egg yolk. A continental breakfast is a small meal and is not cooked; for example, a bread roll or croissant with cheese or ham and a cup of coffee. The most common drinks at this time of day are orange juice or a cup of breakfast tea.

Many people have a tea-break at about 11:00 in the morning (elevenses). If a meal is eaten in the late morning instead of both breakfast and lunch, it is called brunch.

Lunch (sometimes called more formally luncheon) is the meal eaten in the middle of the day (usually between about 12:30 and 2:00). Many people eat a sandwich (also known as a butty or sarnie in some parts of the UK). Some people have a simple meal such as cheese and biscuits or soup and bread. A ploughman's lunch is a traditional lunch for farmers: a bread roll, Cheddar cheese, Branston pickle and salad, perhaps with a pork pie. It is also traditional for people to go to a pub with some friends for a pub lunch and a drink.

A Sunday roast is a traditional meal eaten by a family at Sunday lunchtime; for example, roast beef with roast potatoes, parsnips³, peas, Brussels sprouts, green beans, Yorkshire pudding, bread sauce and gravy. Mint sauce or redcurrant jelly is often eaten with lamb, apple sauce with pork, and horseradish sauce (a type of mustard) with beef, cranberry sauce with turkey. Stuffing may be eaten with chicken or turkey.

Tea-time is a small meal eaten in the late afternoon (usually between about 3:30 and 5:00). People may drink tea, and often eat biscuits (American English: cookies), cakes or savoury⁴ foods such as sandwiches, crumpets⁵ or tea-cakes. Occasionally people may have a full afternoon tea or a cream tea: this includes a scone⁶ with jam and cream (usually either whipped cream or thick clotted cream⁷) as well as a selection of sandwiches and cakes.

High tea⁸ is a light meal eaten in the early evening (for example, 6 o'clock) served with a pot of tea; this is popular in north England and Scotland. Supper is the most common name for the meal eaten in the evening (usually between 7:00 and 8:30). Dinner is another common name for supper, but sometimes it is also used to refer to lunch, especially when this is the main meal of the day. A dinner party is a formal evening meal to which guests have been invited. A common type of cooked meal in Britain is meat and two veg. This is a meat dish served together on the same plate with two types of vegetable, one of which is often a type of potato. It is common to eat a dessert (also known as a pudding, or informally as afters) after the main dish.

It is increasingly popular for British people get a takeaway⁹ or go to a restaurant instead of cooking at home, and often this is used as a chance to try different types of food. Most towns have an Indian restaurant, serving foods such as curry and chicken tikka masala. Chinese restaurants are also very common; popular dishes include sweet and sour pork and aromatic duck. Many people like Italian pizza and pasta dishes. Fast food restaurants often serve beefburgers or fried chicken. Fish and chip shops are still popular, especially in towns by the coast. There is an old tradition of eating fish on Friday.

British people enjoy eating snacks¹⁰ between meals. These include sweets (American English: candy) and crisps (American English: chips).

Notes

1. marmite - "Мармайт" (фирменное название питательной белковой пасты производства одноимённой компании; используется для бутербродов и приготовления приправ)

2. kipper – киппер ((копчёная селёдка (подаётся к завтраку или ужину; обычно едят с маслом))

3. parsnips – пастернак

4. savoury - острое блюдо, острая закуска

5. crumpets - лепёшка, пышка (обычно неподслащенная)

6. scone - ячменная или пшеничная лепёшка

7. clotted cream - сливочный варенец (сливки сквашиваются путем нагревания и медленного охлаждения)

8. high tea - ранний ужин с чаем

9. a takeaway - готовая еда, продающаяся на вынос

10. snacks - лёгкие закуски

1. Ответьте на вопросы.

1. What may a traditional English breakfast contain?

2. Do you have a tea-break?

3. What time is Lunch eaten?

4. When is a family eaten a Sunday roast?

5. What does Tea-time mean?

6. What is the most common name for the meal eaten in the evening?

7. Is it popular for British people to get a takeaway or go to a restaurant?

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