Problems and Solutions

I. Read this text and translate it into Ukrainian.

IV. Be ready to speak on the topic.

III. Ask questions to each part of the text.

II. Make up a vocabulary of new words.

V. Make up word-combinations:

1. ability a) school

2. academic b) activities

3. high c) courses

4. extracurricular d) level

5. vocational e) subjects

TEXT 13

When an immigrant family moves to the USA, one of the first questions that parents ask is: ‘Will my children get a good educa­tion here?’ The answer depends on two major factors: where the children attend school and how hard they are willing to work.

In some schools where the community is stable, the funding is good and the school environment is orderly, a hardworking student can get an excellent education. But in other schools – especially those in poor neighbourhoods in the nation's large cities – it is very diffi­cult to become educated. The flight of middle-class families to the suburbs left big city public schools with mostly lower-income students. Many are deprived children from impoverished homes with only one parent. Many come to school ill-prepared and poorly motivated to learn. A large number need help in learning English. Many change residences and schools often, and a changing classroom population is difficult to teach. In some poor neighbourhoods, students do not attend school regularly because they are frightened by violent gangs. In some classrooms, teachers have difficulty keeping the students' attention because disrespectful, uncooperative students disturb the class. Because the quality of education varies so much from one school district to another, parents who are planning to move to a new neigh­bourhood often inquire about the schools – and even visit them – before deciding which community to move to.

Researchers are always studying the schools and evaluating the kind of education being provided. Experts ask: ‘Are today's students learning as much as their older siblings or their parents did? Are they learning as much as students in other countries?’ For example, of the 158 members of the United Nations, the USA ranked 49th in its level of literacy. It has been claimed that as many as 25 million American adults cannot read the front page of a newspa­per.

What's wrong with American education? To find the answer and to fix the problem, one must look at all elements: the students themselves, their parents, their teachers, the school curriculum, the textbooks and the community. Many students simply do not study enough. (Two-thirds of high school seniors do an hour or less of homework per night.) American teenagers are often distracted by part-time jobs, sports and other school activities, TV and socializing. Some do not keep up with their schoolwork because of emotional problems, use of illegal drugs or simply lack of motivation. Clearly, if Ameri­cans are to become better educated, students must spend more time studying and parents must insist that they do so.

Дата добавления: 2015-05-24