Part ii

Higher Education in the USA

I. Read this text and translate it into Ukrainian.

III. Be ready to speak on the topic.

IV. Give translations to the following words and word-combinations:

school graduate, high school, to admit, leading university, high school records, Scholastic Aptitude Test, to comprise, undergraduate student, bachelor’s degree, master’s degree, doctoral degree, technical training institution, technical skills, funding, in terms of, majority, satisfactory, to attend classes, to pass examinations, scholar, teaching faculty, research facilities, competence, applicant, to reinforce.

TEXT 29

In the United States it is generally recognized that there are more or less desirable institutions at which to study and from which to graduate. More desirable institutions are generally, but not always, more costly to attend and graduation from one of them may bring distinct advantages as an individual seeks employment opportunities and social mobility within the society. Competition to get into such a college prompts a million of secondary school students to take the SATs every year. But recently emphasis on admission to examinations has been widely criticized in the United States because the examinations tend to measure competence in mathematics and English. In defense of using the examinations as criteria for admissions, administrators at many universities say that SATs provide a fair way for deciding whom to admit when they have 10 or 12 applicants for every first-year student seat.

Can American colleges and universities rest on their accomplishments? About 12 million students currently attend schools of higher education in America. They are students in a society that believe in the bond between education and democracy.

Still, many Americans are not satisfied with the condition of higher education in their country. Perhaps the most widespread complaint has to do with the college curriculum as a whole and with the wide range of electives in particular. The Association of American Colleges (AAC) issued a report that called for teaching a body of common knowledge to all college students. The National Institute of Education (NIE) issued a somewhat similar report, ‘Involvement in learning’. In its report, the NIE concluded that the college curriculum has become ‘excessively vocational and work-related’. The report also warned that college education may no longer be developing for students ‘who shared values and knowledge’ that traditionally bind Americans together.

Certainly, some students complete their degree work without a course in western civilization, not to mention other world cultures. Others leave college without having studied science or government. As one response, many colleges have begun reemphasizing a core curriculum that all students must master.

Дата добавления: 2015-05-24