Текст 2. The mini story. System of education

Текст 2

The mini story

There are 2,500 employees at the plant and the working environment is good. The car assembly line is designed ergonomically to be easy to use and comfortable for the operators. For example, the car is raised, lowered, and turned through 90 degrees so the workers can do their jobs comfortably and easily. Old-fashioned, noisy, compressed-air tools have been replaced with quieter and more accurate electric tools.

The first Mini was first made in 1959 and since then over five million people have owned one. BMW, a German car manufacturer, now owns the Mini and the newest model is being manufactured at an advanced production system in Oxford, England.

During the 1990s approximately £500 million was spent to change an old Oxford car factory into a state-of-art manufacturing plant. The Oxford plant now produces around 100, 000 Minis a year.

In Britain in the 1960s the only really cool car was the Mini. Everybody wanted one. It starred in advertisements and films and was as famous as the Beatles or the Rolling Stones. Anyone who was young, rich, famous, and fashionable had to be photographed sitting on, in, or just near one. And anyone who was poor, unknown, and not very fashionable wanted one too. They were small and cheap and suited the mood of the post-war generation who had more money and freedom than their parents had ever had.

Text 3

System of education

Education in Great Britain dates back from medieval times. The oldest school is Westminster College, founded in 1179.

There are two basic systems of education on the UK: one covering England, Wales and Northern Ireland and the other one covering Scotland. The reason why there are different systems of education in England and Scotland is because of the history of the two countries. When they united in 1707 to create Great Britain, Scotland retained its system of education and the two systems have developed separately in England and Scotland since 1707. Scotland has a long history of education which Scots are very proud of. Until the 19^th century, for example, Scotland had more universities than England, but England was larger than Scotland. Traditionally the English, Welsh and Northern Irish systems have emphasized depth of education whereas the Scottish system has emphasized breadth. Thus English, Welsh and Northern Irish students tend to sit a small number of more advanced examinations and Scottish students tend to sit larger number of less advanced examinations. But by teenage years all students have to reach identical levels for standardized qualifications.

There are three stages of education: primary education, secondary education and hugher education.

Primary education is provided for children between 5 and 11 years of age. Primary schools are subdivided into infant schools for ages 5-7 and junior schools for ages 7 to 11. In Scotland children start school at the age of 6 and leave when they are 12.

in infant schools the main emphasis is on basic literacy and numeracy – learning to read and write and basic arithmetic. Junior schools are required to teach English, Mathematics, Science, Information Technology (IT), Religious Education, Design and Technology, History, Geography, Art, Music and Physical Education (PE).

Secondary education begins at the age of 11, when children go to comprehensive school and go to secondary school. In England they are required to stay at school until they are 16.

There are different types of secondary schools. Most children go to comprehensive schools. These are schools for children of all abilities that aim to teach the full range of subjects. Comprehensive schools became the most common sort of secondary schools in the 1960s and 1970s. Some children go to grammar schools. These are schools for academically more able children. Children have to pass a test to get into grammar schools.

When they are 16, pupils in England take examinations called GCSEs (General Certificate of Secondary Education) and in Scotland – Standard Grades.

Pupils have a choice. They can stay on at school to study for more exams, usually in academic subjects, to qualify for higher education, or they can leave and go to college to study for more exams or to get the skills and qualifications they need for work. Some pupils start work at 16 and go to college part time to get their qualifications. There have been serious problems with unemployment for young people and the government has introduced many schemes to ensure that as many young people as possible get some sort of training for a job. Those who want to go on to Higher Education (universities) specialise in a narrower range of subjects at the age of 16.

In England they study for two more years and take A-levels. Until a few years ago, most studied three subjects. Often, they specialised quite narrowly. For example, a student wishing to study science or engineering at university would study maths, physics and chemistry or biology. A student wishing to study humanities subjects might choose English, History and a foreign language. Over the last few years the A-level system has been changed, and is still changing, and students now often study five subjects, but not in such depth.

There are 120 universities in Great Britain. In England some of the universities are very old. The most famous two are the University of Oxford, situated in the city of Oxford, which is the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the University of Cambridge (founded in the 11^th century and the 12^th century respectively), which are sometimes referred to collectively as Oxbridge.

British universities greatly differ from each other. They differ in date of foundation, size, history, tradition, general organization, methods of instruction, the way of students' life, etc.

The three terms into which the British university year is divided are roughly eight to ten weeks. Each term is crowded with activity and the vacations between the terms – a month at Christmas, a month at Easter and three or four months in summer – are mainly periods of intellectual digestion and private study.

Nearly 50% of 18 year olds now get higher education in Great Britain. This is a big increase. Over 20 years ago, only 14% of 18 year olds went to university. A slightly higher proportion of Scots than English go to universities. Another difference between England and Scotland is that in England many students go to a university in a different cities or part of the country from where their families live. In Scotland, most go to a university near their homes.

Most universities in Great Britain teach a wide range of subjects – science and engineering, natural sciences, law, accountancy, and some have medical schools.

A person studying for a degree at a British university is called a graduate. The first degree in England is called a Bachelor's Degree (BA or BSc) and usually takes three years. Students usually study only one or two subjects in great detail for three years. After three years of study a university graduate will leave with the Degree of Bachelor of Arts, Science, Engineering, Medicine, etc. Later he may continue to take a Master's Degree and then a Doctor's Degree. Research is an important feature of university work.

Students in Scotland usually study for four years for their degrees, and university education is broader than in England. Most Scottish universities require their students to study 3 or 4 subjects in their first year before specialising in 1 or 2.

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