Comprehension Check.
Ex. Answer the following questions: 1. What life period is called the Third Age? 2. What are the first two age periods? 3. When was the University of the Third Age founded? 4. How many ages of a Man did Shakespeare describe? 5. Why do elderly people study? 6. How much do they pay for their studies? 7. Is this University financed by the government? 8. Who founded this University? 9. Who teachers at this University? 10. What classes are taught there? 11. What was the French government convinced of? 12. How many elderly people are there in Britain? What is their age? 13. Are there as many such institutions in Britain as in France?
Topics to discuss. 1. The Third Age University. Its history, sources of financing. 2. Students of this institution. 3. Aims of such universities. 4. Tuition fee at the University. 5. Ties with other universities. 6. Professor Francisque Costa. 7. The Universite du Troisieme Age. 8. Marion Dawson's story.
Text 2 STUDYING ABROAD (Vanessa's experience).
Studying abroad is wonderful, if you have the opportunity. I was fortunate to have that opportunity three times. I studied in France, Canada and the former Soviet Union, in what is now Russia. I studied in France while I was completing my bachelor's degree at home in California. I studied French language and literature, which I was in love with at the time - it was so special to be in the land of Moliere and Voltaire, Zola and Sartre! I spent about a year there and during that time I lived with a French family, which gave me a lot of opportunities to speak French, as well as to eat the wonderful food. I was in a small country town, not Paris, so I was able to enjoy the beautiful countryside - the rivers, the forests and, in the distance, the mountains. I received a diploma for my efforts, while in France. Then, after I had completed my bachelor's degree in California, I went to Canada to do a master's degree in comparative literature. I spent a year and a half in Canada, from autumn through two winters to the second spring. I was living in an apartment with a friend, who was studying on the same program as me, so that was very convenient. I really enjoyed the work in Canada, because the classes in Canada were very small. However, I was not allowed to have a job, which made it very hard to make ends meet. After I finished my master's degree in Canada, I had the opportunity to go to the former Soviet Union for three months. There I lived in a student hostel, with other foreign and Soviet students, and I studied Russian language and literature. I found that extremely interesting, though it was a very hard language to learn, especially the grammar and the pronunciation. I spent three months in the Soviet Union and received a certificate, written in beautiful Russian script. The people there were extremely friendly, and the theatre was just glorious. For me, going abroad to study was not just serious effort. I had a lot of fun too.
Ex. Find in the text equivalents to these words and phrases: учиться на степень магистра, сравнительная литература, ей повезло, завершить, на расстоянии, бывший, другой/иной, чрезвычайно, усилие, почерк, провести (время), удостоверение/свидетельство/аттестат(амер.), жилье/размещение, произношение, преимущество/достоинство, недостаток. Ex. What do you think are the advantages and disadvantages of studying abroad? · being away from your family and friends; · living in new accommodation; · meeting new people; · eating different food; · getting a better qualification; · seeing different scenery; · getting to know a different culture.
Ex. Complete the chart, which summarises the content of Vanessa's talk. Write a word or a short phrase in each gap.
Text 3
CHELSEA CHOOSES A COLLEGE.
First Daughter Chelsea Clinton finally let the world in on her big decision: She is turning aside (отклоняять) offers from Yale, Harvard, Princeton, and Brown to attend (посещать) Stanford. That means she'll spend much of the next four years in Palo Alto, Calif., 3,000 liles away from her parents. But by all accounts (по всем рассчетам), the president has already put a positive spin (здесь: взгляд, мнение) on the distance, saying: "Planes run out there, and phones work out there. And E-mail works out there, so we'll be all right." Hillary Rodham Clinton, who has faced (сталкивалась) daily questions with her daughter's decision, said simply: "I'm just grateful (признательна) that this day has come." Aparently Chelsea was leaning toward (склонялась к) the Northern California univesity as early as last December but fretted (мучалась сомнениями) up to the last minute. When Chelsea heads off (отправляться) to Stanford's lush (буйный), mission-style campus in September, she'll be one of 1,610 freshmen (первокурсники), culled (выбранный) from 16,8444 applicants (абитуриенты, претенденты). Half of the class of 2001 will be women, and half will be minorities; two thirds scored (набрали очки) about 1400 on the Scholastic (учебный) Assessment (оценка) Tests (SATs). Like roughly (приблизительно) 40 percent of her class, she's expressed an interest in becoming a doctor. That means her courses probably will include (включать) English, chemistry, calculus (вычисление), and a required (обязательный) freshmen course called "Cultures, Ideas, and Values (ценности)". Chelsea has already demonstrated her brain power: She's a National Merit (заслуга)) Scholarship finalist, an honor accorded to (оказанный) 0.5 percent of U.S. high school seniors (старшеклассники).
Answer the following questions: 1. What is Chelsea's final decision when choosing a college? 2. What universities' offers did she turn aside? 3. How far is the chosen college located from her parents' place? 4. What is Chelsea's parents' attitude to distances? 5. When will Chelsea graduate from the unicersity? 6. What profession did she choose? 7. Does Chelsea have any awards?
Topics to discuss. 1. Chelsea's class. 2. Subjects to be studies at her class. Supplementary material Text 4 Russian Agencies Denied U.S. Aid. (Peter Eisler's article from "USA TODAY", April 17, 1998). WASHINGTON - The State Department has declared 20 Russian agencies and research facilities ineligible to receive millions of dollars in U.S. government assistance because they may have provided missile technology to Iran. The State Department' s list, obtained by USA TODAY, was sent in March to managers of U.S. programs that finance commercial ventures for Russian institutions formerly involved in Soviet weapons work. Since then, U.S. officials have denied funding to at least three Russian projects, because they were on the list. Future projects with institutions on the list will be rejected unless the Clinton administration is satisfied they aren't helping Iran. Despite longstanding concerns about the exodus of weapons technology from Russia to rogue states, the move marks the first time specific institutions have been penalized. "What we're doing is limiting our cooperation with Russian entities which might have or might be providing assistance to Iran's missile program", said Gary Samore, special assistant to the president on nonproliferation and export controls. "If someone came to us proposing a project involving one of these entities, we might still approve it, depending on the specifics." The government spends nearly $50 million a year on ventures for former Soviet institutions that have struggled since the Communist regime's demise. The idea is to keep their scientists engaged in nonmilitary projects - instead of having them sell their weapons know-how to the highest bidder. The State Department's list, based on information gathered by U.S. intelligence agencies, includes Russian institutions raging from universities to government agencies. The 20 institutions are a small fraction of Russian entities involved in nonproliferation projects funded by two U.S. assistance programs launched in 1994. The Russian Space Agency - a major U.S. partner in developing an international space station and other costly endeavors - was included on the State Department's list. But department officials said it was included in error. Among the projects denied U.S. funding since March: * A proposed project at Baltic State Technical University in St.Petersburg to apply rocket motor technology in the high-temperature destruction of chemical wastes. * A project involving TsAGI, Russia's Central Aerodynamic Institute, on using aerospace technology to develop high-tech plastic joints for industry. * A project led by the Moscow Aviation Institute to develop new methods for evaluating the thermal properties of composite materials. Michael Shurgalin, a spokesman at the Russian Embassy, denied the Russian institutions were helping Iran with missile technology. The Clinton administration opposes sanctions, preferring a policy of engagement. But Israel and some in Congress want Russia punished, saying there is strong evidence that Russia, China and North Korea help Iran's efforts to develop midrange missiles.
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