B) Read the conversation between Kiril and Jane and (1) check if it mentions the differences you spoke about; (2) explain what the words in bold mean.

Kiril: Jane, could you please help me clarify something? I read that there are state, independent and private schools in Great Britain. What is the difference?

Jane: Independent schools are pri­

vate. So, there are only two types. The difference is that state schools get money from the government. On the con­trary, independent schools do not receive money from the government or local authorities. The parents pay for the

education. A public school is an indepen­dent secondary school which is a charity. That means that public schools don't earn money. The expression "public school" can be confusing: in many countries other than England a "public school" is a school which is run by the government. One ex­ample is the United States. All public schools there are funded by the govern-

ment. That's not the case with British schools. Among the most famous public schools are Eton, Harrow and Win­chester.

Kiril: They all pay and nobody studies there for free!

Jane: No, that is not true. The major­ity of students pay fees but some scholarships are available for the brightest pupils or for children from poorer families. The schools select pupils according to ability by using Q| an entrance exam. Entrance ex­ams are taken at the age of 13 and are

known as Common Entrance exams. Kiril: Where do the children study before they enter a public school?

Jane: Some public schools have their own prep schools as well as the senior school, but students from other schools can apply to the senior school.

Kiril: What is a prep?

Jane: A preparatory school is usually called a prep school. It prepares pupils

to go to a public school. Boys often enter these schools at age 8 and girls at age 11.

Kiril: Do boys and girls study together?

Jane: Schools are often single-sex boys' schools or girls' schools but some of them are mixed. Also, many boys schools accept girls in the sixth form, from age 16 to 18.

Kiril: And what about the state schools?

Jane: The majority of state schools are mixed. But there is an­other important difference. The majority of state schools are day schools. The students go home after classes. Many of the independent schools are boarding schools. They may have full boarders who live in the school grounds during term-time, weekly boarders who return home only at week­ends and day boys / day girls who return home each evening. There are several state boarding schools in the UK. The ed­ucation is provided free, but parents must pay for the cost of boarding. Most of these schools are mixed sex, and they are usually for students from age 11 to 18.

c) If you studied in Britain, where would you like to study? Why?

A) Work in three groups. Read one of the texts and fill in the table. You will have only one third of the answers.

Eton College

Perhaps the most famous public school in the UK is Eton, founded in 1440. It is located near Windsor. Entrance to Eton is competitive, based on a test at the age of 11 and a Common Entrance exam at 13. The academic year starts at the end of September and has three terms. It finishes with the exams in June. There are no girls at Eton. Boys leave the school at 18 - many go on to study at Oxford and Cambridge.

The boys still wear a formal school uniform: a black tailcoat and waistcoat and pin-striped trousers. Students at Eton are all boarders. They have their own small rooms with a bed and desk. The main team sports which are played are rugby and football in the winter and spring, and either cricket or rowing in the summer. Other popular activities include drama and music. Se­nior boys may take part in military training, or choose to do social service in the community.

Famous Old Etonians (people educated at Eton) include the Duke of Wellington, famous writers such as Shelley and George Orwell, and many British Prime Ministers. Both of Prince Charles' sons, William and Harry, studied at Eton.

Harrow School

Harrow, founded in 1243, is an independent school for boys in north-west London.

Many famous people studied there, who are known as Old Harrovians, for example Lord Byron and seven former British Prime Ministers including, Winston Churchill.

Boys at Harrow have two uniforms. Everyday dress consists of a white shirt, black silk tie, grey trousers, black shoes, blue jumper (sweater), a dark blue jacket, the school blue and white scarf and, a straw hat. Sunday dress consists of a morning suit: a black tailcoat, pin-striped trousers, a black waistcoat, black tie and a white shirt.

During their first year, boys take English, French, Mathe­matics, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, History, Geogra­phy, Latin, Religious Studies, Art, Music, Design Technology and Information Technology. Greek, Chinese, German or Span­ish are offered to boys with good linguistic ability. Optional languages are Russian, Japanese, Portuguese and Italian. Dur­ing their second and third years boys work towards their GCSE examinations.

In the sixth form all pupils are expected to take AS Level in at least four main subjects, going on to A Level in at least three. There are many to choose from. Harrow has been impressive in the development of a number of sports. Squash was invented in Harrow around 1830. Football rules were developed there. An annual cricket match has taken place between Harrow and Eton College since 1805.

Wycombe Abbey

Wycombe Abbey, founded in 1896, is an independent girls' school. It is one of the top schools in the United Kingdom. There are about 540 girls aged 11 to 18. The curriculum for the first three years at Wycombe Abbey is English, Mathematics, Biolo­gy, Chemistry, Physics, French, Latin, Geography, History, Religious Studies, Information Technology, Design Technolo­gy, Art, Music, Drama, Physical Education and PSHE (Person­al, Social and Health Education). Cookery, Singing and Span­ish form part of the eleven years olds' curriculum. The twelve- year-old girls either continue with Spanish or take up German or Classical Greek.

The girls who are working towards their GCSE examina­tions learn English, English Literature, Mathematics, a mod­ern foreign language and the three Sciences - Physics, Chemis­try and Biology studied either as separate Sciences or as a com­bined course.

The subjects from which students select their GCSE options include Religious Studies, History, Geography, French, Ger­man, Spanish, Latin, Greek, ICT, Design Technology, Art, Drama, Music and Physical Education.

Every student, in addition, attends Physical Education les­sons and a general course that covers a variety of areas, includ­ing careers education and citizenship.

Students in the sixth form select their A Level exams from a big variety of subjects.

All sixth formers pursue a sport, follow an IT course which enables them to take the European Computer Driving Licence. All are taught Critical Thinking.

Many girls who previously studied at Wycombe Abbey be­came famous lawyers, actresses, writers, and even Members of Parliament.

b) Work in groups of three (each student should have read a

Date: 2016-03-03; view: 1642