Task 3. Read the opinion of three students about the exams and compare them
Exam fever
1. I’ve always been terrible in exams, what is probably why I can’t stand them! I don’t know what it is exactly, but I just seem to go to pieces. I forget everything I’ve learnt. I think it’s really unfair because I write really slowly ‑ when I look around the exam room, everyone else has usually written twice as much as me! The other thing is that it all depends on luck. I mean it’s all right if the questions you have revised come up, but sometimes they don’t and then it’s a disaster. I must say I hate revising ‑ it’s so boring!
2. I think exams are much better in a way than coursework. I’d prefer to just have exams at the end of the year. As far as I’m concerned, the problem with coursework it that the pressure is on you all the time and nearly everything you do counts towards your final stages. I think exams are Ok… in the end I think they generally give a pretty accurate picture of how much you know about the subject. In fact, I quite like revising for exams. I find it brings together all the different things I’ve been learning and I suddenly begin to understand what the teachers have been going on about. I like to get up early and go through my notes on the day of the exam. That way everything is fresh in my mind.
3. In my country we have to repeat our school year if we fail the end-of-
year exams, so they are pretty serious. In fact, most people repeat a year at some point or other. Something which is a bit different to England is that we quite often have oral exams where you see your question a few minutes in advance and then you have to go and speak your answers to a group of professors, for example. Another thing which happens sometimes is that exams can be competitive, so only a certain percentage will pass. That makes it hard if you happen to be taking the exam at the same time as a lot of very good students!
Task 4. Work in a group with other students and discuss whether you agree or disagree with the following statements. Give reasons.
1. Exams are not an accurate measure of person’s ability.
2. A mixture of exams and coursework is a good idea.
3. You should repeat a school year if you fail the exams.
4. You should be told the questions a little time before you go into the exam.
5. Exams should involve an oral and a written part.
Internet resourses
1. Education in Great Britain www.Questia.com/British_Education
2. Education UK ‑ Innovative. Individual. Inspirational http://www.educationuk.org
3. Higher Education Funding Council for England www.hefce.ac.uk
4. University of Liverpool www.liverpool.ohecampus.com
snapshots of the United States of America
Vocabulary
| Geographical names: Lake Superior – оз. Верхнее Lake Ontario ‑ оз. Онтарио Lake Michigan ‑ оз. Мичиган Lake Huron ‑ оз. Гурон Lake Erie ‑ оз. Эри The Mississippi ‑ р. Миссисипи The Niagara ‑ Ниагара The Missouri – р. Миссури Hawaii – о. Гавайи Gulf of Mexico ‑ Мексиканский залив the Appalachian – Аппалачи (горы) the Great Plains – Большая равнина the Rocky Mountains – Скалистые горы the Sierra Nevada range – Сьерра-Невада (горы) the Cascade range – Каскадные горы | seaboard ‑ побережье deciduous ‑ лиственный grasslands ‑ площадь, покрытая травой; пастбище arid ‑ засушливый humid ‑ влажный to be prone ‑ (зд.) быть подверженным чему-то hurricane – ураган, циклон abundant – обильный, богатый commodity – товар, предмет потребления to stretch ‑ растягиваться, тянуться to border on ‑ граничить с a highland ‑ нагорье, высокогорная местность a plain ‑ равнина boundary ‑ граница fertile – плодородный inland – вглубь, внутрь contiguous – смежный, близкий |
Task 1. Read the text and complete the table:
| Oceans | Border countries | Mountains |
| Lakes | Rivers | Cities |
The Map of the USA
The United States of America (commonly referred to as the United States, the U.S., the USA, the States or America) is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district. The states differ very much in size, population and economic development. The flag of the USA is called “Stars and Stripes”. 50 stars=50 states; 13 stripes=13 original colonies.
The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its forty-eight contiguous states and Washington, D.C., the capital district, lie between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, bordered by Canada to the north and Mexico to the south. The largest state of Alaska is in the northwest of the continent, with Canada to its east and Russia to the west across the Bering Strait. The state of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific. The country also possesses several territories, or insular areas, scattered around the Caribbean and Pacific.
At 3.79 million square miles (9.83 million km²) and with more than 300 million people, the United States is the fourth largest country by total area.
The United States is one of the world's most ethnically diverse and multicultural nations, the product of large-scale immigration from many countries. These different people brought to their new land a wonderful mixture of customs and traditions. The Germans brought Christmas trees. The Irish brought St. Patrick’s celebrations, the Scots – Halloween.
The coastal plain of the Atlantic seaboard gives way further inland to deciduous forests and the rolling hills of the Piedmont. The Appalachian Mountains divide the eastern seaboard from the Great Lakes and the grasslands of the Midwest. The Great Lakes form the boundary between the USA and Canada. The largest of them is Lake Superior, which, as its name implies, is the highest above the sea level. Lake Michigan lies entirely on the US territory; to the east is Lake Huron, from the southern end of which the St. Clair River leads into Lake Erie. From Lake Erie the Niagara River
rushes over the famous Niagara Falls into Lake Ontario.
The Mississippi-Missouri River, the world's fourth longest river system, runs mainly north-south through the heart of the country. The flat, fertile prairie of the Great Plains stretches to the west, interrupted by a highland region in the southeast. The Rocky Mountains, at the western edge of the Great Plains, extend from the north to the south across the country, reaching altitudes higher than 14,000 feet (4,300 m) in Colorado. The Sierra Nevada and Cascade mountain ranges run close to the Pacific coast. At 20,320 feet (6,194 m), Alaska's Mount McKinley is the country's tallest peak. Active volcanoes are common throughout Alaska's Alexander and Aleutian Islands, and Hawaii consists of volcanic islands.
The U.S., with its large size and geographic variety, includes most climate types. To the east of the 100th meridian, the climate ranges from humid continental in the north to humid subtropical in the south. The southern tip of Florida is tropical, as is Hawaii. The Great Plains west of the 100th meridian are semi-arid. Much of the Western mountains are alpine. The climate is arid in the Great Basin, desert in the Southwest, Mediterranean in coastal California, and oceanic in coastal Oregon and Washington and southern Alaska. Most of Alaska is subarctic or polar. Extreme weather is not uncommon ‑ the states bordering the Gulf of Mexico are prone to hurricanes, and most of the world's tornadoes occur within the country, mainly in the Midwest's Tornado Alley.
The United States has a capitalist mixed economy, which is fueled by abundant natural resources, a well-developed infrastructure, and high productivity. According to the International Monetary Fund, the U.S. produces 25% world product. The U.S. is the largest importer of goods and third largest exporter. China, Mexico, Japan, and Germany are its top trading partners. The leading export commodity is electrical machinery, while vehicles constitute the leading import.
The U.S. is the third largest producer of oil in the world, as well as its largest importer. It is the world's number one producer of electrical and nuclear energy, as well as liquid natural gas, sulfur, phosphates, and salt. The U.S. is the world's top producer of corn and soybeans.
There are many big cities in the country. They are Washington (the capital of the country), New York (the city of contrasts, financial and business centre of the USA), Boston (there are three universities in it), Chicago (one of the biggest industrial cities in the USA), San Francisco, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Detroit (one of the biggest centers of the automobile industry), Hollywood (the centre of the US film business).
Task 2. Read the sentences and decide which sentence A, B or C best fits each gap:
1. The USA is… .
a. the largest country in the world;
b. the fourth largest country in the world;
c. the second largest country in the world;
2.. Its territory occupies about… square kilometers.
A 9,5 mln B 7, 7 mln C 244 000
3. The population of the USA is more than… million people.
A 250 B 300 C 186,7
4. The largest state in the USA is… .
A Colombia B Hawaii C Alaska
5. The Great Lakes consist of … .
A five lakes B three lakes C six lakes
6. The number of states in the USA is… .
A 50 B 85 C 30
7. The US produces nearly … of the world’s industrial products, agricultural goods and services.
A 50% B 25% C 30%
8. The flag of the USA is called … .
A “Fifty Stars” B “Stars and Stripes” C “Bright Stars”
9. The leading export product is… .
A corn B electrical machinery C cars
Task 3. True or false?
1. The USA borders on Canada in the south and Mexico in the north.
2. The largest state in the country is Colorado.
3. Different nations who inhabit the country now brought their own holidays and customs to the USA.
4. The climate of the USA is arid throughout the country.
5. The Rocky Mountains stretch from north to south across the country.
6. The USA is rich in various natural resources.
7. The highest peak McKinley is situated in Hawaii.
8. In Hawaii there are a lot of volcanoes.
9. Lake Erie is entirely located on the territory of the USA.
Task 4. Answer the following questions:
1. Where is the USA situated?
2. What countries does it border on?
3. How many states does the USA consist of?
4. What can you say about the landscape of the USA?
5. How does the climate of the USA differ?
6. What does the USA export and import?
7. What is the centre of the USA film business?
8. Which city has three universities?
government AND elections
Vocabulary
legislative – законодательная власть
executive – исполнительная власть
judicial – судебная власть
Supreme Court – Верховный суд
leap year – високосный год
Chief Justice – главный судья, председатель Верховного суда
to appoint – назначать
Associate Justice – помощник Верховного судьи
amendment – поправка
residence requirement – обязательное проживание в данной местности
taxation – налогообложение
jury trails – суд присяжных
purse – кошелек, казна
Task 1. Read the text and complete the diagram: