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EDUCATION IN
THE USA
Education in the USA begins at the age of six. This is when a
child goes to school for the first time and stays at school till
the 12th grade. But before that children can go to kindergartens
and nursery schools to get some good preparation for elementary
school. The main purpose of the elementary school is the general
development of children's abilities in reading, writing,
spelling, maths, history, geography, art, etc.
The school year usually begins in early September or even at the
end of August and lasts till June. American students usually
have three holidays during the year of studies: winter break,
spring break and summer break. After the 6th form students enter
junior high
school and stay there till the 9th form. After that they go to
high school. Pupils usually choose subjects in the fields of
science, foreign languages, art and vocational training. But
courses may be different in different schools. Most young people
finish schools with a high school diploma.
The grading system is usually from A (excellent) to F (failed).
Students also have final exams, or finals, at the end of a year
and they can also have mid-term exams on different subjects.
There are some kinds of schools in the USA. There are
state-supported schools, or public schools, that are free of
charge and private schools which are often religious. Such
schools are often expensive.
After students finish high school, they can choose what to do
next. They can apply for a university, a four-year college,
technical training institutions or a community college. Students
go to college for four years and after graduating they get a
bachelor's degree. A first-year student is called a freshman, a
second-year student is called a sophomore, a third-year student
is a junior and a fourth-year student is a senior. After they
are accepted to a college, students can think of choosing their
majors, or the subjects which will be connected with their
future profession. Some colleges allow students to take several
majors.
Students' life in college is very interesting. There are usually
a lot of different clubs and societies, theatres, museums, a
swimming-pool, a gym, a large library and everything that can
make students feel at home far from their families. 93% of
students usually live on campus, in dorms. Freshmen and
sophomores usually live in double rooms, but they can also
choose between a single or a double room while juniors and
seniors mostly get single rooms. There are also several
dining-halls on campus and they offer big variety of food.
Besides colleges American young people can enter universities.
They usually don't have any entrance exams, but students must
take state exams. Such exams are taken during the school year in
the middle of the 12th year. All colleges and universities are
for fees, but those students who can't afford paying for their
education, can apply for Financial Aid. These are sums of money
for students who need money to pay for studies.
After graduating from colleges or universities students can
enter a graduate school to get a master's degree.
Vocabulary:
ability [a'biliti] способность
apply for [a'plai] подать заявление
bachelor degree ['baetf^ladi'gri:] степень бакалавра
campus ['kaempas] территория колледжа
community [кэ'пуипгй'ЫМз] общественный
college колледж
dining-hall ['daimrjho:l] (AmE) столовая
diploma [di'pbuma] аттестат
dorm (dormitory) [do:m] общежитие
double room [МлЬ1ги:т] комната на двоих
elementary [,eli'ment(3)n начальная школа
school ,sku:l]
excellent ['eks(3)bnt] отличная оценка
failed [feild] двойка (оценка)
field of science ['Mdav'saians] сфера науки
Financial Aid [failn£enf(3)lleid] финансовая поддержка
freshman ['frefman] первокурсник
general development [Мзеп(э)г(э)кпVelapmant] общее развитие
grading system ['greidm'sistam] система оценивания
graduate school ['graedju 3t,sku:l] магистратура
high school ['hai ,sku:l] средняя школа
junior [Мзшф] студент третьего курса
junior high school ['d3u:nj3'hai ,sku:l] младшая школа
kindergarten [kindagaitn] детский сад
major ['теМзэ] основной
Master's Degree ['maistazdi'gri:] степень магистра
midterm exam ['midt3:mig'z£em] экзамен в середине семестра
nursery school ['misan ,sku:l] ясли
senior ['siinja] студент последнего курса
single room ['smglru:m] комната на одного
sophomore ['sttfbmo:] студент второго курса
state exam ['steitig'zaem] государственный экзамен
state-supported ['steitsa'poitid государственная
school ,sku:l] школа
technical training ['teknik(3)rtreinm техническое
institution 'insti'tjuf^n] училище
variety [va'raiati] разнообразие
vocational training [vaukeijanl treinm] профессиональное
образование
Questions:
1. When does American education begin?
2. What schools can children attend before going to elementary
school?
3. When does the school year begin in the USA? Do school
children have breaks?
4. What kind of grading system is there in the USA?
5. What kind of schools are there in the USA?
6. What can students do after they finish high school?
7. What can you tell about colleges and universities in the USA?
8. Is there graduate schools in the USA?
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