Lesson 92 Part I

Lesson 92

Part Ⅰ Narming-up Exercises 

Numbers: University and College Degrees Granted in Specialized Fields

Training Focus: 

Identifying numbers with two to five digits 

Directions: You are going to hear some statistics about  university and college degrees granted in some specialized  fields in a country. Listen carefully. Write down the  numbers you hear on the tape. 

Key:  

Beginning with the field of Home Economics, as we might expect, we find heavy domination by women----with 7,222 women and 198 men earning Bachelor degrees in Home Economics. Law, on the other hand, is almost entirely dominated  by men with 16,457 degrees to only 712 for women. However, women again  lead in Library Science with 79 men and 735 women earning degrees. In Mathematical subjects the ratio of men to women is nearly two to one: 14,839 men to 8,786 women. In Philosophy the ratio is over four to one in favor of men:  men, 4,728----women, 1,040. In the Physical Sciences, we again find many, many  more men than women. The total for Physical Sciences is: men, 16,768; women,  2,674. While the breakdown of the Physical Sciences reveals: Chemistry----men, 8,876 and women, 1,962 and Physics----men, 4,749 and women, 269. Turning to  Psychology, these statistics report it to be dominated just slightly by men, with  men earning 13,828 degrees and women earning 10,144 degrees. The field  of Religion has many more men than women----men, 6,959 and women, 1,582.  The totals for Social Sciences as a group are: men, 77,243; women, 44,400. A breakdown of the Social Sciences is as follows: Economics----13,066 men and  1,630 women. History----22,921 men and 12,495women. Political Science and  Government: men,16,056 and women, 4,466. Sociology----8,577men and 13,485  women. Last, Trade and Industrial Training is almost totally a men's field----  3,151 degrees granted to men and only 22 to women. 

Lesson 92 Part Ⅱ Primary And SecondaryEducation In England

Lesson 92 

Part Ⅱ  Primary And Secondary Education In England 

Ex．Ⅰ

Directions: Supply relevant information for the different types of schools listed in the table. 

Key: Nursery School: 1.4  2. delightful, full of fun and  games 3. story telling, drawing, singing and dancing  Infant School: 1.5  2. pleasant  Junior School: 1.7 2. formal 3. exams 

Ex．Ⅱ

Directions: Complete the outline with the information you  hear on the tape. 

Key: A. 1. Grammar school 2. Technical school  3. Secondary modern school 4. Comprehensive  school 

B. 1. comprehensive schools 2. “eleven----plus”3. State system 

Tapescript: 

Primary And Secondary Education In England  (2′58″)

John is talking to Martin about his primary schooling. 

Martin: Did you go to a State primary school? 

John: Yes, I did. I went to a nursery school first at the   age of four, but this was purely voluntary. There  was a good kindergarten in our neighbourhood so my  parents decided to send me there for a year. 

Martin: Can you still remember it ? 

John: Yes, I have saint, but very pleasant memories of  it. It was a delightful place, full of fun and games.  As in most nursery schools, work----if you can call it  that ----consisted of story telling, drawing, singing and  dancing. 

Martin: You probably don't remember but you must have missed it when you left----you know, when you went  to the Infant School at the age of five. 

John: I suppose I must have, but you know, right up to the  age of seven school life was very pleasant. It was  only later in the Junior School we began to have more  formal lessons and even worry about exams. 

Martin: Really ? Did you have to do exams at that age? 

John: Yes, we used to then. We had to take an exam at  the age of eleven called the “eleven----plus” to see what  kind of secondary sclool we would get into. But  this exam is slowly disappearing nowadays. 

Martin: There are four main types of secondary school, aren't  there ?

John: Yes. Most of the brighter children go to a grammar   school, some go to a technical school, and the majority go to a secondary modern. And then there   are the comprehensive schools which cater for all  levels of academic ability. These are becoming more   and more important. 

Martin: I must say I find your educational system rather  complicated, and to make matters worse. you call  your private schools public schools ! 

John: Yes, I suppose it is all rather confusing. But like so  many other things in Britain our educational system  is deeply rooted in tradition and yet it's changing all  the time. 

Martin: Really ? In what ways is it changing ? 

John: Well, in nearly every way. For instance, there is  a very strong movement now towards comprehensive  schools, where all children go for their secondary education no matter what their ability or background.  There are already many of these schools, and many  children are no longer tested by examination at the  age of eleven to be placed in schools according to academic ability. And then again, public schools will  probably become part of the State system some day.  

Martin: But won't the wealthy always be in a privileged position? They'll always be able to send their children  to the best private schools in the country. 

John: Not necessarily. If independent schools join the  State system and we do away with the idea of grammar schools for the clever and secondary modern  schools for the less bright, then every child should have   an equal opportunity to do well and go on to higher  education. 

Lesson 92 Part Ⅲ Higher Education In Britain

Lesson 92

Part Ⅲ Higher Education In Britain 

Ex．

Directions: Complete the outline with the information you hear on the tape. 

Key: Ⅰ. A. Oxford, Cambridge 

B. 1. open to all 

2. are not obliged to have any previous qualifications 

3.part time / through the medium of television and radio 

4. centres located near their own homes

5.were awarded their degrees 

Ⅱ. A. Polytechnics / Technical Colleges / courses of  a vocational nature / academic courses 

B. training and education for propective teachers 

Tapescript: 

Higher Education In Britain (1′44″)

In Britain there are a number of different kinds of institutions of Higher Education. First of all, of course, there are  the universities. Nobody can have failed to have heard of Oxford and Cambridge, the two oldest universities in England,  but, of course, there is a large number of other universities,  many of which have opened since the war. The latest of these  is the Open University, a unique institution, which, as its name   suggests, is open to all. Students of the Open University are  not obliged to have any previous qualifications. All the students are part time and are taught through the medium of  television and radio, although they do receive some personal   tuition as well through centres located near their own homes. The first graduates were awarded their degrees in 1973. 

Besides the universities there are other institutions such  as Polytechnics and Technical Colleges. These tend to offer  courses of a vocational nature as well as academic courses. If a student wants to study Management, Accounting or Librarian ship, for example, he would be more likely to go to one  of these institutions. Colleges of Education provide training  and  education for prospective teachers. 

The vast majority of students receive grants from their   Local Authority, which cover tuition fees and allow a certain   amount of money to the students to pay for their keep and their  books. Most of the colleges and universities have a good proportion of students from overseas.