Education is not an end, but a means to an end. In other words, we don’t
educate children only for the purpose of educating them; our purpose is to fit them
for life. As soon as we realize this fact, we will understand that it is very important
to choose a system of education, which will really prepare children for life. It is not
enough just to choose the first system of education one finds; or to continue with
one’s old system of education without examining it to see whether it is in fact
suitable or not.
In many modern countries it has for some time been fashionable to think
that, by free education for all – whether rich or poor, clever or stupid – one can
solve all the problems of society and build a perfect nation. But we can already see
that free education for all is not enough; we find in such countries a far larger
number of people with university degrees than there are jobs for them… Because
of their degrees, they refuse to do what they think “low” work; and, in fact, work
with the hands is thought to be dirty and shameful in such countries.
But we have only to think a moment to understand that the work of a
completely uneducated farmer is far more important than that of a professor: we
can live without education, but we die if we have no food. If no one cleaned our
streets and took the rubbish away from our houses, we should get terrible diseases
in our towns. In countries where there are no servants because everyone is
ashamed to do such work, the professors have to waste much of their time doing
housework.
In fact, when we say that all of us must be educated to fit us for life, it
means that we must be educated in such away that, firstly, each of us can do
whatever job is suited to his brain and ability, and, secondly, that we can realize
that all jobs are necessary to society, and that it is very bad to be ashamed of one’s
work, or to scorn someone else’s. Only such type of education can be called
valuable to society.
Answer the questions. Use the expressions given in the brackets.
1. Which job is more valuable: that of a) a space-pilot or that of a book-
keeper; b) an economist or a philologist; c) an actor or a scientist? (in this own
sphere, equally useful, necessary, to serve various needs of a community, to study
the laws of nature, to predict the future developments, to care for the needs of, to
entertain people, to make people think of/realize the importance of…)
2. What do you think are the best means of learning a foreign language?
3. What may be the ways of self-education?
4. What can you say about the advantages of universal secondary education?
(to be given equal opportunities, to be guaranteed a chance to…, to develop
various skills and abilities, to open the world of human knowledge and science in
general).
5. What kind of advice would you give to a girl who is about to leave
school? (in my opinion you should…, get a job, get married, settle down, have a
family, continue your studies).
6. What problems, do you think, may face a society where universal
secondary education has been implemented? (to have no talent for academic
training, to select the most capable, to start vocational/professional training, to
select the most capable/less capable, contrary to expectations, to earn one’s living,
to meet the demands of modern highly industrialized society).
7. Does the end always justify the means? If the aim or purpose is good, may
any methods, even if bad, be employed? (by means of, immoral acts, lies, fraud,
violence, intrigues, acts of terrorism, plots, assassinations, to achieve no good, to
result in).
ответить на во по тексту
Past Simple - The children drank milk (yesterday).
Past Progressive - The children were drinking milk (while I was brushing my teeth) .
Past Perfect - The children had drunk milk (by the time I came into the kitchen).
Future Simple - The children will drink milk (tomorrow).
Future Progressive - The children will be drinking milk (this time tomorrow).
Future Perfect - The children will have drunk milk (by 8 o`clock).
в скобках даны продолжения предложений для уточнения времени.
St. Petersburg
St. Petersburg is the second largest city in Russia and one of the most beautiful cities in the world.
St. Petersburg was the capital of Russia from 1712 to 1918.
It is located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea.
1) Saint Petersburg was founded by Tsar Peter the Great as a fortress and the ‘Window on Europe’ in 1703.
In 1914 the name of the city was changed from Saint Petersburg to Petrograd, in 1924 to Leningrad, and in 1991, back to Saint Petersburg.
Today many people call the second Russian capital Peter for short.
Saint Petersburg is a major European cultural center, and also an important Russian port on the Baltic Sea.
3) The climate.
As the city is situated on the banks of the Neva River near the Baltic Sea, strong winds blow from the sea.
There are a lot of cold and rainy days in St Petersburg.
As a rule there is not a lot of sunshine and the weather is often unpleasant in autumns and winters.
4) St Petersburg is a charming city famous for its beauty.
The Historic Centre of Saint Petersburg Winter Palace and Dvortsovaya Square and Related Groups of Monuments constitute a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Winter Palace and Dvortsovaya Square are home to the Hermitage, one of the largest art museums in the world.
The main street in St Petersburg is Nevsky Prospect.
Peter and Paul Fortress and Cathedral Peter and Paul Fortress is a symbol of St. Petersburg. It is the building the history of St. Petersburg began with.
The main symbols of St Petersburg are also St. Isaac’s Cathedral, which has room for 12000 people at once; the Bronze Horseman, one of the monuments to Peter the Great, Kazan Cathedral and some others.
Museums: the Winter Palace, the Kunstkamera, the Russian Museum which is the first state museum of Russian fine arts in the country. It holds one of the largest collections of Russian art in the world. It was founded in 1895 in St. Petersburg by Emperor Nicholas II.
St Petersburg is famous for its White Nights and drawbridges. The city is sometimes called Russian Venice for it stands on forty-two islands and there are 342 bridges across rivers and canals. There are a lot of beautiful parks and gardens in and round the city. One of them is the Summer garden. It was founded in 1704 by order of Peter the Great, who was personally involved in planning it, and is laid out according to strict geometrical principles. The Summer Garden is home to marble statues acquired from Europe especially for Russia's new capital, and also to rare flowers and plants, as well as fountains.
St Petersburg is a major industrial, cultural and scientific centre. There are over 80 museums, more than 20 theatres, a lot of exhibitions, clubs, universities, colleges, schools and parks.
More than 5 million people live in St Petersburg (2019 г.). Everybody is happy to visit this cultural capital of Russia to see its numerous landmarks.