英语专业八级 Mini Lecture 2

[00:24.43]MINI-LECTURE 2 和谐英语学习网 www.hxen.net
[00:29.13]In this section, you will hear a mini-lecture.
[00:33.95]You will hear the lecture ONCE ONLY.
[00:36.79]While listening, take notes on the important points.
[00:41.16]Your notes will not be marked,
[00:43.46]but you will need them to complete a gap-filling task after the mini-lecture.
[00:49.04]When the lecture is over, you’ll be given two minutes to check your notes,
[00:54.29]and another 10 minutes to complete the gap-filling task.
[00:58.45]Now listen to the mini-lecture.
[01:01.51]Today I’ll talk about the British educational system,
[01:07.31]including the primary and secondary education and the higher education in Britain.
[01:12.99]Meanwhile, I’ll try to make a comparison between the US and the UK higher education.
[01:19.45]First, I’ll briefly introduce the primary and secondary education in Britain.
[01:25.03]In England and Wales, students study in primary schools from age five until eleven.
[01:31.59]They attend secondary school until age sixteen.
[01:35.63]Before graduating, students usually take seven comprehensive exams,
[01:41.21]called the General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) exams.
[01:47.67]After passing the GCSE exams,
[01:51.49]students choose to study two to four subjects intensely for the GCE Advanced Level exams,
[02:00.03]called "A levels."
[02:01.88]At eighteen, they enter higher education to focus on a particular subject, called a "course."
[02:09.43]Now let’s move on to the higher education in Britain.
[02:13.81]First I’ll talk about the general practices in England and Wales,
[02:18.51]and then the general practices in Scotland.
[02:21.47]In England and Wales,
[02:23.76]prospective university students apply for places
[02:27.37]through the Universities Central Council on Admissions (UCCA).
[02:32.42]Students do not apply directly to the universities themselves.
[02:37.12]Successful candidates are admitted directly into a specific degree "course."
[02:43.25]A degree course normally takes three or four years to complete.
[02:48.39]At most universities students study only one major subject.
[02:54.08]Each course is structured with a fixed program of classes for the entire three years.
[03:00.20]Increasingly, universities in the United Kingdom are offering classes on a modular basis,
[03:08.29]which allows students to broaden their studies creating a more interdisciplinary program.
[03:14.53]This modularization, however,
[03:17.59]has not replaced the traditional British degree course with the American concept of credit accumulation.
[03:24.70]In addition, there is generally a sharp distinction between the arts and sciences
[03:31.05]and there is seldom any cross-over between the two.
[03:34.55]At a British university, more emphasis is placed on independent,
[03:40.89]self-directed study than in the United States.
[03:44.06]Required texts and definite reading assignments are less common.
[03:49.20]More typically, an extensive reading list covering all topics to be discussed
[03:55.00]is distributed at the start of the course to be used for independent research.
[04:00.36]British students typically consult a large number of sources from the library
[04:05.94]rather than intensively studying a few books purchased by everyone taking a course.
[04:12.28]In addition, students are required to write more essays and take fewer objective tests than at U.S.institutions.
[04:21.83]Classes often take the following forms: lectures, which are sometimes completely optional;
[04:28.72]tutorials,in which a small number of students meet with the lecturer;
[04:33.32]and seminars, larger discussion classes often based upon seminar essays.
[04:39.22]Unlike the U.S. system of regular testing in a course,
[04:44.37]British students sit for final examinations that cover the full year's work
[04:50.16]and determine the grades for the class.
[04:52.68]With the growth of modularization,
[04:56.18]however, there has also been an increase in the number and variety of modules offered on a semester basis.
[05:03.73]In Scotland, there are a variety of tertiary level options available for students,
[05:09.74]the most important of which are the colleges of further education,
[05:14.00]the central institutions, teachers colleges and the universities.
[05:18.60]The colleges of further education provide vocational and technical education,
[05:24.40]and enroll more students than all other tertiary institutions combined.
[05:29.87]Central institutions provide courses leading to the Higher National Diploma (HND),
[05:36.10]bachelor's degrees and some specialized master's degrees.
[05:41.57]These institutions do not have the authority to directly validate degrees
[05:47.91]and tend to offer a narrower range of subjects than the universities.
[05:53.05]Many have close ties to local businesses, offering cooperative work experiences
[05:59.51]that provide students a period of practical training.
[06:03.12]Scottish universities are quite distinct from their British counterparts.
[06:09.24]In fact, they more closely resemble European or American universities.
[06:14.93]The standard Scottish university degree is a four-year Honors degree (BA Hons).
[06:23.57]Students are rarely admitted directly to a degree "course."
[06:27.73]Usually they are admitted to a faculty or simply admitted to the university as a whole.
[06:34.29]Scottish university students begin with a broad-based program during the first year
[06:40.52]and choose a specialization after the second or even the third year.
[06:45.66]Students may also elect to complete a three-year Ordinary degree.
[06:51.35]This is a broad-based degree that (unlike in England) does not represent a "failed" Honors degree.
[06:59.01]Next, let’s compare the US and the UK higher education from two aspects,
[07:05.46]namely, grading and course levels.
[07:08.09]First, about the Grading.
[07:10.16]In the UK, assessment methods vary by institution and tend to reflect the UK teaching method and style.
[07:18.47]Written examinations, which are held at the end of a year or, in some cases,
[07:24.06]in the final undergraduate year only, are the most common form of study assessment.
[07:30.07]There is no official method of equating British and American educational qualifications.
[07:36.74]The educational systems are very different
[07:40.25]and attempts to compare them must be done on a strictly provisional basis.
[07:45.60]Many U.S. institutions have already developed systems of assessing their study abroad students
[07:52.49]or equating British grades to U.S. grades.
[07:55.88]Professors at UK institutions grade more strictly than their counterparts in the United States.
[08:03.43]As a result, American students studying in the UK often perceive
[08:09.45]that they have performed poorly in their classes, when they have not.
[08:13.82]Grades are given as percentages rather than letter grades.
[08:18.09]Forty percent is the minimum passing grade and high percentages are rarely awarded.
[08:24.11]A grade of seventy percent or higher is considered "with distinction."
[08:30.23]In general, percentages increase from forty rather than decrease from 100 percent,
[08:37.23]as they do in the United States.
[08:39.31]Second, about the Course Levels.
[08:42.70]A typical British course load will vary from 3 to 6 modules or classes per term.
[08:49.70]Most students take 4 to 5 modules per term.
[08:54.73]The number of hours in class per week will vary by institution.
[09:00.42]Students should note that general education or basic courses are not as common at UK universities
[09:08.40]because they have already been covered at the GCSE level.
[09:12.89]Many faculties assume that a student has a basic understanding of the concepts
[09:19.12]that will be addressed in the course.
[09:20.87]For this reason, it is common for third-year American students to take first-year and second-year courses
[09:27.65]at a UK university.
[09:29.51]With this, we’re coming to the end of today’s lecture.
[09:34.65]Next time, we’ll talk about university degrees.