Our Health (Наше здоровье)

When we are ill, we call a doctor, and he examines us and diagnoses the illness. When we have a headache, a stomachache, a sore throat, a cold or a pain in some parts of the body, we call a doctor. He takes our temperature and our pulse. He examines our heart, our lungs, our stomach or the part where we have pain, and tells us what the matter is with us. The doctor prescribes medicine, and gives us a prescription, which we take to the chemist's, who makes up the medicine. If you follow the doctor's orders, you get better; if you disobey the doctor, you may get worse, and even die. We must obey the doctor, if we want to get better. If we have a temperature, we must stay in bed and take the medicine he prescribes. If we cannot get better at home we must go to hospital. If we are too ill to walk, we go to hospital in the ambu-lance. After our illness we can go to a sanatorium until we are strong again. When we have toothache, we go to the dentist's. He examines our teeth, finds the tooth, which hurts us, stops or extracts it. Now here in Russia health system incorporates a variety of medical institutions. The medical service in Russia is of two kinds. Some state establishments give their employees medical insurance cards. They guarantee the people free of charge medical assistance. Some medical establishments charge fees for treatment. They may be rather high, but our medical service now uses all modern equipment and medicines and provides qualified medical help to all people.

Education [,edju’keIS(q)n] (Образование)

It is widely known that education helps to form the personality and prepares one for life. That is why all countries consider the system of education a very important part of national politics.

It Russia, everyone has the right to receive education guaranteed by the Constitution. This right is realized by the broad development of compulsory secondary education, vocational, specialised secondary and higher education and also by the development of a system of scholarships, grants, evening and correspondence courses. In Russia there is nine-year compulsory education, but to enter a university one has to study two years more. School starts at the age of six for Russian children. But most of them have learned letters in kindergarden which is now part of primary school. Primary and secondary schools together comprise eleven years of study. Every school has a "core curriculum" of Russian, Mathematics, Science, Physical Education. A variety of elective subjects are taught at lyceums and gymnasiums.

After finishing secondary school, lyceum or gymnasium one can go on to higher education. All applicants must take competitive examinations. Higher education institutions train undergraduate and graduate students in one or several specializations. The system of higher education in Russia, is going through a transitional period. The main objectives of the reform are: decentralization of the higher education system, development of autonomy in higher education institutions, expansion of academic freedoms for faculties and students, development of new financial mechanisms. All Russian schools until recently have been state-subsidized.

Americans also place a high value on education. Universal access to high quality education has been one of the nation’s historic goals.

America's first college, Harward, was founded in 1636. In 1865 education became available to all. The peculiar feature of American education is the absence of central administration. Each of the 50 states controls and directs its own schools. Most states require that children attend schools from the time they reach six or seven years old until they are sixteen or seventeen.

There is no uniform school organization or curriculum throughout the nation. But certain common features exist. Preschool education is part of the elementary school. Elementary I and secondary schools consist of twelve years of classes which meet for about ten months a year, five days a week and five hours a day. Almost every elementary school curriculum includes English, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, Music, Art I and Physical Education. Many schools include classes teaching basic computer skills.

After graduating from secondary schools a growing number of Americans go on to higher education. American institutions of higher education include: technical training schools, community colleges, colleges offering four-year bachelor degree programmes and universities which contain one or more colleges, and graduate schools offering master's or doctoral degree programmes. The factors determining an institution's prestige are the quality of the teaching faculty, quality of research facilities, the number and competence of applicants for admission.

The British system of education has a very long history, but in the past few years there have been many changes in it British education was traditionally decentralized, but now the Education Reform Act has led to a compulsory National Curriculum for pupils aged five to sixteen in state schools. The Act also aims to give parents a wider choice of schools for their children. Thus they have the right to express a preference for a school.

Boys and girls are taught together in most schools. Nonselective comprehensive education caters for children of all abilities. Most children receive free education financed from public funds. 7% of children attend private fee-paying schools.

Around half of 3- and 4-years-olds in Britain receive nursery education and many children attend preschool play groups, mostly organised by parents. Compulsory primary education begins at the age of 5. Children usually в tart their school career in an infant school and move to a junior school or department at seven. In some schools they move to middle school at the age of eight, nine or ten. These three stages form the primary school, covering the following subjects: English, Maths and Science, History, Geography, Music, Art and Physical Education.

At seven and eleven years old (and at secondary school at fourteen and sixteen) teachers measure children's progress in each subject against attainment targets. For each target there are ten levels of attainment.

The secondary level includes the children from eleven to eighteen. Here they build on the knowledge they have aquired at primary school. And according to the National Curriculum they start to learn a modern foreign language. At the age of sixteen they can get General Certificate of Secondary Education qualifications on the basis of examinations and course work.

If pupils are successful they can continue to more advanced education and training. After a further two years of study the General Certificate of Education Advanced level exam is taken at the age of eighteen and can be combined with the Advanced Supplementary level exam to provide a wider range of subjects. These exams are the main standard for entry to university education and to many forms of professional training. There is also a Certificate of Pre-Vocational Education for those who stay at school till seventeen. This provides a preparation for work on vocational courses.

For those leaving school at sexteen there are Further Education colleges. Most of them are work-related and vocational.

The next stage is higher education. All British universities enjoy complete academic freedom. There are seventy-nine universities, Oxford and Cambridge being the oldest of them. Over 90% of students receive awards covering tuition fees and maintenance.