Mining Education in Great Britain

In Great Britain the students get mining education at special colleges and at mining departments of universities.

For example, the Mining Department at the University of Nottingham ranks as one of the foremost teaching and research mining schools in Great Britain. The students come to the University from all parts of the country and from abroad. The close proximity of Nottingham to mines extracting coal and different metals makes it possible for the University to keep in close touch with new achievements in mining.

The aim of training at the University is to give the student an understanding of applied science based on lectures, tutorial system, laboratory work and design classes. The laboratory work trains the student in accurate recording of observations, drawing of logical conclusions and presentation of scientific reports. Besides, it gives the student an understanding of experimental methods and familiarizes him (or her) with the characteristics of engineering materials, equipment and machines.

At Nottingham there are two types of laboratories, general and Specialized. General laboratories deal with the fundamentals of engineering science and specialized ones1 study the more specialized problems in different branches of engineering.

During the final two years of his course the student gets a comprehensive training in surveying. Practical work both in the field and in drawing classes forms an important part of this course. Besides, the students have practical work in survey camps during two weeks. The equipment available for carrying out traversing, levelling, tacheometric and astronomical surveying is of the latest design.

The practical and laboratory work throughout the three or four years of study forms a very important part of the course, so the students obtain the required standard in their laboratory course work before they graduate.

British educational system is fee-paying. The annual fee includes registration, tuition, examination, graduation and, in the case of full-time students, membership of the Union of Students.

Students from all over the world (nearly 100 countries) study at the University of Nottingham. For many years the University has had a thriving community of international students.

The University pays much attention to learning foreign languages. For individual study there is a 16-place self-access tape library with a tape archive of 3,000 tapes in 30 languages. There are also 16 video work stations where the students play back video tapes or watch TV broadcasts in a variety of languages.

Определите, какие предложения соответствуют содержанию текста. Подтвердите свои ответы фактами из текста.

1. In Great Britain the students can get mining education only at special colleges.

2. The training at universities is based on tutorial system.

3. The laboratory work familiarizes the student with modern equipment.

4. There are three types of laboratories at the University of Nottingham.

5. When the students study surveying, they have practical work both in the field and in drawing classes.

6. The students from abroad don't study at Nottingham.

2. Ответьте на следующие вопросы:

1. Where can one get mining education in Great Britain?

2. Is the Mining Department at the University of Nottingham one of the foremost research mining schools in Great Britain?

3. What makes it possible for the University to keep in close touch with the, achievements in mining?

4. What are the students supposed to do in the laboratories?

5. Will the students have practical work in survey camps or in the laboratories?

6. What do the students use surveying equipment for?

7. What can you say about studying foreign languages at the University?