Topic: Education in the USA

I. Read and remember the following words and word-combinations:

obligation – обов’язок

affair – справа

vocational skill – професійне уміння

in order to – для того, щоб

compulsory school attendance laws – закони штатів щодо термінів обов’язкового

навчання у школі

high school graduate – той, хто закінчив середню школу (у США)

educational establishment – освітній заклад

student – учень

by far – безумовно

public school – безкоштовна середня школа (у США)

tax – (державний) податок

to charge tuition – назначати плату за навчання

guidelines – рекомендації

secular – світський

parochial school – парафіяльна школа

II. Read and translate the following text:

Americans believe that every citizen has both the right and the obligation to become educated. The citizens of a democracy need to be educated, so that they can take part in affairs of governments, both local and national. They must also learn vocational skills.

In order to develop an educated population, all states have compulsory school attendance laws. These laws vary somewhat from one state to another, but generally they require that formal schooling being by age six and continue until at least age sixteen. However, most Americans attend school at least until high school graduation, when they are seventeen or eighteen years old. About 75% of all Americans adults are high school graduates.

The size of the nation’s basic educational establishment is astonishing. From kindergarten through high school, about 46 million students are enroled in school. To educate this vast number of students, Americans employ about 2.7 million teachers. By far, the largest professional group in the country.