Lesson 13 Study
Most children begin their studies at 5 or 6 years old in pre-school, followed by kindergarten. After that comes primary/elementary school, which consists of first grade through fifth grade. Then there’s middle school – sixth grade through eighth grade – and high school, which is ninth grade through twelfth grade.
After high school, you apply to colleges/universities to see which ones will accept you. You send in/submit your application and then wait for the results. If you got good grades in high school, you might get / be awarded a scholarship to help pay the tuition (the cost of studying).
In college, you’ll take classes/courses on various subjects. You should always take notes as the teacher is giving the lecture. Some teachers may ask the students to give/make presentations or do research and write an essay, an assignment, a report, or a paper. After you hand in your work, the teacher will grade the assignment (give you an evaluation, for example, 90%) and give you feedback (comments on your work).
To evaluate your progress, you’ll take tests/exams. If you get the minimum number of points required, you’ve passed the test; if you don’t get the minimum number of points, you’ve failed the test. It’s also possible to pass/fail a course.
If the course proves to be too difficult, or if you don’t like it, you can withdraw from or drop the course.
“Withdraw from” is the more formal expression, and “drop” is the more informal expression.
Most college students choose a major/concentration. To talk about a concentration of studies, you can use “major” as a verb or a noun – for example,
“I majored in biology” / “I was a biology major.”
“My daughter is majoring in philosophy.” / “My daughter’s a philosophy major.”
When you graduate from college, you’ll get a diploma. Afterwards, you can say you have a degree in the area of your concentration. You can have a bachelor’s degree, master’s degree, or doctorate (Ph.D.), for example:
“I have a bachelor’s degree in chemistry.”
“I have a master’s degree in linguistics.”
“I have a Ph.D. in theology.”
Lesson 12 Study
Quiz
1. After my computer was stolen, I was so glad I had ………………. all my data on an external hard drive.
a) backed up b) locked up c) started up
2. Could I use your computer for a minute? I’d like to ……………….my e-mail.
a) check b) look c) verify
3. Do I need to ………………a special program to be able to view this video?
a) attach b) implement c) install
4. I ……………………. you a CD of some of my favorite music.
a) burned b) locked c) scanned
5. I can’t check the event schedule online because the conference website seems to be
a) off b) down c) frozen
6. If you want more space on your hard drive, you should ……………………old files that you no longer need.
a) crash b) delete c) shut down
7. I’m trying to …………………my account, but I can’t remember the password.
a) log into b) start up c) reboot
8. More and more people are ……………………the web on their cell phones nowadays.
a) getting b) scanning c) surfing
9. My computer ……………………..when I have too many programs open at the same time.
a) down b) freezes c) infected
10. Never open attachments from people you don’t know – they could …………………….. your computer with a virus.
a) disease b) infect c) lock up
11. The boss wants everyone to …………………….their computers before leaving work. You forgot to attach the file to your message.
a) close b) shut down c) turn out
12. You forgot to ………………the file to your message.
a) attach b) annex c) attach