Review 4. A Farewell to Arms (1957)

A Farewell to Arms is a 1957 drama film directed by Charles Vidor. It is an adaptation of Ernest Hemingway's 1929 semi-autobiographical novel of the same name, starring Rock Hudson as Frederick Henry, Jennifer Jones as Catherine Barkley.

Let me pass on to the plot of this film. Henry, an American officer, who served in Italy during World War I, fell in love with a British nurse Catherine. When he was wounded in the knee and got to the hospital, their relationships developed. Then, being on the front again, Henry killed an engineering sergeant for insubordination. After that, he was caught by the "battle police", who executed officers for the "treachery", but he managed to escape. Together with Catherine they went to Switzerland, where she gave birth to a dead child and then died herself. and Frederick was left alone.

As for the cast, I should mention that all of the actors were awesome. But of course the leading actors were the best. I like how Rock Hudson makes Fredric Henry, the idealistic man who volunteers on the Italian front as an ambulance driver to experience war so he can write about it when it's over. Also Jennifer Jones wass execellent at potraying a devoted nurse. I really beleived that the main characters had a true love.

As for the directing, it was also good. As the whole film is based on the book, so the director was good at describing all the events logically. And though I knew the end, I hoped that it would be different from the novel.

In conclusion, I'd like to say that the ilm is really good. And if you want to see the real emotions and feelings of people during the WWI this film is worth watching.

Review 3. In Love And War

The topic under consideration is based on the film 'In Love and War'. It is a 1996 romance drama film based on the book, Hemingway in Love and War by Henry S. Villard and James Nagel, starring Chris O'Donnell and Sandra Bullock.

Let me pass on to the plot of this film. This film is largely based on Ernest Hemingway's real experience in World War I as a young soldier in Italy. He was wounded and sent to military hospital where he shared a room with Villard and they were nursed by Agnes von Kurowsky. Hemingway and von Kurowsky fell strongly in love but somehow the relationship didn't work out.

As for the cast,I should mention Chris O'Donnell and Sandra Bullock. They were wonderful. Their acting creates true, honest and real atmosphere. I believe their feelings and emotions. Chris O'Donnell plays young Ernest Hemingway. And I think he is good at showing Hemingway's trasformation from a sweet boy into a well-known writer. As for Sandra Bullock, she is also great at demonstarating the true feelings of Agnes von Kurowsky. To my mind, it's difficult to show her as a sensetive woman, but Bullock had managed with it.

Also I can't but mention about music. As the music by four-time Academy Award nominee George Fenton is on a grand scale. Outdoor scenes have majestic sounds full of horns and worthy of a vast symphony. In interior scenes we are treated to intimate violin serenades. Every scene is filled with intense musical emotion.Anf to my mind, it helps to feel character's mood more vividly.

Finally, 'In Love and War' is a solid example of telling Hemingway's biography. It shows how pride can ruin and change not only life but also the way of thinking. This autobiographical film does not tell the same story that the semi-autobiographical book, 'A Farewell to Arms' did. So 'In Love and War' is closer to the truth of the writer’s life. In that way, this movie is a historical and biographical resource for people interested in Hemingway.

Discussion Questions: Higher education

1. Entrance to British and Amirecan universities is via a strict selection process based on an interview.

2. The universities are divided into three types: the old universities (Oxford, Cambridge and Edinburgh Universities), in the 19th century universities, such as London and Manchester universities, and the new universities. Some years ago there were also polytechnics.

3.Britain: A first degree, which is usually an honours degree, generally takes three years. Most courses end with exams called finals. Results are given as classes (= grades): a first is the highest class, seconds are often split between upper second and lower second, and below that is a third. Graduates may add the letters BA (Bachelor of Arts) or BSc (Bachelor of Science) after their name. Some graduates go on to study for a further degree, often a master’s degree or a doctorate.
The USA: Students are given grades at the end of each course. The highest grade is A; the lowest is F, which means that the student has failed the course and will not get credit for taking it. To check a student’s overall progress, the university calculates a grade point average (GPA). Students who finish their degree with a high GPA may be awarded Latin honours, of which the highest is summa cum laude.




4. Students are given grades at the end of each course. The highest grade is A; the lowest is F, which means that the student has failed the course and will not get credit for taking it. To check a stu­dent’s overall progress, the university calculates a grade point average (GPA).





5. American high school students who want to study at a college or university have to take a standardized test, e.g. the SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test) or the ACT (American College Test). Students from countries outside the US who are not native speakers of English must also take the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language). Each college or university decides on the minimum score it will accept, though test scores are never the only factor taken into account.

6. Students in Britain formerly had their tuition fees paid by the state and received a government grant to help pay their living expenses. Now, they receive only a loan towards their expenses, and from 1999 most will also have to pay £1 000 a year towards tuition fees. The new arrangements have caused a great deal of concern both among students and among members of the public who believe that education should be free.

7. GPA (Grade Point Average) (Am.E) – an average academic score for a student in a US high school, college or university. The highest grade A receives 4 points, В is 3, С is 2, D is 1 and F is 0.

8.  Student counselors, also called guidance counselors, are professionals who help students at the high school or college level.

10. Most universities receive some money from the state.

11.  Graduate (infml. grad) – a person who has completed a university degree course. Undergraduate (undergrad) – a student who is doing a university course for a Bachelor's degree.

12. For me, an oral examination is better than written one, because examiner can help you with questions, and also they will understand if you know the material or not. Although sometimes they scare students to death only with their way of looking at them.

13. In my opinion,  written tasks are more popular with Russian students as they have more opportunities to use cribs. But in our univerity, the oral exams are more popular, so bafore them all our group is nerveous. We are in panic, as we are afraid of our examiner, always.

14. I'd like to study in the Uk, as for me it's quite interesting to study abroad, to learn smth new.
Students from countries outside the US who are not native speakers of English must also take the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language).

15. To my mind, the idea of choosing the major subjects for a student is brilliant, as he himself choose the subjects, which he wants to learn. That means that he would really be interested in it. 

Laboratory Work 5.4

1. The speaker mentioned library, students' centre and administration complex

2. As for the places, which are worth mentioning, are cafeteria, parking, a concert hall and hall of residence.
Cafeteria is a place, where students eat. Parking is a place, where students, professors and other people, who work in universities park their cars. A concert hall is a hall for important events, on which all students have to be. Hall of residence is a building, where students from other cities live.

3. In our Institute,we have a large library,which is well equipped with computers.There are two halls of residence on the territory of campus for those students who live in other cities. Also there is a cafeteria, where you can eat. It is situated in the main building. Right there, we have a concert hall for very imfortant and special events.

Laboratory Work 5.3

1.  The one can drop the course within the first three week of the semester. First, they need to get the signature of the professor whose course ythey want to drop on the official drop card.Then they need to go to a student advisor on campus to get the signature of the adviser.

2. The adviser warned that a student can't drop a course after the first three weeks of the semester. If a student stop attending a course without going through the official drop procedures, the course will remain on their schedule and the student will receive a failing grade.

3. To avoid getting a failing grade, the one should remember these rules, and of course attend courses.

4. In most cases elective courses are obligatory, so all students have to attend them. That's why they can't drop these courses.

Laboratory Work 5.2

1. The standard grading system in the USA is a standard letter system of A, B, C, D and F.

2. The special grades are 'satisfactory' - (S) and 'unsatisfactory' (U)

3.  In Russia the standard grading system is grades from 5 to 2. 5 is an excellent mark. 2 is an unsatisfactory mark.

4.  In the Uk and the USA and some other countries there is a credit system of grade, when during the semester students have to collect scores.

5.  For example in Ukraine there is a 12-step grading system. 12-10 is a Russian excellent. 10-7 is good. 7-2 - satisfactory. 1 is bad. Also in France there is 20-step grading system.While in Spain is a 10-step grading system.

To my mind, these grading systems are more appropriate, as a techer can give a mark to a student, which would show his knowledge more vivdly.

International scale	Spanish scale
A (excellent)	10 - 9.00 (Matrícula de Honor (MH) - Sobresaliente)
B (very good, with few errors)	8.99 - 8.00 (Notable alto)
C (good, with some errors)	7.99 - 7.00 (Notable bajo)
D (satisfactory, with many errors)	6.99 - 6.00 (Bien)
E (sufficient)	5.99 - 5.00 (Suficiente)

Laboratory Work 5.1

Task 1

Speaker	Problem	Signs of the Problem	Your Solution to the Problem
1	examination	We need to assess the ability to learn: this type of exam or learning license (that tests this ability) would be more useful for students, employers and society in general. It shows which candidates are good at,  engineering, but it also shows actually which can think as an engineer.
2	preparation for exam	tired face, sleepless nights etc.	Parents should support their children, and also beware them to overdo
3	exaustion while preparing for entrance exams to university	He lost his weight, he has big black rings under his eyes. He sleeps for 3 or 4 hours a day. He didn’t sleep at all during the last 3 or 4 days.	As the period while preparing for exams is the hardest and most nervous, school-leavers have to pay special attention tp their daily routine, food and rest.
4	inconfidence while passing the exam	He never thought of himself like a highflyer, he never excepted such high results.	Many students are inconfisent in their knowledge. So it is teachers and parents who should cщnvince them in reverse.
5	modern technology as a test checker	The results would be able to get much faster, 40% of all exams will be conducting electronically in a couple of years, online tests and registration will follow.	Of course such machines save a lot of time, while chicking test, but this sphere of technology is not developped properly.

Task 2
 Yes, I've expirienced some problems, while studing. On the first year in university I faced the problem of learning many words, texts and poems by heart in a very little time. So to cope this problem I had to study hard to develop my memory.

Task 3
 The problems, which contemprorary students face, are comunication problems with other students, misunderstading from professors, lack of time for preparing not only homework, but also exams. Also students are always on the edge of their abilities, phyche in order to be on time everywhere. And it should be mantioned that these problems occur not only on the first year of studing, they appear from time to time during the whole students' high education. And of course I agree with the statement “the travel of hardships”, as the one can't achieve something in his studing, while they don't study hard, sacrifice thier spare time, the time, which they can spend with their friends, family.