Unit 7: Guessing meaning from context

I helped my friend with math. He was very grateful. He thanked me again and again.

A grateful person is:

• appreciative of someone’s favor.

• indifferent to.

The school day is divided into 6-7 lessons in different subjects, with a break in the morning and afternoon. There is also a one-hour lunch break. The school year is usually divided into three terms. Each term is about 13 weeks, and each week pupils do about ten subjects. At the end of the school year, they take an exam in each subject. After the holidays, pupils go back to school.

A term is:

• resting time

• period of study

The school has teachers and lessons; at university, you have lecturers and lectures. The head of the department at a university is usually called a professor.

A professor is:

• a university academic of the highest rank.

• a person who teaches, especially in a school.

If you want to go to university, you must first pass examinations that most students take at the age of 18. Students usually take three or four "A" levels, and they must do well to get a place at university.

An examination is:

• the money some students receive if they get a place at university.

• a test of knowledge.

If you get a place, most students have to pay part of their tuition fees. Some students also get a government grant, but most students need a loan to cover the cost of university life. Students at university are called undergraduates while they are studying for their first degree.

A loan is:

• the money you receive for your work.

• the money you borrow from a bank.

Most university courses last three years, some courses last four years, and one or two courses, e.g. medicine, are five years. During this period students can say they are doing a degree, and when they finish and pass their exams, they can say they have a degree. This can be a BA or a BSc.

Last means:

• stop

• duration

When you complete your first degree, you are a graduate. Some students then go on to do a second course or degree, called a postgraduate course or degree. These students are then postgraduates and they often study for a MA, an MSc, or a Ph.D.

Go on means:

• stop

• continue