TOPIC 1 Say what makes a person educated. What do you think can help you to
be successful in your studies? How can you aquire a good knowledge of
different subjects?

Each of us has to study at school. Only school can make a person
educated. School teaches us moral values, helps to understand ourselves
better and make our own decisions. That’s why school plays one of the
greatest roles in everyone’s life. It’s often at school that we learn to
make friends and get on with other people. A student’s experience at school
can influence how he or she relates to the rest of the society. The kind of
education a student receives will of course influence his or her job
prospects. Besides, it offers many opportunities for many kinds of
activities. So schools are often responsible for producing the citizens of
tomorrow. Besides school introduces us to different sorts of people, it
makes us polite and well-behaved and helps us to use our free time
sensibly. And, which is most important, it teaches us about our country,
its history, culture and its present-day place in the world, because an
educated person contributes more to the rest of the society and education
on the other hand gives a person the prospect for professional advance.
Taking part in all kinds of contests, making reports and holding
discussions give us opportunities to develop speaking skills and explore
new ideas. The scientific knowledge, which pupils get at their lessons of
chemistry, biology and physics will be valuable to them.
The activities of the school day afford different opportunities for
pupils to participate in sports and in some useful work. They give
opportunities for deeper study, for exercising speech , for making a wall
newspaper, for developing our talents for paintings , music, drama and so
on. These opportunities for practice are with us all day and every day.
In Russia there is a nine – year compulsory education, but to enter a
university one has to study two years more. I consider this system of
education to be quite good: those who fill with studies can go working or
in special places to learn this or that profession. Others, more diligent
pupils continue their studies to get a higher education and to enter
university.
Still there is always place for improvement. For example, pupils want
uniform at schools not to be compulsory or they want more educational
excursions to be arranged.
But it is not a secret that studying at school isn’t easy so we have
to face lots of problems. Nobody is good at everything without making any
efforts. Good work habits, constant study and a good memory help us to
acquire a serious knowledge of some subject. We should take any opportunity
of speaking English if you want to improve your conversational skills.
Diligent work, additional reading and responsibility can help us to pass
examination successfully. We will need someone’s parent’s advice and daily
practice and a friend’s help and support to cope with a difficult subject.
We need all this to become an educated person to become personalities,
because an educated person is one who knows a lot about many things.
Knowledge is power, light and wealth.