Knowledge of foreign languages opens doors before you, gives you many opportunities and advantages. Knowledge of foreign languages has always been a sign of high culture and erudition. It helps to promote cultural education and technical co-operation among nations. That's why one of the characteristic features of life in our country nowadays is a great interest in studying foreign languages, mainly English.

Though there are almost three thousand languages in the world. English is the most universal. It is the official language in over forty countries. It is the most used language in international business, science, and medicine. Approximately 400 million people speak English as a mother tongue (700 million speak Chinese, 200 million speak Russian and 100 million speak German).

Even in the countries where English is not the first language, a number of English words are used. Words from no other language are borrowed more often than from English. Hundreds of words borrowed from English can now be found in other languages such as soda, hotel, golf, tennis, jeans, O.K., baseball, airport.

English is everywhere. It is on signs, clothing, soft drinks, and other goods around the world. Over two thirds of the world's scientists write in English. Three quarters of the world's mail is in English. 85 per cent of the information in computers in the world is in English, too. English is also the language of pop music, advertising, teaching, international airlines.

Independent Ukraine has relations with many countries; hundreds of joint ventures have appeared in every city and town recently. Besides, a lot of foreign delegations come to our country. Our businessmen, tourists, experts often go abroad. That's why a lot of people study foreign languages in every possible way. A modern engineer, scientist, or a production manager must have a good command of English. A specialist who can read the literature in his field in several languages has much better grasp of the subject. To read original scientific and technical literature in English is not an easy task. One has first to acquire everyday English with its grammar, vocabularies, and rules of word-formation. Only on this basis one can understand the peculiarities of the scientific-technical speech style. That's why one must work hard to master English. Besides, learning a foreign language enriches the native language, makes it clearer, more flexible and expressive. There is a proverb, "As many languages you know, as many times you are a person".

UNIT 2. HIGHER EDUCATION IN UKRAINE.
   THE STRUCTURE OF HIGHER EDUCATION SYSTEM IN UKRAINE.

In general the structure of higher education in Ukraine corresponds to the education structure of developed countries of the world and to the principles, declared by UNESCO, UNO and the Council of Europe.

There are state higher educational institutions and higher educational institutions of other forms of property in the country. The network includes about one thousand higher educational institutions with first - fourth accreditation levels (technical schools: specialized schools, colleges, institutes, academies and universities).

The state educational institutions are created, reorganized and liquidated by the decision of Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine. Creation, reorganization and liquidation of the private educational institution depends on their owner's (owners') decision.

The amount of payment for the total studying term is set by the contract between the higher educational institution and a person who wants to study or a juridical person who will pay for the studies of a student. Students who study well in the full-time form of study, receive scholarships which are provided by the state or a local budget.

According to the status of higher educational institutions there are four levels of accreditation in Ukraine:

- the first level - technical school, specialized school and other higher educational institutions equated to them;
- the second level - college and other higher educational institutions equated to it:
- the third and the fourth level - institute, conservatory, academy and university.

University is a multi-profiled higher educational institution of the fourth level of accreditation. It carries out educational activity,' connected with obtaining certain higher education and qualification in a wide range of natural, humanitarian, technical, economic and other directions of science, engineering, culture and arts. It conducts fundamental and applied scientific research. It is a scientific and methodological center, having developed infrastructure of educational, scientific and production subdivisions with a corresponding level of professional staff, material and technical provision. It supports propagation of scientific knowledge and carries out cultural and educational activity. There can be developed classical and profiled (technical, technological, economic, pedagogical, medical, agricultural, art, cultural, etc.) universities.

At our higher educational institutions we have, full-time and correspondence forms of training. Students get an all-round education. Besides special subjects the humanities are obligatory subjects for future specialists.

Higher educational institutions of the-fourth level of accreditation have a system of Candidate's and Doctor's postgraduate studies for training the staff of the highest qualification and for defending theses to receive the degree of Candidate of Sciences or the degree of Doctor of Sciences.

UNIT 3. OUR UNIVERSITY

I study at Zhytomyr State Technological University. It was founded in 1960 as the Zhytomyr General-Technical Faculty of Kiev Polytechnic Institute. The Faculty began to work in the building of the Zhytomyr Pedagogical Institute. In 1966 the General Technical Faculty continued training its students in a purpose-built four-floor building in Pushkinska Street. The part-time students studied at the faculty during three years and then they had the opportunity to complete their studies at other educational institutions of Ukraine and other republics of the former Soviet Union. Later the evening and full-time departments were opened with the full cycle of training in two specialties: "Technology of Machine-Building, Metal-Cutting Machines and Instruments" and "Automation and Telemechanics". In 1968, the construction of the educational-laboratory building in Chernyakovsky Street began. In 1975, ZGTF KPI was reorganized into the Zhytomyr Branch of Kyiv Polytechnic Institute. In 1994, the Zhytomyr Institute of Engineering and Technology was founded on the basis of the Zhytomyr Branch of KPI. In 2003 the Institute was reorganized into Zhytomyr State Technological University. Its Structure includes five faculties:

- the faculty of mechanical engineering;
- the faculty of information computer technologies;
- the faculty of economics and management;
- the faculty of mining and ecology;
- the faculty of audit and finance.

The faculty of preliminary training and the faculty of specialists' retraining were established as important elements of the system of continuous education.

There are two halls of residence, a refectory, a sanatorium and a recreation camp "Polytechnic" available at the university. There is a gym, tennis courts and a stadium at the University as well. The library and its own publishing department allow the University to provide students with educational and methodological literature. ZSTU has its own website in the Ukrainian and English languages. Local computer network is connected to the Internet. The electronic versions of some textbook are located on the University server.

In 1994 a post-graduate course was founded for training scientific personnel, and since then a lot of theses have been defended.

ZSTU pays special attention to the strengthening of the international cooperation. It is a member of numerous international organizations.

UNIT 4. ENGINEER AND TECHNOLOGICAL PROGRESS

In the conditions of the scientific and technological progress the significance of engineers is increasing. Our country has taken on a course toward the market economy. Engineers have an important part to play in intensifying the national economy. In their work engineers are guided by the latest achievements in science and technology. Engineering means physical implementation of the design into machines, devices or systems. Only a well-trained engineer can cope with his tasks. In the practical work an engineer is faced with problems of choosing suitable engineering materials for construction different devices or machine parts. A modern engineer must have good knowledge of physics and mathematics, chemistry, computers, systems engineering computer-aided-design, management science, etc.

Engineers are trained at technical higher schools and at some departments of the universities. In spite of the fact that there are no single and absolutely identical curricula, the sets of subjects for training technical students have very much in common. Future engineers are trained in fundamentals the students are offered a wide programme of humanities. A great attention at technical departments is paid to such subjects as history, philosophy, economics, management, sociology, ecology and foreign languages as well as to the development of the scientific world outlook of the future engineers. The engineer is the main motive power of the technological progress.