Prime Time 8. Coursebook plus Semester Self-checks, Schulbuch

10 Speaking: Studying abroad With a partner, choose one of the role cards and discuss why it is (not) a good idea to study abroad. Look at all the information in this unit to get ideas before you start. 1 Role card A You are generally shy and introverted and you think you might not want to do it. In your statements you should: • • talk about your worries • • make clear you’d like to be more adventurous • • ask for help Role card B You are convinced studying abroad is a good oppor­ tunity. In your statements you should: • • try to convince your partner • • highlight the positive aspects • • discuss possible challenges Can take an active part in informal discussion in familiar contexts, commenting, putting point of view clearly, evaluating alternative proposals and making and responding to hypotheses. (B2) Reading: Don’t reduce student loans Read the text about the drawbacks of cutting student loans. Complete the sentences (1–6) using a maximum of four words. Write your answers in the spaces provided. The first one (0) has been done for you. Skyrocketing college tuition is burdening a growing number of students with college loans they can’t repay. The financial consequences of default can last a lifetime. 2 Our view: Rise in student loan defaults carries a familiar echo. But that doesn’t mean the government should reduce access to loans. Instead, it should crack down on colleges that charge too much and provide too little in return. Some student borrowers are poor credit risks, when judged in conventional terms. But that’s the whole reason the federal student loan programme was created in the first place – to give students with few tangible assets the opportunity to borrow against their future, college-educated earnings. With unemployment hovering at 9% and the global information-age economy putting growing demands on the labour market, it’s crucial that laid-off workers have the opportunity to upgrade their skills in college, and that younger students have access to valuable college credentials. Cut them out of the loan system and they’ll sink beneath the economic waves. And while taxpayers have to step in when students default on federally guaranteed loans, the federal student loan programme as a whole makes a profit, even after subtracting the cost of default. That’s because the US Treasury borrows money at one rate and lends money to students at another, higher rate. That doesn’t mean that nothing should be done to reduce loan defaults, which create terrible financial problems for students. There are bad actors in the higher education industry, colleges that misrepresent their services, pressure students into borrowing the maximum possible amount, and then leave them with degrees that have little value in the job market – or no degree at all. Some of these predatory colleges operate as for-profit companies, while others are traditional non-profit institutions. The federal government should shut them – not students – out of the loan programme. The Department of Education is working on regulations that would do exactly that. This is the best way to reduce loan defaults. (Kevin Carey, USA TODAY ) 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 122 Lifelong learning Check-out Now you can • Discuss various types of learning schemes and institutions. • Express opinions on education and schools. • Analyse websites and collect information. • Write personal statements. • Make plans for the future. Nur zu Prüfzwecken – Eigentum des Verlags öbv