В помощь первокурснику: общеакадемические компетенции

THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND SCIENCE OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION 
FAR EASTERN FEDERAL UNIVERSITY 

SCHOOL OF REGIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
I.N. Lazareva 
 

AN ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE STARTER KIT FOR EFL FRESHMEN 
 
Study Guide 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Moscow 
Dashkov & Co Inc. 
2015 
 

УДК 811.111’ 24: 94(5) (075.8) 
ББК  81.432.1: 63. 3(5)я 73 – 5 
Л17 
 
         
 Рекомендовано к изданию экспертно-методическим советом        
ФГАОУ ВПО «Дальневосточный федеральный университет» 
27. 05. 2014г. 
 
 
 
Рецензенты: 
И. В. Балицкая — д.п.н., профессор, Сахалинский государственный 
университет;  
А. Г. Долган — к.п.н., доцент, Хабаровская государственная ака- 
демия экономики и права.    
Консультант: 
Dr. Jayasiri P. Rajapakse, PhD (Lond), MPhil (Camb), CEng, FCIWEM, MICE,  
Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane. 
 
 
 
Лазарева И.Н. 
An Academic Excellence Starter Kit for EFL Freshmen: учебное 
пособие / И. Н. Лазарева. — М.: Издательско-торговая корпорация 
«Дашков и К°», 2015. — 76 стр. 

ISBN 978-5-394-02579-2 

Данное 
учебное 
пособие 
содержит 
систематизированный 
комплекс инструктивных материалов и практических заданий по 
освоению общеакадемических компетенций в контексте изучения 
дисциплины «английский язык». Издание предназначено для сту- 
дентов с различным уровнем подготовки, стремящихся овладеть как 
специальным лингвистическим знанием, так и умениями  эффек- 
тивной интеллектуальной деятельности, позволяющими вывести 
учащихся на высокий уровень профессионального общения. Реко- 
мендуется для аудиторной и самостоятельной работы.  
            
 
 
© Лазарева И. Н., 2015 

TABLE OF CONTENTS 
 
INTRODUCTORY NOTE  ........................................................................... 4 
PRELIMINARY  ........................................................................................... 6 
CHAPTER 1. BUILDING YOUR VOCABULARY  ................................... 9 
CHAPTER 2. LEARNING GRAMMAR  .................................................. 22 
CHAPTER 3. THINKING-INTENSIVE READING  ................................ 26 
CHAPTER 4. IMPROVING WRITING SKILLS  ..................................... 45 
CHAPTER 5. DEVELOPING ORAL LANGUAGE SKILLS  .................. 55 
APPENDIX A   ........................................................................................... 64 
APPENDIX B   ........................................................................................... 66 
APPENDIX C  ............................................................................................ 67 
APPENDIX D  ............................................................................................ 68 
APPENDIX E  ............................................................................................ 69 
APPENDIX F  ............................................................................................ 71 
APPENDIX G  ............................................................................................ 72 
APPENDIX H  ............................................................................................ 73 
GLOSSARY  .............................................................................................. 74 
BIBLIOGRAPHY  ..................................................................................... 75 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

INTRODUCTORY NOTE________________________________________ 
 
An Academic Excellence Starter Kit for EFL Freshmen is a personal learning 
guide which applies to the goals that are at the core of real learning in tertiary 
education. The book’s main function lies in giving assistance in adjusting to 
the expectations of university study therewith offering the instruments of 
deeper learning. This developmental guide provides all-purpose academic 
skills advice appropriate to learners across all disciplines and those engaged 
in professional development and anybody who wants to learn effectively. 
When you are better equipped for academic studies you will develop your 
own personal approach to learning. This will increase your awareness and 
you will become more confident. 
Five units of study open your mind to considering the skills necessary 
to succeed in the classroom and workplace. The material contains authentic 
reading passages, oral and written work, basic structures and active 
strategies. Each of the five parts is self-standing and can be used solo. The 
choice of the material is left to the individual learner or teacher to decide.  
The book includes a range of components fully integrated into its 
structure. Language study skills form part of the developmental course 
enabling you to take control of your foreign language and transdisciplinary 
performance.  
Unit 1 sets up for engaging in higher-order thinking tasks. Expanding 
vocabulary range with thinking words and phrases, and practicing conscious 
use of the language of the world scientific community gives a grounding for 
communicating independently while being reflective, critical and creative.  
Unit 2 provides an overview of basic grammar rules. Students learn how to 
use structures in context.   
Unit 3 will assist you to get the most out of your readings:  learning how to 
question and annotate texts in order to understand what their originator is 
trying to communicate.  
Unit 4 prepares students for academic writing tasks: encoding messages into 
words, sentences, and paragraphs for the purpose of communicating to a 
person; identifies structures for individual accountability (individual 
reporting). 
 
 

Unit 5 focuses on intellectually challenging communicative activities;  
provides guidance on procedures. 
 
Objectives Addressed in the Activities 
 
The aim of this course is that on successful completion, you should be able 
to:  
 Isolate and learn the meaning of the important words (unit 1). 
 Experience phrases for different speaking purposes (unit 5). 
 Improve the structure of written assignments (unit 2). 
 Analyze sentence links that help you follow the ideas (unit 1). 
 Rewrite difficult sentences in your own words (unit 4). 
 Monitor your comprehension (units 1, 3) 
 Understand relations between parts of a text through cohesion devices 
(units 1, 3) 
 Organize ideas (units 4, 5) 
 Recognize your own point of view (units 1, 3, 4, 5). 
 Determine the personal value of what you have read (unit 3). 
 Recognize the use of what you have read (unit 3). 
 Summarize (units 3, 4, 5). 
 Synthesize information (units 4, 5) 
 Make study sheets (units 2, 3, 4, 5).  
 Work collaboratively with others (units 2, 4, 5). 
 Make after-action review (units 1, 3,4,5) 
 Self-evaluating (units 1, 3, 5) 
 Elaborate on the material by thinking about its implications or how to 
use it (units 1, 3). 
 
If you follow these strategies  you will become a better thinker and learner. 
As a result of your studies within this course you will establish habits 
necessary to succeed in academic and professional environments. 
 
 
 
 
 

PRELIMINARY_______________________________________________ 

Learning Goals: Mobilizing prior knowledge; searching existing schemata.
Considering the concept of learning that is pursued throughout life. 
______________________________________________________________ 
Lifelong learning has become so much important  in the Knowledge Age 
when being able to apply knowledge is one of the keys to success. This form 
of education embraces an extensive range of learning settings and contexts: 
 
Formal 
Non-formal 
Informal 

ACE institutions 
Labour market programs 
Clubs 

Universities 
Professional associations 
Libraries 

VET providers 
On-the-job training 
Museums 

High schools 
Work experience programs 
Art galleries 

Primary schools 
Volunteer organisations 
Playgrounds 

Pre-schools 
Childcare centres 
Families 

U3As 
Learning circles 
Elder care 

 
Reading Activity. Match the tips for installing the habit of lifelong learning 
with their descriptions 
Tips to Cultivate Lifelong Learning 
Learning is a great activity. It expands your viewpoint. It gives you new 
knowledge you can use to improve your life. But in a busy world, it can often 
be hard to fit in time to learn anything that isn’t essential. The only things 
learned are those that need to be. Everything beyond that is considered 
frivolous. Even those who do appreciate the practice of lifelong learning, can 
find it difficult to make the effort. 
Here are some tips for installing the habit of lifelong learning: 
 Always have a book.  
 Keep a “To-Learn” List 
 Get More Intellectual Friends 
 Guided Thinking 
 Put it Into Practice 
 Teach Others 
 Clean Your Input 
 Learn in Groups 

 Unlearn Assumptions 
 Find Jobs that Encourage Learning 
 Start a Project 
 Follow Your Intuition 
 The Morning Fifteen 
 Reap the Rewards 
 Make it a Priority 
 
A. Learn information you can use. Meeting a situation that makes use of your 
educational efforts can be a source of pride. 
 
B. Pick a career that encourages continual learning. If you are in a job that 
doesn’t have much intellectual freedom, consider switching to one that does. 
Don’t spend forty hours of your week in a job that doesn’t challenge you. 
 
C. Use the first fifteen minutes of your morning as a period for education. If 
you find yourself too groggy, you might want to wait a short time. Just don’t 
put it off later in the day where urgent activities will push it out of the way. 
 
D. It doesn’t matter if it takes you a year or a week to read a book. Always 
strive to have a book that you are reading through, and take it with you so 
you can read it when you have time. Just by shaving off a few minutes inbetween activities in your day you can read about a book per week. That’s at 
least fifty each year. 
 
E. Set out to do something you don’t know how. Forced learning in this way 
can be fun and challenging.  
 
F. We all have to-do lists. These are the tasks we need to accomplish. Try to 
also have a “to-learn” list. On it you can write ideas for new areas of study. 
Maybe you would like to take up a new language, learn a skill or read the 
collective works of Shakespeare. Whatever motivates you, write it down. 
 
G. Start spending more time with people who are smart, people who actually 
invest much of their time in learning new skills. Their habits will rub off on 
you. Even better, they will probably share some of their knowledge with you. 

H. Few external forces are going to persuade you to learn. The desire has to 
come from within. Once you decide you want to make lifelong learning a 
habit, it is up to you to make it a priority in your life. 
 
I. Lifelong learning doesn’t mean condemning yourself to a stack of dusty 
textbooks. Join organizations that teach skills. Workshops and group learning 
events can make educating yourself a fun, social experience. 
 
J. Lifelong learning is like wandering through the wilderness. You can’t be 
sure what to expect and there isn’t always an end goal in mind. Letting your 
intuition guide you can make self-education more enjoyable.  
 
K. You learn what you teach. If you have an outlet of communicating ideas 
to others, you are more likely to solidify that learning. Start a blog, mentor 
someone or even discuss ideas with a friend. 
 
L. You can’t add water to a full cup. Always try to maintain a distance away 
from any idea. Too many convictions simply mean too few paths for new 
ideas. Actively seek out information that contradicts your worldview. 
 
M. Albert Einstein once said, “Any man who reads too much and uses his 
own brain too little falls into lazy habits of thinking.” Simply studying the 
wisdom of others isn’t enough, you have to think through ideas yourself. 
Spend time journaling, meditating or contemplating over ideas you have 
learned. 
 
N. Some forms of learning are easy to digest, but often lack substance. Make 
a point of regularly cleaning out your feed reader for blogs you subscribe to. 
Great blogs can be a powerful source of new ideas. But every few months, 
purify your input to save time and focus on what counts. 
 
O. 
Skill based learning is useless if it isn’t applied. Reading a book isn’t the 
same thing as writing a program. Studying painting isn’t the same as picking 
up a brush. If your knowledge can be applied, put it into practice.