Ulyanovsk Governor Embraces English

I. Ulyanovsk Governor Embraces English

The Moscow Times, March 20, 2008
By: David Nowak
http://www.moscowtimes.ru/stories/2008/03/20/001.html

II. This article is about the governor of Ulyanovsk, Russia, Morozov, and his decision to require his officials to take classes in English. He says that if they fail the test, they will take it again or until they pass. There will be no salary cuts or demotions just because they learn fast enough. The reason for this decision, Governor Morozov says, is that speaking fluent English will be good for investments and they will be able to hold conversations without an interpreter. This is not the first time he has sent officials back to “school.” In February of 2007, Morozov sent 2,500 regional officials to take high school-level exams.

III. A) This article relates to the theme, “Development and interactions of cultures,” because it is focused on education and learning.

B) This decision might because governor Morozov was embarrassed by his officials’ poor fluency of the English language during conferences.

C) The author of this article is most likely a Russian, male and is an insider to this issue.

D) The reporter seems to be in favor of the governor’s decision about learning English and as a Russian, might take pride in the fact that the governor is making good changes.

E) It would be helpful to hear from an official to see how the class is and how it is to learn to speak another language fluently.

F) I think this is a very good idea because it will be very helpful when they have conferences and will feel smarter and well prepared when dealing with English speaking organizations. Foreign political leaders should all know English well enough to hold a conversation and everyone could understand them.