Russian Lessons: Time Schedule

43. 
What medals are you talking about? 
44. 
A gold medal is awarded to pupils who have straight "fives" in their 
school-leaving certificate. To get a silver medal, a pupil is allowed to have not 
more than two "fours"; all the other subjects should be "fives". 
45. 
Valentin Petrovich, I would like to ask you many more questions. But I 
have taken too much of your time already. 
46. 
No problem, Joan. I still have five or ten minutes to spare. 
47. 
In that case, let me ask you one more question: how much, 
approximately, do students pay for their tuition at an institute? 
48. 
Our education, fortunately, is still free. Moreover, all students who make 
satisfactory progress (with the exception of those who combine studies with 
work) receive a study allowance. 
49. 
This is really wonderful! 
50. 
Yes, I agree. And in general, I must say, student days are the most 
interesting and delightful period of one's life. I would gladly repeat them. 

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51. So would I. As the Russian proverb says, "Knowledge is light, and 
ignorance is darkness". 
52. 
In that case, see you in the classroom! 
Comments (refer to the relevant paragraphs above) 
Paragraph 5. Joan is confused because the Russian word 
средний (средняя for 
feminine gender) in another commonly used context can mean "average", or 
"medium-level" of something, i.e. neither very good nor very bad. For this reason, 
средняя школа in this and some other paragraphs is translated not as a 
"secondary school" (as it should be translated), but as a "medium-level school" 
(as it is understood by Joan). 
Paragraph 20. "Certificate of maturity" is a literal translation of the Russian term for 
"school-leaving certificate". 
Paragraph 24. In addition, some teachers on rare occasions use mark "1" (