书城外语英语PARTY——不列颠之狮·英格兰
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第26章 名校风采Famous Universities(1)

The University of Cambridge

剑桥大学

剑桥大学成立于1209年,是世界十大学府之一,70多位诺贝尔奖得主出自此校。剑桥大学位于风景秀丽的剑桥镇,着名的康河横贯其间。剑桥大学有35个学院,有三个女子学院,两个专门的研究生院,各学院历史背景不同,实行独特的学院制。风格各异的35所学院经济上自负盈亏;剑桥大学负责生源规划和教学工作,各学院内部录取步骤各异,每个学院在某种程度上就像一个微型大学,有自己的校规校纪。剑桥的许多地方保留着中世纪以来的风貌,到处可见几百年来不断按原样精心维修的古城建筑,许多校舍的门廊、墙壁上仍然装饰着古朴庄严的塑像和印章,高大的染色玻璃窗像一幅幅瑰丽的画面。剑桥大学有教师(教授、副教授、讲师)1000余名,另外还有1000余名访问学者。剑桥大学共有学生16 900名,其中包括6935名研究生,72%的研究生来自其它大学,研究生中42%是国外留学生,女生占36%。大学校长为女王丈夫菲利浦亲王(他同时兼任牛津大学校长),设一名常务副校长主持日常工作。

剑桥大学城古朴自然,大学所属的各类机构、31个学院、为数众多的实验室和研究机构分散在城中各处。在大片公园和草坪中,点缀着座座古色古香的教堂和学校建筑,令人宛如置身于雅典娜智慧皇宫之中。700多年的人文积聚和学术气氛培养,潜移默化地影响着剑桥学子,匆匆穿梭于校园之中的,或是闲庭信步于殿堂的学子们,都是那样的气宇轩昂、文质彬彬,令人不得不慨叹:“壮哉,斯校!美哉,斯人!”

剑桥大学拥有62个系,其中有29个理科系、33个文科系,各系都有自己的教学大楼和图书馆。众多系中尤为着名的是物理系和卡文迪许实验室。大学实验室专业广泛,包括农业、解剖学、生物化学、生物学和寄生虫学、植物学、化学、化学工程、实验物理学、遗传学、人类解剖学、医学、冶金学和材料科学、矿物学、岩石学、病理学、生物化学、生理学、统计学和兽医科学以及动物学等,共约20个实验室。

一般来说,英国的学制要比美国的短。剑桥大学的本科生一般是三到四年。上完三年,就可得到学士学位;上完四年,下来就是硕士学位(MA);如果三年拿到学士学位后就参加工作,一年以后也可以在工作岗位上再交论文,直接申请硕士学位。所以严格说来,剑桥大学没有真正的硕士,硕士学位只是一个过渡。副博士是剑桥和牛津的一个稍具特色的学位,因专业不同,一般是两年,授课一年,论文一年,(经济系为一年的课程加论文)。如果课程的考试成绩(一般是四门课)超过65分,就可直接转为博士,再读两年就可获得博士学位。副博士和硕士的区别有三个:其一,副博士的一年或两年时间是可以计算到博士的时间,而从硕士直读博士,是至少需要三年时间;其二,如果你的最终成绩在65分以上,学校可以为你提供开放的时间,在有效时间内(如两年),你随时可去上学,再继续你的博士学业;其三,剑桥规定,如果你拿到副博士学位后,工作满一定年限,你也可直接提交申请博士学位的论文,学校根据你的论文质量和工作业绩,可授你博士学位,而硕士则无此殊荣。但由此途径得到博士学位是不太容易的。

The University of Cambridge is the secondoldest university in the Englishspeaking world. It is considered one of the world,s most academically demanding and prestigiousprestigious adj.享有声望的, 声望很高的 universities, and maintains very selective academic criteriacriteria n.标准 for the admission of its students.

The university was founded in Cambridge, England, probably in 1209 by scholars escaping from the University of Oxford after a fight with locals there, although existing historical records are inexact. Like the other very early universities, Cambridge was not founded in the same sense that later institutions were: it grew out of an association of scholars.

Cambridge has produced more Nobel Prize laureates than any other university in the world, having 80 affiliatedaffiliated adj.附属的, 有关连的 with it, the large majority of whom studied at the university, rather than just having a loose association with it.It has often topped league tables ranking British universities, and recent (although often disputed on the basis of its ranking criteria) international rankings by The Times Higher Education Supplement rated Cambridge first in the world for science, fifth in the arts and humanities, and sixth overall of all global universities and colleges. In 2004, Cambridge was placed third in a major international study ranking the 500 top universities in the world, which was led by Shanghai Jiao Tong University of the People,s Republic of China.

The universities of Oxford and Cambridge, often referred to together as Oxbridge, vie to be seen as the strongest overall university in the UK. Historically, they have produced a significant proportion of Britain,s

prominentprominent adj.卓越的,显着的,突出的 scientists, writers and politicians.

Cambridge is a member of the Russell Group: a network of large, researchled British universities; the Coimbra Group, an association of leading European universities; and the LERU (League of European Research Universities).

Admission

Undergraduate admission to Cambridge colleges used to depend on knowledge of Latin and Ancient Greek, subjects taught principally in Britain at feepaying schools, called public schools. This tended to mean that students came predominantly from members of the British social elite. Since the 1960s, the admission process has changed, and aspiringaspiring adj.热心的, 积极的, 有抱负的 students are now expected to have the best, or nearly the best, possible qualifications at Alevel relevant to the undergraduate course they are applying for and to impress college fellows at interview. In addition, in recent years admissions tutors in certain technical subjects, for example mathematics, have required applicants to sit the more difficult STEP papers in addition to achieving top grades in their Alevels. However, there is still considerable public debate in Britain over whether admissions processes at Oxford and Cambridge are entirely meritocratic and fair, and whether enough students from state schools succeed in gaining entry. Almost 50% of the successful applicants come from public schools, but the average qualificationsqualification n.资格, 条件, 限制, 限定, 赋予资格 for these successful applicants are higher than for successful applicants from state schools.

Graduate admission is decided by the faculty or department relating to the applicant,s subject - following this, admission to a college (not necessarily the applicant,s preferred choice) is guaranteed.

Oxford University

牛津大学

古雅、宁谧和淳朴,是牛津留给访古者的最初印象。牛津大学城(The University City of Oxford) 是在伦敦西北方,路程约60英里。

从伦敦到牛津开车需要2小时,这一段公路两旁的风光,充分显示出英国乡村的殷实与整洁。除了一望无际的草原和农作物外。尖顶、红瓦、白墙、黑色的木梁柱的农舍,错落点缀在远近。庄舍旁,牛马放牧,绵羊成群。草地一整片一整片的,间杂点缀着稀落的高大老树,俨然成为园艺中“自然学派”的独树景观。

这样风光如画的景色,其本身便成为观光的对象。一年四季,各国来的游客,穿梭在古旧的街巷之间,热闹的音乐及戏剧活动,更吸引了无数艺术爱好者。静静地站在教堂墓园边的街角,整个城镇呈现出一幅历史和现代文明相互交融的宁静景色。

牛津是中古世纪时期,泰晤士河上的重要渡口。所谓“津”者,“渡口”之意也,小城因此而得名。牛津地理位置,又居于南英格兰的中心,所以也成为当时陆路要冲。南船北马交会,一个繁荣而热闹的市集,逐渐在这里形成,虽然渡囗已不复存在,但当时的老渡囗遗址,仍然经常徘徊着热闹的访古者。河上荡泛的游舫,双双对对男女的撑船,加上堤岸上拥挤的游客,更能勾勒出一幅当年渡口的繁荣景象。

牛津与剑桥二校享誉全球,其地位之特殊除渊源于英国上层社会,也因其历史悠久与独特的学制,在英国社会里牛剑(Oxbridge)一词即代表二校的简称。在牛津大学8个世纪的历史中,确实造就了无数优秀人才。在政界更有10几位英国历代首相,来自牛津,甚至当代的撒切尔夫人,也是来自牛津。牛、剑虽然齐名,但二校互不称臣。牛、剑两校每年一度的划舟比赛,更是证明强弱高低的写照。

牛津大学的组织,相当复杂而难懂。“大学”一词,对牛津人而言,有异于我们一般所了解的涵义。英国人称之“牛津大学城”(The University City of Oxford),才符合事实。在牛津的地图上,我们找不到一个大学校园的固定地界,倒是散见各区不同学院。在牛津,若要问:“牛津大学在那?”,必定没有人答得出来。英国人,一提起牛津时,要把头抬高,仰起脸,庄重地念着“OxFord”,那个O字要圆而重,才能表示尊重,才是对学术的敬意。

牛津大学的创始故事颇为传神,根据当地人的说法,牛津大学创始于1167年,当时亨利二世,下令召回正在巴黎留学的英国学生。因为他希望:“英格兰不致缺乏服务上帝及国家的优秀人员”。为了安置召回的学生,乃有牛津大学的创立。换言之,牛津大学的成立似乎是因早期“人才外流”的问题。