Z: Sean, why do people show surprise when they know that Vm a graduate of the Oxford University? They also stare at me adoringly, which makes me feel uncomfortable.

Z:雪莉，为什么当人们知道我是牛津大学的毕业生的时候都特别吃惊？他们还 用一种崇拜的眼神看着我，弄得我挺不好意思的。

S: Aha! It is normal! The Oxford University is the most prestigious university in Britain, even all around the world. Many British students are proud of being admitted by the University.

S:哈哈！这很正常呀！牛津大学是英国、乃至全世界最著名的大学了。很多英 国学子都以被牛津大学录取为荣。

Z: Oh! I see. It’s the same case in China. Is the notability of the school also a standard of choosing a university in Britain?

Z:哦！我懂了。在中国也是这样。难道英国人选择学校的标准也是学校的知名 度吗？

S; There is something to that, but it is not the full story.

S:部分正确，但这幷不是全部。

Z: Well, what is the full story?

Z:那全部的标准是什么呢？

S: First of all, let’s look at when the university was established. The well known universities nowadays almost have a very long history, because only excellent universities can Stand the test of time, and survive to this day.

S:首先，要看大学的成立车代。当今知名的大学几乎都有着非常悠久的历史， 因为只有真正好的大学才能经得起时间的考验。

Z: Oh! The University of Oxford is the first university established in the UK, with a history of more than 800 years. It must be the first choice！

Z:哦！牛津大学是英国建立的第一所大学，有着800多年的历史。所以它_定是 首选！

S: Correct! According to the time of establishment, the British universities may be divided into three groups .universities in the 19th century, universities in the 1960s， and universities in the early 1990s.

S:对！根据建校时间，英国的大学大致可以分为三类：19世纪的大学、20世 纪60年代的大学和20世纪90年代初的大学。

Z: Well, how many universities are there in the 19th century?

Z:那在19世纪有多少大学呢？

S: There are altogether thirty-three universities in the 19th century, including the University of Oxford, the University of Cambridge, the University of Manchester, King’s College, the University of Leeds, the University of Sheffield, the University of Bristow, the University of Glasgow, the University of Aberdeen, the University of Edingburgh，the University of Cardiff, and so on.

S; 19世纪的大学共有33所，包括牛津大学、剑桥大学、曼彻斯特大学、国王学院、 利兹大学、谢菲尔德大学、布利斯托大学、格拉思哥大学、阿伯丁大学、爱 丁堡大学、卡迪夫大学等。

Z: What about the 1960s?

Z: 20世纪60年代的情况又是怎样的呢？

S： Twenty-one universities were built up in the 1960s, including the University of Bath, Loughborough University, Heriot-Watt University, the University of East Anglia, the University of York, the University of Warwick, and so on.

S:在20世纪60年代建立的大学有21所，包括巴斯大学、拉夫堡大学、赫 尔瓦特大学、东安格利亚大学、约克大学、华威大学等。

Z: Wow! So many universities were established during this period!

Z:哇！在这段时间里居然兴建了这么多所大学！

S:It’s not a big deal, the number of universities grew faster between 1960s and 1990s. There are fifty-six universities built up in the early 1990s, including the University of Northumbria, Plymouth University, Coventry University,Bournemouth University, and so on.

S:这还不算什么，从20世纪60年代到90年代，大学的数量增长得更快。在 20世纪90年代初建立的大学共56所，包括诺桑比亚大学、普利茅斯大学、 考文垂大学、伯恩茅斯大学等。

Z:It’s incredible! Britain is really a nation attaching importance to education!

Z:简直不可思议！英国真是_个重视教育的 国家啊丨

S:Absolutely! However, though there are so many universities in Britain, and many of them are world known, the Oxford University and the Cambridge University remain the nation's most favorite universities.

S:那是！不过，虽然英国有这么多的大学，其中很多都是世界知名的，但是牛津大学和 剑桥大学仍然是英国人最喜爱的两所大学。

Z: Long history is not the only reason for Oxford and Cambridge to be the most popular universities, right?

Z:牛津大学和剑桥大学之所以最受欢迎不只 是因为它们历史悠久吧？

S: Yeah! Other factors for the British people to choose a university includes academic factors such as teaching and research level, as well as nonacademic factors such as the university’s location, scale of school running, tuition fee, transportation, recreation, and so on.

S:是的I英国人选择大学的其他因素还包括学术因素如教学科研水平，以及非 学术因素如院校的地理位置、规模、学费、交通、娱乐等。

Z: The University of Oxford is regarded as one of the world’s leading academic institutions. The University has a very strong teaching staff, including 83 Fellows of the Royal Society and 125 Fellows of the British Academy at present. It ranks the world’s best in various fields, such as Mathmatics, Computer, Physics, Biology, Medcine, and so on.

Z：牛津大学被公认为是世界领先的学术机构。它的师资力量非常雄厚，目前有 83位皇家学会会员和125位英国科学院院士。牛津大学在数学、计算机、物理、 生物学和医学等领域位居世界前列。

S: Right. In recent years, Oxford has made a remarkable achievements not only in liberal arts, but in science research.

S:对。近年来，牛津大学不仅在文科，而且在理科研究中都取得了举世瞩目的 尤。

Z: There are many scholarships at Oxford, and everyone can work hard to win a scholarship. Moreover, there are more than 400 clubs and societies in the University, so its students have rich extracurricular activities.

Z：牛津大学有很多类型的奖学金，每个人都可以去争取。此外，该大学还有 400多个俱乐部和社团，因此那里的学生有着丰富多彩的课外活动。

S： All in all, considering all these factors, it’s easy for you to understand the reason why the British people are in deep love with the University.

S：总之，综含考虑了这么多因素，你也就不难理解为什么英国人对牛津大学如此 钟情啦！

Z: Oh, I'm really a lucky dog!

z：噢，我真是个幸运儿I

S: As such, you needn’t to feel uneasy when they stare at you.

S:所以，当他们盯着你看的时候，你不必感觉不自在。

Z： Hum, I won't.

Z:嗯，我不会再感到不好意思了。