BBC Take Away English (Thousand

如果问大家英国有哪些顶尖大学，想必有相当一部分人的回答中会包括牛津和剑桥大学。近十年来，在这两所享有盛誉的学府读书的英国本地学生人数有所减少，取而代之的是越来越多的国际人才。这个现象与海外学生的经济条件有关联吗？这两所学府的招生标准有哪些改变？本集Take Away English 关注牛津剑桥本地学生人数减少的原因。

Oxbridge---from BBC

> 本文音频戳这里 <

article

If you ask most people what the best universities in the UK are, they will probably answer Oxford or Cambridge. These elite educational establishments were founded 800 years ago; since then being offered a place has been seen as the pinnacle of academic life.

Despite these being the places to go to for high-achieving students, the number of undergraduate students from the UK attending Oxbridge (Oxford and Cambridge) has dropped. Student figures from the Higher Education Statistics Agency and from the universities show 7% fewer UK undergraduates at Oxford and 5% fewer at Cambridge compared with 2007-08.

Of course competition for places is intense,and British students compete with those from abroad. Overseas undergraduate student numbers rose by 51% at Oxford and 65% at Cambridge. Oxford says it recruits the "best talent from around the world"; and on postgraduate courses at Cambridge, there are now more overseas students than those from the UK.

The BBC's education correspondent Sean Coughlan explains that in the UK "there have been calls for more places for disadvantaged youngsters as well as ethnic minority students and white working-class youngsters." But despite an ambition to improve social mobility, the total number of UK students being awarded places at Oxbridge has gone down.

Sir Peter Lampl, chairman of the Sutton Trust social mobility charity, told the BBC that "Oxford and Cambridge attract many international students, but they must ensure that their student body is balanced… This means letting in UK and international students based on ability and not on ability to pay." But an Oxford spokeswoman said "Sustaining excellence requires diversity, and our commitment to achieving this balance, and making Oxford more reflective of modern society includes reaching out to and selecting the best talent from all over the world."

With overseas students from outside the EU paying higher fees for tuition, is the decline in places for British students inevitable? This is not known, but other prestigious British universities such as UCL and Exeter have seen numbers of UK student rise. One solution may be to expand and offer more places. But whatever happens, competition for an Oxbridge place will always remain high.

vocabulary

elite 精英的
being offered a place 被（大学）录取
pinnacle of academic life 学术生涯的顶峰 [ˈpɪnəkl]
high-achieving 成绩优秀的
undergraduate 本科的
intense 激烈的
compete with 与…竞争
recruit v. 招录
recruitment n. 招录，招生
talent 人才，有天分的人
postgraduate 研究生的
disadvantaged 贫困的，生活条件差的
ambition 雄心抱负
social mobility 社会流动性
student body 全体学生
ability 才能，能力
excellence 优秀，卓越
diversity 多样性，多元化
tuition 学费
inevitable 不可避免的
prestigious 享有盛誉的

make sentences

1. Helga seems to have a talent for art and as had her latest painting displayed in a major gallery.

2. He is a high-achieving student and is expected to finish school with some very good grades.

3. Unfortunately, piano tuition is expensive so it's not available to everyone.

4. For a successful academic life, you need to study hard, sleep well and not party too much!

5. The athlete said it was the fierce competition that resulted in her coming second in the race.

question

Which types of people would benefit from social mobility in the education system?

answer

Disadvantaged youngsters, as well as ethnic minority students and white working-class youngsters, would benefit from improving social mobility.

@BBC Learning English