Lesson9 Oxford
What is so special about Oxford and Cambridge, the two oldest universities in England? Why do so many students want to study there?
Both of these university towns are very beautiful. They have some of the finest architecture in Britain. Some of their colleges, chapels and libraries are three, four or even up to seven hundred years old, and are full of valuable books and precious paintings. Both towns have many lovely gardens, where the students can read and relax in the summer months.
Oxford is the older university of the two. The first of its colleges was founded in 1249. The university now has thirty-four colleges and about twelve thousand students, many of them from other countries. There were no women students at Oxford until 1878, when the first women's college, Lady Margaret Hall, opened. Now, women study at all colleges but one for Monks in training.
Oxford is, of course, famous for its first class education as well as its beautiful buildings. It boasts a quiet atmosphere, friendly colleagues, and the four-hundred-year-old Bodleian library, which has over five million books.
It is not easy to get a place at Oxford University to study for a degree, but outside the university there are many smaller private colleges which offer less difficult courses and where it is easy to enrol. Most students in these private schools take business, secretarial or English language courses.

chapel 小教堂，小礼拜堂
precious 珍贵的
colleague 同事
enrol 登记，入学
secretarial 秘书的，秘书工作的

牛津大学
英国最古老的两所大学——牛津大学和剑桥大学有什么独特的魅力呢？为什么这么多学生希望到牛津和剑桥来学习？
这两座大学城都十分漂亮。这里有一些全英国最精美的建筑，一些学院、教堂和图书馆始建于三四百年甚至七百年前，里面藏有珍贵的图书和绘画。这两座大学城都有许多美丽的花园，学子们在夏日里可以在这里读书和休闲。
牛津的历史比剑桥更悠久，其最早的学院始建于1249年。牛津现有三十四个学院，有大约一万两千学生，其中有许多是留学生。1878年第一个女子学院——玛格丽特•霍尔学院成立，在这之前，牛津是没有女学生的。而现在除了一个僧侣学院外其他所有的学院都招收女学生。
当然令牛津闻名于世的不仅是其精美的建筑物，还有其一流的教学。这里有优雅的环境，友好的同事，以及一个有着四百年历史、藏书五百多万册的牛津大学博德利图书馆。
要得到在牛津大学学习和获得学位的机会是很难的。但是在牛津大学的外围有许多小一点的私立学院，那里的课程要容易一点，入学的难度也不大。这些私立学院的学生大多在修商务、文秘和英语等课程。