Page 76 - Exercise 1

Page 76 - Exercise 1

Oxford and Cambridge

Oxford and Cambridge are the two oldest and most famous universities in the English-speaking world. We don’t know exactly how old Oxford University is, but we know that there were students there in 1096. In 1209, after an argument between the students and the townspeople in Oxford, some of the students and professors went to Cambridge and started a new university there.

Both universities consist of a number of colleges where students live and study. Oxford has got forty-six colleges and Cambridge thirty-one. At first, only men could study at the two universities. At the end of the 19th century, however, some colleges were built for women but they did not give degrees to them until the 1920s. Now all Oxford colleges are mixed, but Cambridge still has one for women only.

Many famous people have studied at Oxford and Cambridge.

Twenty-six of Britain’s prime ministers, including Margaret Thatcher, Tony Blair and David Cameron, studied at Oxford. The former US president, Bill Clinton, also studied there. Cambridge has produced a lot of famous scientists, including Isaac Newton, who discovered gravity, and Charles Darwin, who developed the theory of evolution. Nearly ninety Nobel Prize winners studied or worked at Cambridge University.

Millions of tourists visit the two cities every year to see the beautiful old university buildings. People often go punting on the rivers, too.

Oxford and Cambridge are traditional rivals in sport.

The two most famous events between the two universities are the Boat Race, which takes place on the River Thames, and the Varsity Match, which is a rugby match. Sports teams from Oxford always wear dark blue, while Cambridge teams wear light blue.