7. Summarize the text. Oxford

Oxford is a celebrated city of science. It is situated 54 miles north-west of London. The name of Oxford means the part of the River Thames where the oxen crossed it. To walk through Oxford is to walk through the history. Scarcely anywhere else in England is so much history, and such a wealth of fine architecture to be found in a small area which is called a “golden heart”.

It is believed that between 1164 and 1169 when Henry ii forbade English clerk to go to the University of Paris the scholars had to find somewhere else to continue their studies. Their choice fell on Oxford the first group of scholars at Oxford may have been joined by others from Paris as well as from other parts of Britain. Many visitors to Oxford want to be shown the University. There is no “university” as such. The component parts of the University of Oxford are the colleges. Each college is practically autonomous, with its own set of rules of government. There is a central administration that organizes lectures, arranges examinations, gives degrees, etc. Each college has its own character and individuality.

The most remarkable of the various college buildings is Christ Church. Its Tom Tower is one of the glories of Oxford. It houses the great bell which tolls 101 times each evening in memory of the original number of scholars. The bell is known as “Great Tom”.

Oxford is noted for the Sheldonian Theatre .opened in 1669. The Sheldonian Theatre is a large semicircular chamber seating 4000 persons.

Oxford is also an important industrial centre. There are some industries there such as printing, manufacturing of motor vehicles.

The students wear black gowns and queer-looking caps. They have to wear that dress when they are taking an examination.

The Tutorial System is one of the ways in which Oxford and Cambridge differ from all the other English universities. Every student has a tutor. He plans your work, suggests the books you should read. Each week you go to him perhaps with 2 or 3 other students and he discusses with you the work that you have done and sets you the next week’s work.

You can meet a proctor in a cap and gown. The proctor’s job is to keep discipline, to see that the student aren’t out after midnight, aren’t driving a ca without having first received permission from the proctor. The Proctor can punish students. They can be fined a sum of money or for a very serious offence, they can be expelled. A proctor is usually followed by “bull-dogs”. Their job is to catch the student if he tries to run away before his name can be taken.

8. Summarize the text. Cambridge

Cambridge must be one of the best-known towns in the world, and can be found most tourists’ lists of places to visit. The principal reason for its fame is its University, which started during the 13^th century and grew steadily, until today there are more than 20 colleges.

Most of them allow visitors to enter the grounds and countryards. The most popular place from which to view them is from the Backs, where the college grounds go down to the River Cam.

The oldest college is Peterhouse, which was founded in 1284, and the most recent is Robinson College, which was opened in 1977. The most famous is probably King’s, because of its magnificent chapel. Its choir of boys and undergraduates is also very well known.

The University was exclusively for men until 1871 when the first women’s college was opened. Another was opened two years later and a third in 1954. In the 1970s, most colleges opened their doors to both men and women. Almost all colleges are now mixed, but it will be many years before there are equal numbers of both sexes.

The Cambridge Folk Festival. Every year, in summer, thousands of folk music fans arrive in Cambridge for one of the biggest festivals of folk music in England. The festival is held in the grounds of an old house, where there is plenty of room for people to put up their tents if they want to stay overnight.

The Cambridge Folk Festival is very well organized, and there are never any of the serious problems which can be caused by large crowds.

However, some people who live nearby are not very happy about the festival. They say that there is too much noise, that too much rubbish is left on the ground, and that many of the fans take drugs.

On the other hand, local shop-keepers look forward to the festival. For them, it means a big increase in the number of customers.