特别广播英语第 135 课：Advantage Unfair 不公平的优势-2

Now, there's absolutely no question in any objective observer's mind that entry to Oxford and Cambridge is fiercely competitive." 而现在，在任何能够客观看问题的人的眼里，毫无疑问，去牛津和剑桥读书竞争理很激烈的。"

However, many would disagree with this. For, although over three-quarters of British pupils are educated in state schools, over half the students that go to Oxbridge have been to private, or "public" schools. 然而，很多人都不同意这种说法。尽管有3/4的英国毕业生就读于公立学校，而上牛津剑桥的学生中有半数以上的人曾就读于私立学校，即"公学"。

Is this because pupils from Britain's private schools are more intelligent than those from state schools, or are they simply better prepared?难道这是因为英国私立学校的学生比公立学校的学生更聪明些？或者，仅仅因为他们准备得更加充分吗？

On average, about ￡5,000 a year is spent on each private school pupil, more than twice the amount spent on state school pupils. 私立学校平均每年在一个学生身上的花费是5000英镑，是公立学校每个学生费用的两倍还多。

So how can the state schools be expected to compete with the private schools when they have far fewer resources? 那么财源少得多的情况下，公立学校的学生怎么可能与私立学校的学生竞争呢？

And how can they prepare their pupils for the special entrance exam to Oxford University, which requires extra preparation, and for which many public school pupils traditionally stay at school and do an additional term? 这些考试需要精心准备，为此许多公立学校的学生传统上要住校，以便有额外的学习时间。

Until recently, many blamed Oxford for this bias because of the university's special entrance exam (Cambridge abolished its entrance exam in 1986). 直到最近，仍有很多人就牛津大学的专门入学考试一事谴责牛津存在偏见。

But last February, Oxford University decided to abolish the exam to encourage more state school applicants. 但牛津大学直到去年2月才决定取消入学考试，鼓励更多的公立学校毕业生报考本校。

From autumn 1996, Oxford University applicants, like applicants to other universities, will be judged only on their A level results and on their performance at interviews, although some departments might still set special tests. 从1996年秋天开始，申请上牛津大学的学生像其它大学的申请者一样，将只根据他在中学学习期间的成绩和面试的表现来决定是否录取，尽管有些系仍可能需要专门考试。