【正文】 onely to be honest. I’m a bit shy … everyone else seemed to find it so easy to make friends straight away. But things have been better recently – yeah, they have. I’ve joined a couple of clubs and like, it really helps to get to know people when you have shared interests. So, yeah – I’m feeling a lot happier now. Speaker 5 Uni’s great, I love it. My only problem – and it’s quite a big problem – is money. My parents are both unemployed so, you know, they can’t help me financially. My grant just isn’t – it’s just not enough for me to live on, so I’ve taken a parttime job as a waitress – a lot of people I know, like a lot, have had to do the same. I don’t want to have huge debts at the end. Speaker 6 I love my subject, History, and I’m, I’m getting fantastic teaching here. I want to be a university lecturer and that means I have to get a first. I have a good social life but work definitely es first for me. Passage2 Oxford and Cambridge – two universities so similar that they are often spoken of together as “Oxbridge”. They’re both in the UK, fairly near London, and both regularly e top in any ranking of the world’s best universities. The two universities began within a century of each other. Oxford University, now 900 years old, was founded towards the end of the 11th century. In 1209 there was a dispute between the university and the townspeople of Oxford. As a result, some of the Oxford teachers left and founded a university in the town of Cambridge, some 84 miles away. Ever since then, the two institutions have been very petitive. Unlike most modern universities, both Oxford and Cambridge consist of a large number of colleges. Oxford has 39 and Cambridge 31. Many of these colleges have old and very beautiful architecture, and large numbers of tourists visit them. In all UK universities, you need good grades in the national exams taken at 18. But to get into Oxford and Cambridge, it’s not enough to get A grades in your exams. You also have to go for a long interview. In these interviews, students need to show that they are creative and capable of original thinking. Through the centuries, both universities have made huge contributions to British cultural life. They have produced great writers, world leaders and politicians. Cambridge, in particular, has produced scientists whose discoveries and inventions have changed our lives. Among the great university institutions is the world’s most famous debating society, the Oxford Union, where undergraduates get a chance to practise speaking in public. Cambridge’s edy club Footlights has produced many firstclass edians, while some of the UK’s most famous actors and actresses began their careers at The Oxford University Dramatic Society, known as OUDS. Then there’s the Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race, which takes place every year in March or April, and is watched on television all over the UK. So with all this excellence in so many fields, it’s not surprising that the ambition of clever students all over the world is to attend either one of these great universities. Unit 2 Inside view Conversation1 Kate ：Come in. Hey, Janet. Janet ：Hi Kate, are you busy? Kate ：Yes, I’m just doing an essay. But it’s great to see you. So what’s new? Janet ：Well, nothing much. Kate ：You look a bit fed up. What’s bugging you? Janet ：Well, I had a phone call from my parents and it made me feel homesick. It happens every time they call, and it gets me down. Kate ：I’m sorry to hear that. I know how you feel. I love speaking to my mum and dad, but I always feel miserable after the call. Janet ：My dad doesn’t say much, and I want to speak to him, but I wish I knew what to say. Kate ：Don’t let it get to you. My dad doesn’t say much on the phone either. I call, he answers the phone, and says, “Hi, I’ll pass you to your mother.” It’s really irritating. Janet ：But I miss him and my mother a lot, and I like to hear his voice. Kate ：Just tell him what you’re up to. Janet ：Sometimes I feel as if I made a mistake leaving home and ing to Oxford. Sometimes I feel like a moody teenager. Kate ：Try not to worry about it, Janet. It’s normal to feel like that. I understand how you feel, but I bet everything will be fine next term. You’ll get used to it. Hey, why don’t you do what I do? Janet ：What’s that? Kate ：When my dad calls, I ask him for more money! He usually says no, but at least I get to hear his voice! Janet ：Maybe. I’m sorry to take up your time, Kate, but I must go now. Bye! Kate ：Wait a minute …! Conversation2 Kate ：I think I may have upset Janet last night. Mark ：What happened? Kate ：She came to see me. I was busy doing an essay but I was really pleased to see her. She’d had a call from home, and said she was feeling homesick. Mark ：Poor kid! It must be tough on you guys, living so far away from home. Kate ：I tried to make her laugh, told her not to worry about it, and that it was normal to feel miserable. Suddenly she looked miserable, and then she got up and said, “I must go now” and left my room. It was really sudden. I felt as if I’d said something wrong. Mark ：Maybe she was just being polite. It was probably because she realized you were working and didn’t want to disturb you. Kate ：I just wonder if she found it difficult to talk about her feelings with me. Maybe I shouldn’t have tried to make her laugh? Perhaps she thought I wasn’t taking her seriously. Mark ：I wouldn’t worry about it. Put yourself in her shoes. How would you feel if you were a student at college in China? Kate ：I know. That’s why I feel bad. If only she had stayed longer! I wish I could have helped her more. Janet ：Hey, everyone! Mark ：Hi Janet, you look cheerful! Janet ：Yes, I’ve just got my essay back. I got an alpha minus! Kate ：What an amazing grade! Well done. Mark ：I’m really happy for you, Janet. Janet ：I feel on top of the world! Outside view