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Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race
牛橋賽艇比賽
Each spring in west London, the Oxford University Boat Club and the Cambridge University Boat Club will hold a rowing race on the Thames. Members of both teams are traditionally known as blues, with Cambridge in light blue and Oxford dark blue.
每年春天，牛津大學賽艇隊和劍橋大學賽艇隊都會在西倫敦的泰晤士河上進行賽艇。兩個團隊的成員都身著藍色服裝，劍橋是淺藍色，而牛津是則深藍色。
The tradition was started in 1829 by Charles Merivale, a student at St John's College, Cambridge, and his schoolfriend Charles Wordsworth who was at Oxford. Cambridge challenged Oxford to a race at Henley-on-Thames. The second race occurred in 1836，with the venue moved from Westminster to Putney. Over the next couple of years, there was disagreement over where the race should be held, with Oxford preferring Henley and Cambridge preferring London. Cambridge therefore raced Leander Club in 1837 and 1838. Following the formation of the Oxford University Boat Club, racing between the two universities resumed and the tradition continues to the present day, with the loser challenging the winner to a re-match annually with the exception of the two world wars.
這個傳統始于1829年，由分別在牛津和劍橋大學念書的兩個好朋友——劍橋大學的查爾斯梅里韋爾和牛津大學的查爾斯一起。那年，劍橋向牛津發起挑戰，在泰晤士河畔的亨利決一勝負。第二次比賽是在1863年，比賽路線改到從威斯敏斯特到帕特尼。在接下來的幾年間，關于比賽場埤，兩所大學總有爭議。牛津比較喜歡亨利，而劍橋更傾向于倫敦。所以，劍橋在1837年和1838年就和利安得俱樂部進行了比賽。之后，牛津成立了大學賽艇俱樂部，兩所大學的比賽才得以繼續，并且延續至今。除了兩次世界大戰期間，每年，上一屆比賽的輸家都會向對手發起挑戰，要求再次比賽。
The event is a popular one, not only with the alumni of the universities, but also with rowers in general and the public. An estimated quarter of a million people watch the race live from the banks of the river from Putney to Mortlake, around seven to nine million people on TV in the UK, and an overseas audience estimated by the Boat Race Company at around 120 million.
這個活動很受歡迎，對這個活動感興趣的不僅是兩所大學的校友，它還吸引了許多公眾的目光。比賽當天，多達25萬觀眾將齊集泰晤士河從普特尼到莫特湖的河道兩岸，見證這一激動人心的比賽。大約有700萬到900萬的英國人會在電視上收看這一比賽。據賽艇公司的估計，海外觀眾人數將達到1.2億。
Despite being three times the length of an Olympic course, the entire event is over in just 20 minutes, a fact which should not overshadow the six months of sweat and toil which the teams endure in preparation for the big day.
雖然比賽河段的長度是奧林匹克運動會比賽賽道長度的3倍，整個比賽會在20分鐘內就全部結束，但這并不能抹殺隊員們為了這一重要時刻所付出的為期6個月的汗水和努力。
There are plenty of river vantage points for spectators, many of them conveniently close to pubs. A top-hat at a rakish angle and a half-empty bottle of expensive champagne" might help you wheedle your way into some of the more glamorous riverside parties that accompany this event.
河道旁邊有很多理想的觀看地點，這些地方通常離酒吧很近。一頂微傾的帽子， 半杯價格不菲的香檳沒準就能幫你融入和比賽同時進行的河邊聚會。
During the past 181 years, the race has been held for 155 times. Despite a phenomenal dead-heat which occurred in 1877，Cambridge won 79 times, 4 times more than Oxford. The 2009 boat race took place on 29 March at 15; 40 BST, with Oxford winning. The next race is scheduled to start on Saturday, 3 April 2010 at 4: 30 pm. Who will win this time, let's wait for the result and good luck to both Oxford and Cambridge!
在過去的181年間，比賽一共進行過155次。除了 1877年出現了一次罕見的平局，劍橋一共贏了79次，比牛津要多4次。2009年的賽艇是在3月29日，英國夏令時15:40開始的，牛津獲勝。2010年的比賽定于4月3日16: 30進行。那么這次哪個大學會取勝呢，讓我們拭目以待吧。祝牛津和劍橋好運。
