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Odd Interview
古怪的面試
The Oxbridge interviewers are notorious for asking bizarre questions; What percentage of the world's water is contained in a cow How many aeroplanes are flying above Oxford at this moment? Can a slug think? What shape is an egg and so on.
牛橋的面試官提的問題稀奇古怪是出了名的，如一頭牛體內水的含量占世界總水量的多少？現在有多少飛機正在飛過牛津？鼻涕蟲會思考嗎？雞蛋是什么形狀的？等
The idea is not to elicit the correct answer, but that candidates should show clear reasoning. What does it mean to think What “equipment” is needed to think? Do molluscs have such equipment?
這樣提問的目的并不是要找到正確的答案，而是需要申請者必須進行條理清晰的推理論證。什么叫做思考？進行思考需要什么器官？軟體動物有這種器官嗎？
The surprises may not end with the questions. Some applicants have been caught unawares by eccentric interviewers. One applicant was welcomed into the room by a scruffy philosophy tutor wearing no shoes. His big toe was protruding trough one of the many holes in his socks.
也許除了問題之外，還有別的驚奇。一些申請者還見到了行為古怪的面試官。有—位面試者曾經遇到一位衣著邋遢的哲學教授，他連鞋都沒穿，大腳趾從襪子的破洞里露出來。
In such situations, the best hope is a stiff upper lip, although applicants may secretly wonder whether they want to be taught by such unconventional types for three or four years.
在這種情況下，面試者能做的最好的事情就是保持泰然自若，盡管他們私下里也會琢磨，到底應不應該花三四年的時間從師于這種特立獨行的老師。
Such quirkiness, however, is rare.“I've never asked an off-the-wall question in 30 years of interviewing," said one Oxford don. Tutors are free to choose their own questions, so long as they don't infringe equal opportunities.
這種離奇的問題畢竟也不多見。一位牛津的面試老師說過：“30年來，我從來沒有問過很稀奇古怪的問題。”導師們可以自由地選擇自己所要提的問題，只要不違背公平的原則就行。
“Applicants should be aware that it might be in the interest of commercial companies to create the impression that the admissions interview at Oxbridge colleges is ‘eccentric'. This is not the case. The aim of the interview is to assess each candidate's ability and potential on an individual basis，，，one don said.
一位面試官說：“申請者應該清楚，這或許是商業公司出于自身利益的考慮，才會刻意制造出牛橋的面試都很古怪的印象。其實并不是這樣。面試的目的是正確評估每位申請者的能力和潛質。”
“What our admissions tutors are looking for is how well candidates can explain what they know, and whether they can apply their knowledge to a new problem or argue their position.” A Cambridge spokesman said: “There's no need to have special training for Cambridge interviews. Indeed, applicants who are over-rehearsed tend to come across less well than students who are natural and spontaneous.”
“我們的導師尋找的是這樣的學生，是否能夠合理解釋他們所知道的東西，是否能夠運用已掌握的知識去解決新的問題劍橋大學的發言人說：“為了面 試而去進行特別的培訓根本沒有必要。其實很多時候，那些過度排練的申請者，反而沒有那些臨場發揮的學生表現好。”
The interview is Oxbridge's ultimate test in selecting the best students. Does it work? According to Dr Mayer, “only very rarely do we choose entrants who find themselves out of their depth”. Another don estimates he has selected the right candidates in about 80% of cases. This may reassure some applicants that there is method behind the myth. Whether or not slugs think, successful applicants must show that they do.
面試是牛橋選拔人才的最后一關。一位面試官曾說：“我們很少會選擇那些力所不能及的人。”另外一名面試官說,他選對人的概率是80%。這就說明，這種奇怪的面試背后必然有它的道理。不管鼻涕蟲會不會思考，一個成功的面試者必須會思考。
As the only British universities in the WOTW’S top ten, Oxford and Cambridge inevitably command great attention. Both are working to dispel the mystique surrounding them that undoubtedly left some youngsters feeling too intimidated to apply in the past. Summer schools and open days, plus the wealth of information about the admissions process on their websites, all make Oxbridge more accessible than ever. But if you never apply, you'll never know.
牛津大學和劍橋大學作為唯一進入世界大學排名前十的英國大學，常常會受到很多關注。因為曾讓不少申請人望而生畏，它們正在努力消除自己的神秘感。現在人們可以通過很多途徑來了解劍橋和牛津，比如，暑期學校、開放日，官方網站上關于錄取流程的詳細說明等等。如果你不試著申請的話，你永遠也不會知道情況到底怎樣。
