Cambridge

Cambridge is situated at a distance of 70 miles from London; the greater part of the town lies on the left bank of the river Cam crossed by several bridges.

Cambridge is one of the loveliest towns of England; it is not a modern industrial city and looks much like a country town.

It is very green presenting to a visitor a series of beautiful groupings of architecture, trees, gardens, lawns and bridges. The main building material is stone having a pinkish color which adds life and warmth to the picture at all seasons of the year. The dominating factor in Cambridge is its world-known University, a centre of education and learning, closely connected with the life and thought of Great Britain. Newton, Byron, Rutherford and many other scientists and writers were educated at Cambridge. In Cambridge everything centers on the University and its colleges, the eldest of which was founded in 1284. They are more than 30 in number. There is a close connection between the University and colleges, though they are quite separate in theory and practice.

A college is a place where you live, no matter what profession you are trained for: so that students studying literature and those trained for physics may belong to one and the same college.

However, the fact is that you are to be a member of a college in order to be member of the University.

Every college is headed by a dean. Discipline is looked after by Proctors and numerous minor officials called bulldogs.

If you are undisciplined you are fined or you mау be "gated" that is not allowed to go out of the college gate.

In some cases you are expelled for a given period of time. A college is a group of buildings forming a square with a green lawn in the centre. An old tradition does not allow the students to walk on the grass; this is the privilege of professors and head-students only.

There is another tradition which the students are to follow; after sunset they are not allowed to go out without wearing a black cap and black cloak.

The University existed before the colleges. It has the power
to grant degrees, it defines courses of study, and organizes most
of the formal teaching.

The various subjects of study are controlled by a series of faculties and the teaching is provided by professors, readers and lecturers.

You study at the University for 4 years, 3 terms a year. The long vacation lasts 3 months. You are trained by a tutor; each tutor has 10-12 students reading under his guidance. There are mаnу libraries at Cambridge; some of them have rare collections of books. In one of them among the earliest books by Shakespeare and other great writers one may see an early description of Russia by an Englishman on diplomatic service there (1591) and a Russian reading book of the seventeenth century.

"Методические указания и контрольные задания по английскому языку для студентов-заочников исторического факультета", 1970 г.

Пояснения к тексту

1. bulldog - педель

2. dean- декан

3. eldest - старший

4. tutor - руководитель

Слова и выражения для активного запоминания

to be present - присутствовать

to present - представлять

to find - находить

to found - основывать

to follow - следовать

education - образование

no matter - независимо от

term - семестр

closely - тесно, близко

member - член

in order to для того, чтобы

though - хотя

the same - один и тот же

to allow – разрешать

Questions to the text.

1. Where Is Cambridge situated?

2. Is Cambridge a modern Industrial city?

3. What is the dominating factor in Cambridge?

4. What scientists and writers were educated at Cambridge?

5. When was the first college founded?

6. What old traditions of Cambridge University do you know?

TEXT 9