够胆就来试试牛津大学入学题！

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作为世界上最悠久的大学之一，要进入牛津读书可不容易。牛津有一系列措施非常严格的甄选过程来评估学生的能力和潜力：面试能力测试、写作能力测试、中学预测成绩、已获成绩、推荐信等。入学面试是其中的一个关键环节。牛津大学最近公布了部分面试样题，题目全部来自牛津大学负责面试的考官，考官们还解释了他们提那些“听起来很古怪的问题”的背后理由。
关于牛津大学的面试题，外界有很多传闻，但牛津的老师称：“我们的开放式题目并不是捉弄人的，题目不要求任何特殊知识，也没有什么‘对’或‘错’的答案。那些开放式问题是为了激发学生与面试官之间的讨论，观察考生对新思想的反应或者是否能提出有趣的论点。”
“我们希望看到候选人的思考过程，而不是得出具体的答案。面试问题会从熟悉的领域开始，然后拓展到课本以外的广泛领域，看看他们如何应对新的知识和思想。面试不是测试个性或爱好，不会涉及与所选主题无关的事情，例如嗜好或运动成绩等等。“
负责英语学科面试的考官Lucinda Rumsey进一步解释说：“我们不是为了难住考生，所以没必要猜测考官接下来要问什么，没必要提前准备好答案。开放式问题是为了激起讨论，可以有很多发散思维的方向。我们希望看到候选人的批判性思维以及如何探索新的思路。”
“希望这些例子对考生入学面试准备有所帮助。它也可以让候选人提前了解牛津大学的氛围，因为入学后，这样的面试过程在学习任何一门课程时都会遇到。”
牛津大学面试问题
问：If I were to visit the area where you live, what would I be interested in?
(如果我去你的家乡旅行，我应该看些什么有趣的东西?)
Subject 科目：地理 Geography
面试老师Interviewer: Lorraine Wild, St Hilda’s College
面试官解释：
The question gives candidates an opportunity to apply concepts from their A level geography course to their home area. They might discuss urban planning and regeneration, ethnic segregation and migration, or issues of environmental management. The question probes whether they are able to apply ‘geographical thinking’ to the everyday landscapes around them. It reveals the extent to which they have a curiosity about the world around them. By asking specifically about their home area the question eliminates any advantage gained by those who are more widely travelled and have more experience of a variety of geographical contexts.
这个问题给了学生一个机会把他们中学时代的地理知识和他们的家乡联系起来。他们可以讨论城市规划和变迁、民族分类、移民情况、或者是对环境的管理。这个问题考察了学生能否用“地理式的思维”来思考他们每天都面对的环境。同时也能帮我们发现他们是否对世界具备好奇心。而只是问他们家乡的情况，也避免了某些学生可能比其他人旅行更多带来的优势。
问：What is language(什么是语言)?
Subject科目：现代语言Modern languages
面试老师：Helen Swift, St Hilda’s学院
面试官解释：
Although I would never launch this question at a candidate on its own, it might grow out of a discussion. Students sometimes say they like studying Spanish, for example, because they 'love the language'. In order to get a student thinking critically and analytically, the question would get them to consider what constitutes the language they enjoy – is it defined by particular features or by function (what it does)? How does form relate to meaning? And so on.
尽管我决不会单独把这个问题拿出来问考生，但它可能会出现在某些讨论之中。比如，学生们有的时候会表示他们“喜欢学西班牙语”，因为他们“热爱这种语言”。为了让学生们能更具批判性和判断力地思考，这个问题能帮助他们思考“究竟是什么组成了这个他们喜欢的语言”？是因为某些独有的特征、还是因为它的功能性（它能做什么）？形式是如何与内容联系起来的？等等。
问： Why might it be useful for an English student to read the Twilight series？
(为什么英文专业的学生有必要阅读Twilight(暮光之城)系列)?
Subject科目：英语English
面试老师： Lucinda Rumsey, Mansfield College
面试官解释：
There's several reasons I might ask this one. It's useful in an interview to find some texts the candidate has read recently and the Twilight books are easily accessible and popular. Also, candidates tend to concentrate on texts they have been taught in school or college and I want to get them to talk about whatever they have read independently, so I can see how they think rather than what they have been taught. A good English student engages in literary analysis of every book they read. The question has led to some interesting discussions about narrative voice, genre, and audience in the past.
我问这个问题有很多原因。在面试过程中如果能找到一些考生最近正在读的东西是很有用的。而《慕光之城》很多人都读、最近正流行。同时，考生倾向于把焦点都放在他们从学校和大学读来的东西，而我希望能激发他们谈论他们自己选择的读物，进而了解他们的想法、而不是老师灌输给他们的东西。一名优秀的英语系学生会乐于分析他们读的每一本书。这个问题就曾把讨论引向过“狭隘的想法”、 “流派”和“过去的观众”等等有趣的话题上。

entwo

问：Why does your heart rate increase when you exercise?
为什么运动时你的心跳会加速?Subject科目：医药Medicine
面试老师：Robert Wilkins, Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics (生理学，解剖学和遗传学系)
面试官解释：
The simple answer, which all students can provide, is because you need to deliver more oxygen and nutrients to muscles and remove metabolic products. But follow-up questions would probe whether the student appreciates that there must be a way for the body to know it needs to raise the heart rate, and possible ways for achieving this. Answers might include sensing lowered oxygen or raised carbon dioxide levels. In fact, gas levels might not change much, so students are further asked to propose other signals and ways in which those possibilities could be tested. This probes selection criteria such as problem-solving and critical thinking, intellectual curiosity, enthusiasm and curiosity, and the ability to listen.
答案很简单，所有学生都能回答：那就是因为你需要向肌肉输送更多氧气和营养，同时移除新城代谢中的废物。但接下来的问题可以考察学生是否能察觉到，我们的身体是有办法知晓有必要提高心跳速率，以及找到可能实现它的办法的。答案中可能包含“察觉氧气量偏低、或二氧化碳等级升高”。事实上，气体含量从不会改变，所以学生可能被进一步问到“如何能够通过其他信号来察觉、并且有什么办法可以检验”？这就考察到了学生解决问题的能力、批判性思考的能力、对科学的好奇心、热情、以及聆听的能力。
问：If you could save either the rainforests or the coral reefs, which would you choose?
(如果你只能拯救热带雨林或珊瑚礁中的一个，你会选择哪个)?
Subject科目：生物科学Biological sciences
面试老师：Martin Speight, Department of Zoology (动物系)
面试官解释：
I’d expect students to be able to use their general knowledge plus their common sense to come up with an answer – no detailed knowledge is required. Students might then be asked about the importance of natural features, such as biodiversity and rare species, and human interests, such as the fuel and food, ecotourism and medicines we get from rainforests or reefs. Finally there are impacts to consider from climate change, soil erosion, pollution, logging, biofuel replacement, overfishing, etc. The final answer doesn't matter – both reefs and rainforests must be managed sustainably to balance conservation and human needs.
我希望学生能依靠他们的常识和感知去组织答案——任何具体的知识点在这里都是不需要的。学生可能进一步被问道自然生物的重要性，比如生物多样性和稀缺生物；人类利益，比如石油和食物、生态旅行、从雨林和珊瑚群找到的药品等等。最后也要讨论对气候变化、土地侵蚀、污染、伐木、石油替代、过度捕鱼等等问题的考量。最终的答案其实并无所谓，因为不论是雨林还是珊瑚礁都必须要保护，在与人类的利益之间找到平衡点。
问：What does it mean for someone to ‘take’ another's car?
(一个人“拿走”别人的车是什么意思)?
Subject科目：法律Law
面试老师：Ben McFarlane, Faculty of Law (法学院)
面试官解释：
There is no right answer to this question. For example, can you take a car without driving it, or even without moving it? Our focus is on the candidate’s reasoning – how he or she formulates an initial definition, and how he or she then applies and refines that initial definition in response to hypothetical examples provided by the interviewers. One example might be: I am walking along the street when it starts to rain. I open the door of an unlocked car and sit there for 15 minutes until the rain passes. Have I ‘taken’ the car? The aim of the interview is to give the candidate a chance to show his or her application, reasoning ability, and communication skills.
这个问题没有标准答案。比如，你能不驾驶、甚至不移动就“拿走”一辆车吗？我们关注的焦点在考生的逻辑性上——他／她是如何组织一个初始的定义，然后怎么把这个初始定义运用到这个假设性例子的回答当中。比如，考生可以回答说：“我在街上走、跟着就下雨了。我打开一辆没有上锁的车，在里面坐了15分钟避雨。那我这样算不算'拿'了这辆车呢？（编者按：这里英文和中文有一些小差别，翻译上无法实现。因为英文的“拿”, take，同时也有“占有”的意味。）” 出这一题的目的是给考生一个机会来展示他解决和归纳的能力、以及沟通技巧。
沪江小编按：在翻译的过程中，禁不住不断感叹”牛津就是牛津“！所有这些看似不经意的问题都是经过精心设计、并且无标准答案而言。国内时常探讨应试教育的种种弊端，其最大之祸害不就在于学生思维僵化吗？而教育我们的老师难道不应该也承担起责任？什么时候我们的老师可以出出这样的题目、再责怪学生素质不过硬吧！