The University Boat-Race
by K.J.Swann
Of all the sports at the Universities the most famous is rowing. The University Boat-Race is the oldest of the sporting competitions between Oxford and Cambridge. The development of the eight-oared racing boat is no doubt a result of the Oxford and Cambridge Boat-Race.
The most interesting of the rowing races at the two Universities are the races for eight-oared boats, known as bumping races. These take place two times a year, and all of the colleges enter as many boats as they can for the race.
These strange races were invented as the rivers are too narrow for boats to race side by side, and so somebody thought of a bumping race.
In this kind of race sixteen boats race one behind the other. As soon as the race begins away they go flying each boat trying to catch the boat in front of it. When a boat gets close enough to another to do so, it bumps (that is touches) it. This means victory for the boat that makes the bump. When this happens both boats stop rowing; the others, of course, continue.
On the next night (for the races go on for several nights) the boats that have made bumps changes places with those they bumped.
In the following year the boats will start in the order in which they finished in the previous year.
No prizes are won in such races like these, but the oarsmen in the boat that finishes first, and those whose boat makes a bump on every night of the races, are allowed to have their oars. Their names are written on each oar in gold letters.
Пояснения к тексту
eight-oared восьмивесельный
bumping race гребная гонка, в которой нужно догнать переднюю лодку и ударить носом по ее корме
side by side рядом, бок о бок
catch догнать
victory победа
following следующий
previous предыдущий
win (won) побеждать, выигрывать
oarsmen гребцы
allow позволять
gold цвет золота, золотистый
Text 2b
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Eton
Eton is one of the oldest and best-known public schools for boys, at the town of Eton, near Windsor, on the river Thames. Its students are largely from aristocratic and upper-class families. The school was founded in1440.
Many distinguished people of Britain studied at Eton. The most famous of all Old Etonians is perhaps the Duke of Wellington, victor of Waterloo and later Prime Minister. Twenty of Britain’s Prime Ministers were educated at Eton. There were future writers among the students of Eton as well. They are Thomas Gray, Percy Bysshe Shelley, Henry Fielding, Aldous Huxley and George Orwell. Old Etonian explorers include Sir Humphrey Gilbert, founder of the colony of Newfoundland, and Captain Oats, who was on Scott’s expedition to the South Pole. Among the scientists are Robert Boyle, Sir John Herschel, and Sir Joseph Banks.
Boys usually stay at Eton for five years (between the ages of 13 – 18). Eton provides exceptionally fine teaching facilities, for example, in science, languages, computing and design. There are two major libraries, College Library and School Library, but also numerous well-stocked subject libraries. The tutorial system allows pupils to choose their own academic tutors to supervise their study.
Sport plays an extremely important part in the life of most Etonians. The principal games are rugby and football, cricket and rowing. Athletics, swimming, golf, squash, tennis, judo and karate are all very popular.
The boys can enjoy a lot of spare-time activities: art, sculpture, pottery, woodwork, metalwork as well as silverwork. Some of the students prefer paying musical instruments. Eton takes advantages of a friendly atmosphere which is possible when boys live and work in groups of small size.