Oxford — City of Dreaming Spires
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Just about every college and university in the 1) ______can trace its lineage back to this place. This is Oxford, home of the oldest university in England. The university is actually 2) ______separate colleges and six private halls spread 3) ______the city. Oxford is located about 4) ______of London. The area was first settled in Saxon times around the year 5) ______and was named Oxford because it was a place where oxen could ford the River 6) ______. The first references to education in Oxford came in 7) ______, but it wasn’t until 8) ______that the academic nature of the town really began to take 9)______. That was the year the French expelled all English students and faculty from the University of Paris. Many of the displaced scholars settled in Oxford. Today the town of 10) ______is visited by over 11) ______people each year. The colleges are the main attraction. Visitors 12)______to tour portions of the campuses for modest fees. Perhaps the most famous, 13)______not the oldest college in Oxford is Christchurch College, built on the site of Saint Frideswide’spriory. The college was founded in 14) ______by Cardinal Wolsey, after he seized the priory’s assets as part of the break with the Roman Catholic church. In the beginning it was called Cardinal’s College, but when Wolsey 15) ______King Henry VIII over his inability to broker a divorce for the king, the college was 16) ______by Henry, who changed its name to King’s College. In 17) ______the college was renamed Christchurch College, after the college’s church was designated as the cathedral church of the diocese of Oxford. Christchurch College has a very rich history and a distinguished list of graduates. From 18) ______to 19) ______, it was the site of the Royalist parliament, and refuge of King Charles I during the English Civil War. One of the 20) ______of the tour of the college is the dining hall, instantly recognized as the inspiration for the dining hall of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in the Harry Potter films. The hall was recreated on a sound stage, but the stairway entrance was used in the film, 21) ______several other locations around the campus. Harry Potter is not the only connection to popular literature. In 22) ______, mathematics instructor Charles Dodgson, using the pen name Lewis Carroll, published ‘Alice in Wonderland’. The fictional Alice was based on Alice Liddell, the 23) ______of university dean Henry Liddell. You can see a number of references to ‘Alice’ in the stained glass windows in the hall, and the long-necked fire dogs. The hall is closed to visitors while the students are 24) ______. Through much of its history, Christchurch College had one hundred male students. Today there are 25) ______undergraduates, 26) ______graduate students and 27) ______professors and tutors. The first women were not admitted to Christchurch College until 28) ______, and it wasn’t until 29) ______that all of the colleges in Oxford were co-ed. Christchurch College has an impressive campus. The tower over the main entrance, designed by Sir Christopher Wren, is named the Tom Tower, after the 30) ______ton bell inside named Tom. Next to the campus there’s a 31) ______meadow that looks much as it has for hundreds of years. Architecturally, Oxford is unique, and the city has 32) ______libraries including the Bodleian library founded in the thirteen hundreds, and the iconic Radcliffe Camera, built in 33) ______as a science library. Oxford is an easy day trip by train from London’s Paddington Station. Most people visiting by car 34) ______to park in remote car parks and take a short shuttle bus ride into town. However you get there, Oxford is a great place to visit, and walk in the 35) ______of some of the greats of history, science, literature, politics, and religion.
Oxford — City of Dreaming Spires
Just about every college and university in the western world can trace its lineage back to this place. This is Oxford, home of the oldest university in England. The university is actually made up of 38 separate colleges and six private halls spread throughout the city. Oxford is located about fifty miles northwest of London. The area was first settled in Saxon times around the year 900 and was named Oxford because it was a place where oxen could ford the River Thames. The first references to education in Oxford came in 1096, but it wasn’t until 1167 that the academic nature of the town really began to take shape. That was the year the French expelled all English students and faculty from the University of Paris. Many of the displaced scholars settled in Oxford. Today the town of 165,000 is visited by over nine million people each year. The colleges are the main attraction. Visitors are allowed to tour portions of the campuses for modest fees. Perhaps the most famous, though not the oldest college in Oxford is Christchurch College, built on the site of Saint Frideswide’s priory. The college was founded in 1524 by Cardinal Wolsey, after he seized the priory’s assets as part of the break with the Roman Catholic church. In the beginning it was called Cardinal’s College, but when Wolsey fell out with King Henry VIII over his inability to broker a divorce for the king, the college was taken over by Henry, who changed its name to King’s College. In 1546 the college was renamed Christchurch College, after the college’s church was designated as the cathedral church of the diocese of Oxford. Christchurch College has a very rich history and a distinguished list of graduates. From 1642 to 1646, it was the site of the Royalist parliament, and refuge of King Charles I during the English Civil War. One of the highlights of the tour of the college is the dining hall, instantly recognized as the inspiration for the dining hall of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in the Harry Potter films. The hall was recreated on a sound stage, but the stairway entrance was used in the film, as were several other locations around the campus. Harry Potter is not the only connection to popular literature. In 1865, mathematics instructor Charles Dodgson, using the pen name Lewis Carroll, published ‘Alice in Wonderland’. The fictional Alice was based on Alice Liddell, the daughter of university dean Henry Liddell. You can see a number of references to ‘Alice’ in the stained glass windows in the hall, and the long-necked fire dogs. The hall is closed to visitors while the students are dining. Through much of its history, Christchurch College had one hundred male students. Today there are 428 undergraduates, 214 graduate students and 130 professors and tutors. The first women were not admitted to Christchurch College until 1980, and it wasn’t until 2008 that all of the colleges in Oxford were co-ed. Christchurch College has an impressive campus. The tower over the main entrance, designed by Sir Christopher Wren, is named the Tom Tower, after the six and a half ton bell inside named Tom. Next to the campus there’s a 46-acre meadow that looks much as it has for hundreds of years. Architecturally, Oxford is unique, and the city has 102 libraries including the Bodleian library founded in the thirteen hundreds, and the iconic Radcliffe Camera, built in 1749 as a science library. Oxford is an easy day trip by train from London’s Paddington Station. Most people visiting by car choose to park in remote car parks and take a short shuttle bus ride into town. However you get there, Oxford is a great place to visit, and walk in the footsteps of some of the greats of history, science, literature, politics, and religion.
Oxford – Glossary
spire...... fleche (d’uneéglise)
lineage...... lignage
actually...... en fait
spread...... dispersé
located...... situé
settle...... s’établir
oxen...... boeufs
expel...... expulser
displace...... déplacer
tour...... visiter
modestfees...... somme modique
priory...... prieuré
found...... fonder
seize...... saisir
assets...... biens
break...... rupture
fall out with...... se brouiller avec
inability...... incapacité
broker...... négocier
take over...... reprendre
rename...... rebaptiser
distinguished...... distingué
graduate...... diplômé
dining hall...... réfectoire
sound stage...... salle de tournage
stairway...... escalier
location...... emplacement
pen name...... nom de plume
publish...... publier
fictional...... fictif
dean...... doyen
stained glass window...... vitrail
long-necked...... à cou long
firedog...... chenet
dine...... dîner
undergraduate...... étudiant (qui prepare une licence)
professor...... professeur (universitaire)
tutor...... tuteur
co-ed...... mixte
impressive...... impressionnant
tower...... tour
design...... dessiner
bell...... cloche
acre...... demi-hectare
meadow...... pré
library...... bibliothèque
park...... stationner
remote...... lointain
shuttle bus...... navette
ride...... trajet
footsteps...... pas, traces
politics...... la politique