Oxbridge is a composite of the two most renowned universities in Britain,the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge,
牛桥，是英国最著名的两所大学牛津大学和剑桥大学的合称。
which was founded by scholars fleeing Oxford in 1209.
剑桥大学是由1209年从牛津大学逃离的学者们建立的。
There are a great many similarities between them, so they are jointly referred to as Oxbridge.
两所大学之间有着很多的共同点，因此常常被合称为牛桥。
The history of the two universities can be traced back to the 11th and 13th centuries respectively,
两校的历史分别可以追溯到11世纪和13世纪，
whereas the term "Oxbridge" originated from the British writer William Thackeray's novel Tendennis, published in 1849.
但是，“牛桥”一词的说法则起源于英国作家威廉.萨克雷于1849年完成的小说《潘登尼斯》。

It was not until the middle of the 20th century that "Oxbridge" was accepted gradually.
直到20世纪中叶,“牛桥”一词才逐渐被人们所接受。
The most common feature between Oxford and Cambridge is their collegiate structure,
牛津大学和剑桥大学最大的共同点在于它们的学院结构，
both of them are composed of more than 30 autonomous colleges,
它们都是由30多所自治的学院组成的，
which provide the environments in which students live and sleep.
这里是学生们日常生活和住宿的地方。
Applicants must choose a specific college when applying to Oxford or Cambridge,
学生们入学时必须选择一个特定的学院，
or allow the university to select one for them,
或是自己选，或是由学校来选，
because all undergraduate and graduate students must be a member of one of the university colleges.
因为本科生和研究生都必须从属于学校的某一个学院。
However, students studying the same subject are given lectures together, irrespective of which college they attend.
但是，上课则是按照学系分班，共同授课，不论他们属于哪个学院。
Colleges regularly compete with each other in a variety of fields, including sports, speech and debate, and so on.
学院之间经常有各种比赛，包括体育比赛和辩论赛等。