這些燒腦的牛津大學面試題，你能答出幾道？原來外國名校面試問這些……

天下 06-02

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中國日報網雙語新聞（chinadaily_mobile)

作者：雙語君

今天，帶大家一起見識一下牛津大學本科面試題，漲漲知識，看看別人的大學都考些什麼。

順便給大家一些思路，萬一有一天遇到了這些題目呢~

生物科學

Biological Sciences

▌Ladybirds are red. So are strawberries. Why?

瓢蟲是紅的，草莓也是，為什麼？

解答提示：常見的動植物是非常普遍的考點，這道題主要考察你的思辨能力。

Red can signal either don t eat me or eat me to consumers. I m interested in seeing how applicants attempt to resolve this apparent paradox.

紅色既可以向取食者發送「別吃我」的信號，又可以發送「吃我」的信號。這道題考查考生如何解決這個明顯的悖論。

計算機科學

Computer Science

▌How do pirates divide their treasure?

海盜如何分財寶？

A group of 7 pirates has 100 gold coins. They have to decide amongst themselves how to divide the treasure, but must abide by pirate rules:

7個海盜共有100枚金幣，他們必須自行決定如何分財寶，分財寶必須按照如下規則：

The most senior pirate proposes the division.

最年長的海盜提出一個分贓方案。

All of the pirates (including the most senior) vote on the division. If half or more vote for the division, it stands. If less than half vote for it, they throw the most senior pirate overboard and start again.

所有海盜（包括最年長者）進行投票，如果一半或以上的海盜贊同，那結果成立。如果少於一半，他們將最年長者投入大海並重新來過。

The pirates are perfectly logical, and entirely ruthless (only caring about maximizing their own share of the gold).

海盜邏輯性強，而且非常無情（只關注個人所得最大化）。

So, what division should the most senior pirate suggest to the other six?

所以，最年長的海盜應如何建議把金幣分給其他6個海盜？

解答提示：這是道標準的邏輯考題，同時教授們還將注重你解決問題和溝通能力。

I like to see how students can take directions, and if they can break problems into smaller subsets, and work through a complex concept applying a solution in an algorithmic way. If students have any questions, I want them to ask – not to sit in silence feeling stuck!

這道題關注學生如何跟著引導走，是否能將大問題切分成小問題，用演算法方式化解複雜的概念。如有問題，學生應該立即提出，而非悶聲冥思苦想。

經濟管理

Economics and Management

▌Do bankers deserve the pay they receive? And should government do something to limit how much they get?

銀行家們的所得與付出是否成正比？政府是否應限制其所得？

解答提示：這道題反映了一個非常現實的金融問題，解題關鍵是從經濟學角度解讀收入，而非考慮公平性問題。

A simple answer might be that since banks are generally private firms and workers are free to work where they wish, then the pay they receive is just the outcome of a competitive labour market.

簡單的答案：一般來講銀行是私人公司，員工能較為自由地自主選擇工作地方，因此他們的個人所得是競爭激烈的勞動市場的結果。

英國文學

English Literature

▌JK Rowling has published a book for adults after the hugely successful Harry Potter series. In what ways do you think that writing for children is different to writing for adults?

J.K. 羅琳在《哈利·波特》系列大獲成功之後又推出了一本面向成人讀者的書籍。你認為為孩子們寫書和為成人寫書有何區別？

解答提示：沒讀過這本書也不用慌，考官是想了解你是否是一個愛思考的讀書人。

I always want to know that whatever they are reading, candidates are reading thoughtfully and self-consciously, and are able to think as literary critics about all the books they read. I am careful to judge them on what they know, not on what they don t know

我想了解的是，不論考生們讀過什麼，他們都應該邊讀邊思考，做個有心人，能夠像一個文學批評家一樣讀書。我盡量通過他們知道的事情來評判他們，而非他們不知道的。

地理

Geography

▌If I were to visit the area where you live, what would I be interested in?

如果我到你的家鄉，我會對什麼感興趣？

解答提示：這道題考查的是你的「地理思維」以及對世界的好奇心。

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.

這道題主要考查考生是否能將「地理思維」應用到他們周邊的事物。這揭示了他們是否對周圍的世界抱有好奇心。

歷史

History

▌Is violence always political? Does political mean something different in different contexts?

暴力中都含有政治因素嗎？在不同的語境下，「政治」是否具有不同內涵？

解答提示：此題並非考查問題的解決，而是發現考生對已知領域的興趣。

A good candidate would, with assistance, begin to construct categories of when violence looks more and less political. A very good candidate would, with assistance, begin to construct a useful definition of political , but this is challenging.

一個優秀的考生將能夠在幫助下，將暴力含有政治因素多少的情況進行分類。而出類拔萃的考生將能夠在幫助下建立起對於「政治」的有用定義，但這非常具有挑戰性。

法律

Law

▌If the punishment for parking on double yellow lines were death, and therefore nobody did it, would that be a just and effective law?

如果停車停在雙黃線上將判處死刑，那麼沒人會這麼做。這是一條公正且行之有效的法律嗎？

解答提示：結果不重要，對結果引發問題的思考才是考官們最看重的。

Candidates are not meant to give a right or wrong answer to this question. They need to demonstrate that they have recognised the various issues that arise. The candidate who distinguishes between just and effective does best. The issues are different once that distinction is made. A just law might not be effective, or vice versa.

這道題不是要考生給出正確或錯誤的答案，但他們需要認識到結果將引發的系列問題。能夠區分「公正」和「有效」的考生才是最優秀的。如果做出區分，則兩者差別顯而易見，公正的法律未必有效，反之亦然。

材料科學

Materials Science

▌How hot does the air have to be in a hot air balloon if I wanted to use it to lift an elephant?

如果我想用熱氣球吊起一頭大象，裡面的空氣得多熱？

解答提示：教授們設置這道題，肯定不是為了在很短時間內讓你給出一個確切的答案。

Things we are looking for include how readily they can see into the core of a problem; how they respond to hints and suggestions from us; estimates (typical size of balloon, weight of elephant) and sorting out what s important...

我們看中的是：他們怎樣快速地考慮到問題的核心；對於我們給出的暗示和建議他們如何應對；預估（典型熱氣球的大小，大象的重量）及歸納出最重要的是什麼……

現代語言學

Modern Languages

▌Should poetry be difficult to understand?

詩歌應不應該難以理解？

解答提示：當你談到自己曾讀過的一些文學作品時，教授們可能會問你這個問題。但它並沒有固定答案，主要想探探你對文學的興趣。

We don t expect a single correct answer to such a question; it s a starting point for a new direction of discussion: what sorts of difficulties might we have in mind? Are these specific to poetry or do they also feature in other types of writing?

我們不期待你對於此類問題給出一個正確答案，這是為新的探討方向開了個頭：我們腦海中有哪種「困難」？這些僅針對詩歌還是同樣適用於其他寫作類型？

What we want to know isn t that they ve read a certain number of texts to prove their interest, but that they have the aptitude for studying texts.

我們想知道的不是他們讀過多少書，從而證明他們的興趣所在，而是想確定他們對研究文本感興趣。

▌In a world where English is a global language, why learn French?

既然英語是全球性語言，為什麼要學法語？

解答提示：這個問題看似簡單，實際大有深意，你的回答，會影響老師們接下來的問題。

Given the nature of the Modern Languages course, I would be interested in responses about the French language as a window into French culture/literature/history, etc.; but would also be happy to see candidates investigate some of the assumptions underlying the question: Is English a global language? What about Mandarin Chinese, Spanish, etc.?

考慮到現代語言學課程的屬性，我會對法語是通向法國文化、文學、歷史的「窗口」等這樣的回答感興趣；不過，如果有考生能探究該問題背後的假設：為什麼英語是全球語言？那漢語和西班牙語呢？我也會很開心。

經濟學

Economics

▌Why is income per head between 50 and 100 times larger in the United States than in countries such as Burundi and Malawi?

為什麼美國人均收入是蒲隆地、馬拉維這樣國家的50到100倍？

解答提示：回答這個問題時，不能停留在問題表面，而要學會透過現象看本質。

The question is focused on perhaps the most important economic question there is: why are some countries rich and some countries poor? Candidates need to think about all the potential reasons why such income gaps exist.

這個問題關注的可能是最重要的經濟學問題：為什麼有些國家富有而有些國家貧窮？考生要考慮到存在這樣的收入差距的所有潛在原因。

哲學

Philosophy

▌What exactly do you think is involved in blaming someone?

討論責備他人時，我們討論的什麼？

解答提示：這是一道考查點很全面的問題。

Questions like this help draw out a candidate』s ability to think carefully and precisely about a familiar concept, evaluating proposals, coming up with counter-examples, disentangling considerations, and being creative in proposing alternative approaches.

這樣的問題可以測出考生的各方面能力，比如：對於熟悉概念進行細緻精確思考，評估提案，給出反例，解決各種考量，給出有創意的不同方法。

心理學

Psychology

▌A large study appears to show that older siblings consistently score higher than younger siblings on IQ tests. Why would this be?

一項大規模研究證明，年長的哥哥姐姐智力測試得分一直比他們的弟弟妹妹高，這是為什麼呢？

解答提示：這個問題也需要綜合考慮很多因素，比如：出生順序、母親的生育年齡、父母是否專註陪伴等。

This is a question that really asks students to think about lots of different aspects of psychology, and we guide students when discussing it to think about both scientific factors such as maternal age and observational analysis about how birth order might affect behaviour and therefore performance on IQ tests.

這個問題真的需要學生去考慮心理學的各個方面，在討論過程中我們會引導學生去思考兩個方面：科學因素，如母親年齡，和觀測分析，比如出生順序可能會影響行為，進而影響智力測試中的表現。

▌An experiment appears to suggest Welsh speakers are worse at remembering phone numbers than English speakers. Why?

實驗顯示，說威爾士語的人記電話號碼不如說英語的人記得清楚，為什麼呢？

解答提示：這個問題非常有趣，其實是對威爾士語和英語的討論。

The key point is that numbers are spelled differently and are longer in Welsh than in English, and it turns out that memory (and arithmetic) depend on how easily pronounced the words are.

這題的關鍵是，跟英語相比，威爾士語中，數字的拼寫更難也更長，而記憶（和算術）跟拼寫的難易程度有關。

This basic question can then lead to interesting discussion about the role of language in other cognitive abilities, such as memory or maths.

這個基本問題可以引發一些關於語言在記憶力、數學能力等認知能力方面發揮作用的有趣討論。

I hope that it engages candidates intuitions that Welsh people aren t simply less clever than English people!

我希望它可以讓學生體會到，威爾士人並不比英格蘭人笨！

▌Why do human beings have two eyes?

為什麼人類有兩隻眼睛？

解答提示：這個問題看似無從下手，但其實有很多回答方向。

It can develop in a number of different directions, partly depending upon the knowledge and expertise of the interviewee. For example, two eyes are important for three-dimensional (3D) vision.

這個問題可以向很多方面延伸，部分取決於面試者的知識和專業能力。比如，對於3D視角來說，兩隻眼睛很重要。

神學和宗教

Theology and Religion

▌Is someone who risks their own life (and those of others) in extreme sports or endurance activities a hero or a fool?

那些冒著自己或他人生命危險進行極限運動或耐力活動的人是英雄還是傻子？

解答提示：如何把具體的問題和一個相對廣泛的概念聯繫在一起，如何探索出更多值得談論的問題是老師們想要看到的閃光點。

The question is properly approached from many perspectives and opens up many topics – Is this impulse selfish, or does it contribute to the whole of humanity s attainment? What is a hero, and is that category in opposition to folly?

這個問題可以從很多角度入手，可以發掘更多話題——這種衝動自私嗎？它是否對全人類的成就有貢獻？英雄是什麼，是與愚蠢相對的分類嗎？

名校面試常見問題

除了這些專業性的問題，名校面試也包括一些常規問題。這裡也幫大家總結好了，來看看這些問題應該如何回答吧。

首先，你需要知道，面試官問這些問題要考察的是：

whether you have the maturity to speak clearly

你是否能夠清楚地表達自己

whether you can be comfortable even in a nerve-wracking situation

你是否能夠在非常緊張的情況下保持輕鬆

whether you can look them in the eye, smile, chat, have a solid 「adult」 conversation on an adult level

你是否能夠看著對方的眼睛，微笑著和對方在成年人的層面展開一場「成人」之間的對話

whether you are clear in terms of who you are at this point in your life and where you want to go

你是否能夠清楚地知道自己是誰，在當下人生中的定位，以及未來的方向

好了，接下來，面試通常會問這幾個問題。

1.What are you interested in studying in college?

你對大學學習的哪方面感興趣？

問什麼

這個問題問的是你的學術計劃，以及未來的職業方向和興趣，包括你的背景和個性等。

如何作答

選擇一門學科，並說出為什麼。要有明確的目標和方向，不要含糊不清。

2.What high school accomplishment are you most proud of?

你高中期間最自豪的成就是什麼？

問什麼

這個問題除了能展現你的強項以外，還能透露出你的人生追求，讓面試官更加全面地了解你。

如何作答

講述自己的成就時要表現出熱情和積極的一面，讓面試官知道你是一個有激情的年輕人，這一點很重要。

3Tell me about your family background? Where did you grow up?

說說你的家庭背景，你在哪兒長大的？

問什麼

通過這個問題，面試官想了解的是，你是在怎樣的環境中成長起來的，在社會上屬於怎樣一類人，更重要的是了解你對自己的成長背景的感受和看法。

如何作答

如實作答，多談談你自己，千萬別只答一句話。

4.What is an example of something difficult you ve had to go through, or an important event perhaps that took place in your life in the last few years?

過去幾年你是否經歷過艱難或重要的時刻？

問什麼

這個問題問的是你是誰、你有怎樣的價值觀，對你來說最重要的是什麼。面試官想了解你是怎樣一個人，你和他人的關係等。

如何作答

回答這一題時，要自信地說出你的故事。同時也要展示出一種自省的態度，要反映出你在思考這些經歷。不要回答得太簡短。

5.Why Harvard or Why Princeton? or Why Columbia? …

為什麼選擇哈佛/普林斯頓/哥倫比亞……？

問什麼

這一題問的是你對學校的了解。

如何作答

回答這一題前要做好功課，查查各學校的特色。作答時應主要談該校在學術方面對你特別有吸引力的項目、課程、老師等等，但也不要局限於學業方面，也可以談談學校的氛圍、課外活動等等，展示你是一個愛好廣泛積極熱情的人。

看了這些面試題，你能回答上來嗎？用這些面試題給自己開闊一下思路吧！