1.Would you expect this compound to be more soluble in octanol or water? (The student will be shown the structure of an organic compound with functional groups that they will be familiar with from A-level/IB studies)

你认为这个化合物在辛醇还是水中更容易溶解？(将展示 A-level/IB 课程中含官能团的有机化合物的结构)

2.The relative solubility of a compound in octanol vs aqueous solution can be determined by putting a sample of the compound in a 1:1 mixture of octanol and aqueous solution and then measuring the concentration of the compound that has dissolved in each of the solvents. For one particular compound the relative solubility varies with pH as shown in the graph below. Can you interpret this graph?

化合物在辛醇和水溶液中的相对溶解度可以通过将该化合物的样品置于辛醇和水 1:1 的混合溶液中，然后测量在每种溶剂中溶解的化合物的浓度来确定。如下图所示， 对于一种特殊的化合物，其相对溶解度随 pH 值的变化而变化。你能解释一下这张图表吗?

题目出自：Interviewer - Kathryn Scott, Christ Church

1. Why do some habitats support higher biodiversity than others?

为什么有些生态环境比其他的环境更具生物多样性?

2. Why do many animals have stripes?

为什么许多动物都有条纹?

3. Here's a cactus. Tell me about it.

这里有一个仙人掌，向我详细介绍一下它。

4. If you could save either the rainforests or the coral reefs, which would you choose?

如果你能拯救雨林或珊瑚礁，你会选择哪一个？

5. Is it easier for organisms to live in the sea or on land?

生物在海里还是在陆地上更容易生存?

6. Why do lions have manes?

狮子为什么有鬃毛？

7. Ladybirds are red. So are strawberries. Why?

瓢虫是红色的，草莓也是红色的，这是为什么?

8. Would it matter if tigers became extinct?

如果老虎灭绝了后果严重吗?

题目出自：Interviewer - Owen Lewis, Brasenose College, Interviewer - Martin Speight, St Anne's College

1. Why is sugar in your urine a good indicator that you might have diabetes?

为什么尿液中的糖是检测糖尿病的最好指标?

2. Why do a cat's eyes appear to 'glow' in the dark?

为什么猫的眼睛在黑暗中会“发光”?

题目出自：Interviewer - Robert Wilkins, St Edmund Hall, Interviewer -  Jan Schnupp, St Peter's College

How many different molecules can be made from six carbon atoms and twelve hydrogen atoms?

6个碳原子和 12 个氢原子可以组成多少不同的分子?

题目出自：Interviewer - Martin Galpin, University College

Why do you think Dido kills herself in Aeneid 4? Couldn’t she just have gone back to her old life?

为什么你认为《埃涅阿斯纪》第 4 章中的蒂朵是自杀的？她就不能回到以前的生活吗？

题目出自：Interviewer - Gail Trimble, Trinity College

How do pirates divide their treasure?

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:

The most senior pirate proposes the division.

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.

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

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

海盗分财：

7名海盗拥有 100 枚金币。他们必须自己决定如何分割宝藏，但必须遵守以下海盗规则：

1）由最年长的海盗提议如何分。

2）所有的海盗（包括年龄最大的海盗）都对此进行投票。如果一半以上的人投支持票，则分法成立。如果少于一半的人投赞成票，最年长的海盗将被扔到海里，然后重新开始。

3) 海盗们都非常有逻辑且冷酷无情（只想最大化自己的份额)。那么最年长的海盗应该如何向其他六名海盗建议分法？

题目出自：Interviewer - Brian Harrington, Keble College

1. How can we estimate the mass of the atmosphere?

我们如何估计大气的质量？

2. Tell me what this rock looks like.

仔细观察这块石头并描述它的样子。

题目出自：Interviewer - Conall MacNiocaill, Exeter College, Interviewer - Roger Benson, St Edmund Hall

The Holiday Puzzle:

"Alex and Brian are cousins. They are planning a four-day holiday in Venice and they each have 400 euros to spend. (They have already paid for their return flights and for their hotel room.) On the flight to Venice Alex and Brian discuss how they should each allocate their spending over the four days.

Alex believes that the satisfaction he gains from spending a certain amount x euros on a given day is proportional to √x. Explain why this might be a reasonable way to represent his preferences. If he has these preferences how would you expect him to allocate his spending over the four days?

Brian has the same preferences as Alex, but he knows that he tends to be impatient. This means that, on any given day, he tends to give extra weight to the current day’s spending when he makes his spending decisions for that day. Thus on a given day he behaves as if the satisfaction he would gain from spending x euros would be √(2x) whereas the thinks that on subsequent days the satisfaction he will gain from spending x euros will be only √x.

If Brian has these preferences how would you expect him to allocate his spending over the four days?

Is there a better way for Brian to allocate his spending and, if so, how might he achieve this better outcome?

Does your analysis of this problem have any implications for any current economic policy issues?"

度假谜题

“亚历克斯和布赖恩是表兄弟。他们计划去威尼斯度假四天，每人有 400 欧元（回程机票和酒店住宿费已支付)。在飞往威尼斯的飞机上他们讨论如何分配这四天的开销。

亚历克斯认为，他每天花费 x 欧元所获得的满足感与√x 成正比。解释这为什么是表达他偏好的一种合理方式？如果他确实如此，你觉得他应该如何分配这四天的开销?

布莱恩和亚历克斯有同样的偏好，但他知道他是个没耐心的人。这意味着在任何一天当他做消费决定时会额外考虑当天的消费。第一天他从消费 x 欧元中获得的满足感会是√(2x)， 而在随后的日子里从消费 x 欧元中获得的满足感只会是√x。如果 Brian 是这样，你觉得他如何分配这四天的开销？Brian 有没有更好的分配方式？如果有，如何才能达到更好的结果?

你对这个问题的分析对当前的经济政策有什么启示?”

题目出自：Interviewer - Terry O'Shaughnessy, St Anne's College

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

银行家们应该得到他们所获得的薪酬吗？政府应该做些什么来限制他们的收入?

题目出自：Interviewer - Brian Bell, Lady Margaret Hall

1. Place a 30cm ruler on top of one finger from each hand so that you have one finger at each end of the ruler, and the ruler is resting on your fingertips. What happens when you bring your fingers together?

将一把 30 厘米的尺子放在两只手的一根手指上，尺子的两端各有一根手指，尺子就放在你的指尖上。当你把手指合在一起时会发生什么?

2. How would you design a gravity dam for holding back water?

你会如何设计一个拦水的重力坝?

题目出自：Interviewer - Steve Collins, University College, Interviewer - Byron Byrne, Department of Engineering Science

1. JK Rowling has just 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?在大获成功的《哈利·波特》系列之后，JK·罗琳又出版了一本成人读物。你认为为儿童写作和为成人写作有什么不同?

2. Tell me about [this literary work you have mentioned in your UCAS personal statement]

告诉我关于你在 UCAS 个人陈述中提到的文学作品

3. Why do you think an English student might be interested in the fact that Coronation Street has been running for 50 years?

你认为一个英国学生为什么会对《加冕典礼街》这部剧已经连播 50 年的事实感兴趣?

题目出自：Interviewer - Lucinda Rumsey, Mansfield College, Interviewer - Emma Smith, Hertford College, Interviewer - Lynn Robson, Regent's Park College

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

如果我去你住的地方，我会对什么感兴趣?

题目出自：Interviewer - Lorraine Wild, St Hilda's College

1. What would a historian find interesting about the place where you live?

关于你居住的地方，历史学家会发现什么有趣的事情?

2. Is violence always political?  Does 'political' mean something different in different contexts?

暴力总是政治性的吗？“政治的”在不同的语境中有不同的意思吗?

3. Imagine we had no records about the past at all, except everything to do with sport

– how much of the past could we find out about?

如果我们没有关于过去的任何记录，我们能了解多少历史?

4. Which person (or sort of person) in the past would you most like to interview, and why?

你最想采访过去的哪一个人(或哪一类人)，为什么?

5. What can historians not find out about the past?

历史学家们无法发现关于过去的哪些事情?

题目出自：Interviewer - Ian Forrest, Oriel College, Interviewer - Stephen Tuck, Pembroke College, Interviewer - Sian Pooley, Magdalen College

1. 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?

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

如果在双黄线上停车的处罚是死刑，因此无人这样做，这是公正且有效的法律吗?

3. Should it be illegal to run a red light in the middle of the night on an empty road?

半夜在空旷的路上闯红灯是否违法？

4. Concocting evidence

"You are the sheriff of a small town on the American frontier 150 years ago.  A young woman from a prominent white family in your town has been killed.  She was white, and a rumour is spreading that the killer was a young black man, even though no evidence of this has been brought forward. There is increasing disquiet in the community. Some people are scared for their female relations, while the family and their friends are desperate to avenge her death.

You are worried that if you don’t find the killer soon, the townspeople will take matters into their own hands and mete out vigilante justice. You are particularly concerned that there will be violence amongst the townspeople, and possibly racially-motivated killings, if nothing is done. You have no idea who the real killer is.

A homeless man comes to town.  He has no friends or family in the town; no-one has seen him before as far as you know. You do not suspect he committed the murder. However, you do think you would be able to concoct enough false evidence to convince a jury that he killed the young woman and sentence him to death.

Do you concoct the evidence to save the town from violence and potentially prevent the deaths of numerous people?

捏造证据

你是 150 年前美国边境一个小镇的治安官。一名年轻女子被杀害了，她来自你们镇上一个显赫的白人家庭。她是白人，有谣言说凶手是一名年轻的黑人男子，尽管没有证据证明这一点。社区里的不安情绪与日俱增。有人害怕他们的女性亲人会受到伤害，而这位女子的家人和朋友不顾一切地为她的死报仇。

你担心如果不能很快找到凶手，镇民们将亲手维护正义。你特别担心的是如果不采取任何措施，镇民之间将会发生暴力事件，还会导致种族杀戮，但你根本不知道谁是真正的凶手。

一个无家可归的人来到镇上。他在城里没有亲戚朋友，且据你所知以前没人见过他。你不会怀疑他犯了谋杀罪。然而你确认你能够捏造足够的假证据来说服陪审团他杀死了那名年轻女子并判他死刑。

你选择会捏造证据来拯救这个城镇免于暴力，阻止许多人的死亡吗?

题目出自：Interviewer - Ben McFarlane, Faculty of Law, Interviewer - Liora Lazarus, St Anne's College, Interviewer -  Imogen Goold, St Anne's College

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

如果我想用热气球举起一头大象，热气球里的空气要有多热?

题目出自：Interviewer - Steve Roberts, St Edmund Hall

1. Imagine a ladder leaning against a vertical wall with its feet on the ground. The middle rung of the ladder has been painted a different colour on the side, so that we can see it when we look at the ladder from the side on. What shape does that middle rung trace out as the ladder falls to the floor?

想象一架梯子立在地上靠着一堵垂直的墙。梯子中间的横档被涂上了不同的颜色，这样当我们从侧面看梯子时就能看到它。当梯子落到地板上时中间的横档是什么形状?

2. How many ways are there to cover a 2 x n rectangular grid with 2 x 1 tiles?

用 2 x 1 瓷砖有几种方式可以覆盖 2 x n 直角坐标网？

题目出自：Interviewer - Rebecca Cotton-Barratt, Christ Church, Interviewer - Andrew King, Exeter College

1. Put these countries in order by their crude mortality (deaths per thousand of the population): Bangladesh, Japan, South Africa, the UK.

按粗死亡率(每千人的死亡人数)给这些国家排序：孟加拉国、日本、南非、英国。

2. The viruses that infect us are totally dependent on human cells for their reproduction; is it therefore surprising that viruses cause human diseases?

病毒需要依赖于人类细胞进行繁殖，但是病毒又会侵害宿主人类（可能导致病毒自身灭绝），这样的矛盾令人惊讶吗?

题目出自：Interviewer - Andrew King, Exeter College, Interviewer - Chris Norbury, The Queen’s College

1. What makes a novel or play‘political’?

是什么让小说或戏剧具有“政治性”?

2. Should poetry be difficult to understand?

诗歌应该晦涩难懂吗?

3. What makes a short story different from a novel?

短篇故事和长篇小说有什么不同?

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

在一个英语是全球通用语言的世界里，为什么要学法语?

5. What do we lose if we only read a foreign work of literature in translation?

如果我们只阅读外国文学作品的译作，我们会失去什么?

题目出自：Interviewer - Helen Swift, St Hilda's College, Interviewer - Stephen Goddard, St Catherine's College, Interviewer - Jane Hiddleston, Exeter College

1. If you could invent a new musical instrument, what kind of sound would it make?

如果你能发明一种新的乐器，它会发什么样的声音?

2. What are the different ways in which you listen to music? How does that change the way in which you think about what you're listening to?

你听音乐有哪些不同的方式？这会如何改变你对所听内容的思考?

题目出自：Interviewer - Dan Grimley, Merton College, Interviewer - Laura Tunbridge, St Catherine’s College

Can archaeology ‘prove’ or ‘disprove’ the Bible?

考古学是证明了还是证伪了圣经？

题目出自：Interviewer - Alison Salvesen, Mansfield College

1. 'I agree that air transport contributes to harmful climate change. But whether or not I make a given plane journey, the plane will fly anyway. So there is no moral reason for me not to travel by plane.' Is this a convincing argument?

“我同意航空旅行会对气候造成不良影响。但是无论我是否坐飞机旅行，飞机都会飞， 所以我没有任何道德上的理由不坐飞机旅行。”这是一个令人信服的论点吗?

2. Suppose that you could plug yourself into a machine for the rest of your life, which would give you all the experiences you find enjoyable and valuable. Once in the machine, you would not know that you are plugged in, and that these experiences are not real. Would you go into the machine? If so, why? If not, why not?

假设你可以把自己插在一台机器上度过余生，这台机器将给你输入所有愉快和有价值的经历。一旦进入机器，你不会意识到自己被插入机器里，也不会意识到这些体验都不是真的。你会愿意被插入机器吗？如果愿意，为什么？如果不愿意，又是为什么？

3. Are our deaths bad for us?

我们的死亡对自身有害吗?

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

为什么美国的人均收入是布隆迪和马拉维等国家的50到 100 倍?

5. When I was at school in the 1970s, there was talk of a pensions crisis that would one day hit. The talk persisted in the 1980s, and the 1990s – and then there was a pensions crisis, and little had been done politically to prepare us for it. Is there a fault with the British political system that means we can't sensibly address serious medium and long-term problems when they are identified?

上世纪 70 年代就有人在谈论有朝一日会爆发的养老金危机。上世纪 80 年代和 90 年代这种讨论一直在持续——然后就出现了养老金危机，而我们几乎没有采取任何政治行动来为之做好准备。英国的政治体系是否存在缺陷，使得我们无法在发现严重的中长期问题时明智地解决它们?

6. I'm having trouble with the meaning of three words: Lie, Deceive, Mislead. They seem to mean something a bit similar, but not exactly the same.  Help me to sort them out from each other.

我对谎言、欺骗、误导这三个词的意思感到困惑。它们的意思似乎有点相似，但不完全一样。帮我把它们区分开来。

题目出自：Interviewer - Cecile Fabre, Lincoln College, Interviewer - Tim Mawson, St Peter's College, Interviewer - Brian Bell, Lady Margaret Hall, Interviewer - Dave Leal, Brasenose College

What exactly do you think is involved in blaming someone?

你认为责备他人到底意味着什么?

题目出自：Interviewer - Ian Phillips, St Anne’s College

A ball, initially at rest, is pushed upwards by a constant force for a certain amount of time. Sketch the velocity of the ball as a function of time, from start to when it hits the ground.

一个最初处于静止状态的球在一段时间内被一个恒定的力向上推，请画出从开始到落地球的速度与时间的函数。

题目出自：Interviewer - Jeffrey Tseng, St Edmund Hall

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

一项大型研究似乎表明，年长的兄弟姐妹在智商测试中的得分总是比年幼的兄弟姐妹高。为什么会这样？

2. Imagine that 100 people each put £1 into a pot for a prize that will go to the winner of a simple game.  Each person has to choose a number between 0 and 100. The prize goes to the person whose number is closest to 2/3 of the average of all of the numbers chosen. What number will you choose, and why?

想象一下，100 个人每人往一个罐子里放 1 英镑，奖品将发给一个简单游戏的获胜者。每个人必须在 0 到 100 之间选择一个数字。数字最接近所有被选数字平均值 2/3 的人将获得奖金。你会选择什么数字，为什么?

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

一项实验似乎表明说威尔士语的人比说英语的人更不善于记住电话号码，这是为什么?

4. What is 'normal' for humans?

什么是人类所谓的“正常”?

5. Why do human beings have two eyes?

为什么人类有两只眼睛?

6. Should interviews be used for selection?

面试应该用于选拔吗?

题目出自：Interviewer - Kate Watkins, St Anne’s College

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

在极限运动或耐力运动中冒着生命危险的人是英雄还是傻瓜?

2. Is religion of value whether or not there is a God?

无论上帝是否存在宗教都是有价值的吗？

题目出自：Interviewer - Andrew Teal, Pembroke College