John McManus, BBC News

媒體英語(yǔ)會(huì)帶大家一起學(xué)習(xí) BBC 撰稿人在報(bào)道世界大事時(shí)常用到的單詞和短語(yǔ)。

Background: 對(duì)大多數(shù)人來(lái)說(shuō)，一生中至少會(huì)收到一封拒絕信，可能是申請(qǐng)工作或者是報(bào)考大學(xué)。牛津大學(xué)作為英國(guó)的頂級(jí)院校每年會(huì)寄出無(wú)數(shù)封拒絕信，不過(guò)這一次，牛津大學(xué)卻被一個(gè)申請(qǐng)者給拒絕了，此事現(xiàn)已成為人們茶余飯后的笑料。

Nineteen-year old Elly Nowell from Winchester in the south of England applied to the Oxford college of Magdalen to read law, but when she was invited for interview she decided she didn't like what she saw.

Elly, who is finishing her A-levels, told the BBC that Oxford resembled the British Monarchy in that it was what she called ridiculous and elitist, but unlike the Royal Family, was rarely mocked. Her actions may well change that. Following her interview at Magdalen College, Elly wrote a rejection letter to the University using the kind of language that officials employ when they're trying to let somebody down gently.

Elly admits that her letter of rejection to the University was not entirely serious, but it has raised some important points. Oxford and Cambridge universities are often accused of elitism and of having entrance procedures that favour students from private schools.

Yet Oxford says it's changing and that last year more than half of its academic offers went to pupils from state schools. As for Elly, she now hopes to gain a place at University College London. The admissions staff there may well be watching the mailbox very closely.