OnbothsidesoftheRiverThamesinLondon，bigcrowdswaitforthestartofarowingrace．ThesportingspotlightfallsontwoboatsfromthetwotopuniversitiesinBritain．EightmalestudentsfrombothOxfordandCambridgebattle（搏斗）

　　On both sides of the River Thames in London，big crowds wait for the start of a rowing race．The sporting spotlight falls on two boats from the two top universities in Britain．

　　Eight male students from both Oxford and Cambridge battle（搏斗） it out for 6.8km on the river．The winners will bring back honor（荣耀） for themselves and their university．And although competitors must be amateurs （业余爱好者）and students，these top universities take the competition seriously．Their training timetable is strict：usually，they train for six days a week for six months before the race．

　　The rowing tradition has a long history．The first race was in 1829!Being two of the oldest universities in the world，Oxford and Cambridge share a strong competition both in academia（学术界） and sports．

　　There have been some interesting events over the centuries．In 1877，and the only time so far，both boats crossed the line at the exact same time．It's been the only draw （平局） in its history．In the 1912race，weather conditions were poor．Strong winds blew during the race，and surely enough，both boats sank!And in 2012，the race was stopped after a student entered the water and swam towards the boats．He was against public spending cuts （削减开支）．And the recent race this year on April 11made history．It was the first time that the women's team raced at the same place and on the same day．

　　Though there's little difference between them，Cambridge is in the lead with 81wins．

　　39．What can we tell from the story？___

　　A．Eighteen students from each university take part in the rowing race．

　　B．Teachers can also take part in the competition．

　　C．Students take part in the boat race just for fun．

　　D．Students train hard for the boat race．

　　40．What happened in the race of 1912？___

　　A．It was the first boat race competition．

　　B．The result was a draw．

　　C．Strong winds made both boats sink．

　　D．The race was stopped by a student．