哈佛大學校園英語情景對話02："哈佛大學"的由來

Han Meimei is still asking John questions about Harvard University.

H: John, I remember you said that initially? Harvard University was called “New College” or something??

H:約翰，我記得你說過哈佛大學最初是叫“新學院”還是什么來著?

J： Yes, it was first named “New College” or “the College at New Towne”.

J：是的，剛幵始叫“新學院”或"新市民學院”。

H： But I heard that its original name is “Cambridge College”.

H:但我以前聽說它最初叫"劍橋學院”。

J: Oh, maybe it is because the town where the college located? was named Cambridge.

J:哦，可能因為學院所在的鎮(zhèn)叫劍橋吧。

H: When did it get the name “Harvard University”?

H:什么時候得了 “哈佛大學”這個名字?

J; There are two stages.First, the college was renamed “Harvard College”i n 1639. During the following nearly 140 years, it existed as a “college”. Then in 1780，in the new Massachusetts Constitution Harvard was first officially referred to as a “university”.

J:這經(jīng)歷了兩個階段。首先，學院在1639車改名為“哈佛學院”。在接下來的近 140年里，一直以“學院”存在著。然后1780年在馬薩諸塞州新憲法中，哈佛第 一次被正式稱為“大學”。

H: I think I can guess why it was upgraded? from a college to a university. Its scale became larger and larger.

H:我想我可以猜到為什么它可以從一所學院升級為一所大學，它的規(guī)模越來越大了吧。

J: You bet?! Still, it did not reach the standard of being a university. We know that a

university usually has several or many colleges or schools. In 1780，however，Harvard ‘^University，’ had only one college，namely? Harvard College.

J： 一點沒錯!但是，它仍然沒有達到一個大學的標準。我們知道大學通常要有幾個 或很多學院，但1780年時哈佛‘‘大學”只有一個學院，那就是哈佛學院。

H: Then, why could it be upgraded to the university status?

H:那它為什么可以升格為大學?

J： Maybe Massachusetts legislature made such an exception with the hope to spur on Harvard. Can you guess why it was renamed “Harvard”?

J:也許馬薩諸塞州議破此例是希望能鞭策哈佛。那能猜到為什么它改名叫‘‘哈佛” 嗎?

H: Let me think. Is it because someone called Harvard made contributions to the college?

H:讓我想想。是不是因為某個叫哈佛的人對 學院做出了貢獻?

J: Wow, you，re smart!

J：哇，你很聰明啊!

H: I know that many U.S. universities are private ones, and they are founded on the basis of donations by some successful people.

H:我知道很多美國的大學都是私立學校，且 都是在某些成功人士捐肋的基礎上建立的。

J: And Harvard College was no exception.It was renamed in honor of? John Harvard who was the first benefactor of Harvard College.

J:哈佛學院也不例外，它改名字正是為了紀 念哈佛學院的第一個捐助者約翰?哈佛。

H: Oh, John Harvard! He got the same first name as you.

H:喔，約翰?哈佛!和你的名字一樣呀。

J： Well, it’s my honor. “John” is a very common name，but “Harvard” is a rare family name. Not only on the entire American continent but also in Britain, few people have the family name “Harvard”，

J:好吧，這是我的榮幸。"約翰“是個很普通的名字，但"哈佛”是個很罕見的姓。不僅在整個美洲大陸，就是在英國本土都很少有人姓‘‘哈佛”。

H: That makes Harvard University more special.

H:這讓哈佛大學顯得更特殊了。

J: Or rather?, it’s unique.

J：更確切地說是獨特。

H: How great on earth? was John Harvard's contribution to the college?

H:約翰?哈佛對學院的貢獻到底有多大?

J: Upon his death in 1638, he left his entire library and half of his estate, about ￡779, to the

new institution.

J：他在1638年臨終前把他的所有藏書和一半資產(chǎn)，約779英鎊，都留綰了這所新 學院。

H: That could be ai large fortune at that time.

H:在那時應該算是一筆不小的財富了吧。

J: Yeah. The market value of his half estate is 3,500,000 dollars in 2010. In 1630s, it was nearly twice as much as one year’s financial appropriations?. It was this big fortune

that assured the continued operation of the college.

J：是的。2010年他的一半資產(chǎn)的市值是350萬美元。在17世紀30年代，相當于一 年財政撥款的兩倍呢。正是這筆錢保證了學院的持續(xù)運轉。

H： Why did he chose to donate almost all of his estate to the college? Didn’t he have children or relatives?

H:為什么他選擇把幾乎所有的遺產(chǎn)都捐贈給學院?他設有孩子或親戚嗎?

J： I，m not quite sure. I only know that his father and four of his siblings? died in a plague? which broke out in 1625, and that he had no kids because he had got married less than one year before he died.

J：我不是很確定。我只知道他父親和他的四個兄弟姐妹在1625年爆發(fā)的一場瘟疫 中死去了，而且因為他結婚不到一年就死了，所以設有孩子。

H ： Sorry to hear that.

H:很遺憾聽到這些。

J： Maybe he left the other half of his estate to other relatives. Besides, he, like many founders of the new college, was an alumnus of Cambridge University. I guess he did want to do something for the new college.

J：也許他把另一半遺產(chǎn)留給了其他親戚吧。再說，他和新學院的許多創(chuàng)建者一樣都 是英國劍橋大學的畢業(yè)生。我想他確實想為這所新學院倣些什么吧。

H: Could be?.

H:也許吧。

J: Fortunately, the college named after him has now become one of the most outstanding universities in the world. If he knew this, John Harvard would feel greatly honored and proud.

J:幸運的是，以他命名的學院現(xiàn)在成了世界上最出色的大學之一。如果約翰?哈佛 知道這些，他會感到無比的榮幸和驕傲的。

H: He might not expect that his donation has benefited numerous people. Since you are free this Sunday, why not show me around Harvard University?

H:他也許設想到他的捐助恩澤了很多人。旣然你星期天沒什么事兒，帶我到哈佛大 學四周轉轉吧。

J: OK. It’s a deal?.

J：好的，就這么說定了。

H: Thank you. See you the day after tomorrow.

H:謝謝。后天見。