哈佛大学校园英语情景对话02："哈佛大学"的由来（mp3+中英）

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:约翰，我记得你说过哈佛大学最初是叫“新学院”还是什么来着？

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

J：是的，刚幵始叫“新学院”或"新市民学院”。

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

H:但我以前听说它最初叫"剑桥学院”。

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

J:哦，可能因为学院所在的镇叫剑桥吧。

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

H:什么时候得了 “哈佛大学”这个名字？

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:这经历了两个阶段。首先，学院在1639车改名为“哈佛学院”。在接下来的近 140年里，一直以“学院”存在着。然后1780年在马萨诸塞州新宪法中，哈佛第 一次被正式称为“大学”。

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

H:我想我可以猜到为什么它可以从一所学院升级为一所大学，它的规模越来越大了吧。

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： 一点没错！但是，它仍然没有达到一个大学的标准。我们知道大学通常要有几个 或很多学院，但1780年时哈佛‘‘大学”只有一个学院，那就是哈佛学院。

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

H:那它为什么可以升格为大学？

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

J:也许马萨诸塞州议破此例是希望能鞭策哈佛。那能猜到为什么它改名叫‘‘哈佛” 吗？

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

H:让我想想。是不是因为某个叫哈佛的人对 学院做出了贡献？

J: Wow, you，re smart!

J：哇，你很聪明啊！

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:我知道很多美国的大学都是私立学校，且 都是在某些成功人士捐肋的基础上建立的。

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

J:哈佛学院也不例外，它改名字正是为了纪 念哈佛学院的第一个捐助者约翰?哈佛。

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

H:喔，约翰?哈佛！和你的名字一样呀。

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，这是我的荣幸。"约翰“是个很普通的名字，但"哈佛”是个很罕见的姓。不仅在整个美洲大陆，就是在英国本土都很少有人姓‘‘哈佛”。

H: That makes Harvard University more special.

H:这让哈佛大学显得更特殊了。

J: Or rather?, it’s unique.

J：更确切地说是独特。

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

H:约翰?哈佛对学院的贡献到底有多大？

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年临终前把他的所有藏书和一半资产，约779英镑，都留绾了这所新 学院。

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

H:在那时应该算是一笔不小的财富了吧。

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年他的一半资产的市值是350万美元。在17世纪30年代，相当于一 年财政拨款的两倍呢。正是这笔钱保证了学院的持续运转。

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

H:为什么他选择把几乎所有的遗产都捐赠给学院？他设有孩子或亲戚吗？

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：我不是很确定。我只知道他父亲和他的四个兄弟姐妹在1625年爆发的一场瘟疫 中死去了，而且因为他结婚不到一年就死了，所以设有孩子。

H ： Sorry to hear that.

H:很遗憾听到这些。

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：也许他把另一半遗产留给了其他亲戚吧。再说，他和新学院的许多创建者一样都 是英国剑桥大学的毕业生。我想他确实想为这所新学院仿些什么吧。

H: Could be?.

H:也许吧。

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:幸运的是，以他命名的学院现在成了世界上最出色的大学之一。如果约翰?哈佛 知道这些，他会感到无比的荣幸和骄傲的。

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:他也许设想到他的捐助恩泽了很多人。既然你星期天没什么事儿，带我到哈佛大 学四周转转吧。

J: OK. It’s a deal?.

J：好的，就这么说定了。

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

H:谢谢。后天见。