牛津大学校园英语情景对话11：最古老的学院---默顿学院（mp3+中英）

M: Good morning, Thomas!

M:早上好，托马斯！

T: Oh, Mary, Good morning! Will you be back to the dormitory?

T:噢，玛丽，早上好丨你是要回宿舍吗？

M: Yes, I borrowed some books from the library just now, and I have to bring them to the dormitory first.

M:是的，我刚从图书馆借了些书，我想先把它们拿回宿舍。

T; Great! We can go back together. By the way, what books have you borrowed?

T：太好了！我们可以结伴而行啦。对了，你都借了些什么书？

M： The Lord of the Rings a novel written by philologist J. R. R. Tolkien, who was a Merton Professor of English Language and Literature. The story began as a sequel to Tolkien’s earlier novel The Hobbit which is a less complex children’s fantasy novel. However, it eventually developed into a much larger work.

M:《魔戒》，就是语言学者J. R. R.托尔金写的小说。他是牛津大学默顿学院的 英国语言与文学教授。小说中的故事情节一开始是托尔金的早期儿童奋幻小 说《哈比人历险记》的延续。但是，托尔金最后却把它写成了一部巨著。

T: Well, is it the epic high fantasy novel that is in three volumes?

T:哦，就是那部史诗奋幻小说三部曲吗？

M: You are right. It has already been reprinted numerous times and translated into many languages. It is regarded as one of the most popular and influential works in the 20th century literature. The Lord of the Rings is considered to have had a great effect on popular culture, and adaptations of it have been made for radio, theatre, and film. Although it has been made into films, I still prefer reading books.

M:对。《魔戒》已经多次再版，并且被翻译成多种语言。它被认为是20世纪最 受欢迎、也是最具影响力的文学作品之一。《魔戒》对大众文化也产生了巨大 的影响，由它而改编的电台节目、戏剧和电影比比皆是。虽然《魔戒》已经 被改编成电影，不过我还是比较喜欢看书。

T: Wow, I have watched all the three live action fantasy epic films on my last summer vacation. The trilogy includes The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers and The Return of the King, which can be regarded as the summit of the epic film.

T:哇，我去车暑假里把这三部实景真人版的史诗奋幻电影都看完了。这三部电 影分别是《魔戒现身》、《双塔奋兵》和《王者归来》，它们堪称是奋幻小说的 巅峰之作。

M： What marvelous works! Tolkien is really a genius.

M:多棒的作品啊！托尔金真是个天才。

T: You made mention that he is  Merton Professor just now. You should have heard that Merton is the most academically successful college in the University of Oxford!

T:你刚才说他是默顿学院的教授。你应该听说过默顿是牛津大学学术最强的学 院吧！

M: That’s the case. Furthermore, it is remarkable for its oldness. It is claimed as the oldest college in Oxford University, because its foundation can be trace back to 1264.

M:的确如此。此外，默顿学院还以历史悠久著称。据说它是牛津大学最古老的 学院，因为它的创建可以追溯到1264年。

T: However, as I know, either Balliol College or University College was built earlier than Merton College. Balliol College was founded in 1263 and University College was in 1249.

T：但是，据我所知，不管是贝利奥尔学院，还是大学学院都比默顿学院成立得 要早。贝利奥尔学院建于1263年，而大学学院建于1249年。

M: Well, though this claim is disputed among the three colleges, Merton got the title of the oldest college because it was the first college to have statutes to govern the college independently. Merton’s statutes date back to 1264，while neither Balliol nor University College had statutes until the 1280s.

M:嗯，虽然这三个学院都在为此争论不休，默顿学院却获得了 "历史最悠久的 学院”这个殊荣。那是因为它是首个制定条例，实行学院自制的学院。默顿 学院早在1264年建校时就制定了条例，而无论是贝利奥尔学院还是大学学院 都是到了 13世纪80车代才有了院规。

T: Oh, I see. How do you know so well?

T:哦，我明白了。你怎么知道得这么清楚啊？

M: That’s a secret!

M:那是秘蜜！

T: Secret? I'm amazed.

T:秘密？我糊涂了。

M: I’m just kidding. I want to get my master’s degree in the University of Oxford, and I am considering which college to choose now, Merton or Balliol?

M:开个玩笑。我想去牛津大学读硕士，现在正考虑选择哪个学院，不知是选默 顿还是贝利.奥尔。

T: Of course, Merton College! It has become the most academically successful and economically wealthy college in Oxford.

T:当然选默顿学院啦！默顿学院现在已经成为牛津学术最强、经济条件最富裕 的学院了。

M: Thank you for your suggestions. I need more thinking.

M:谢谢你的建议，我还得再考虑一下。

T: Ok, good luck to you.

T:哦，那么祝你好运！

M: Thanks a lot.

M:谢谢。