现代教育口译实践:第二篇(英译汉)Passage 2 (E---C)

第二篇（英译汉）Passage 2 (E---C)

相关词语 Related words and expressions

alumna 女校友

alumnus 男校友

alumni 校友（复数）

civic origin 城市的起源

Sorbonne （巴黎）的索本神学院，巴黎大学的前身

teeming city 繁忙的城市

academia 学术界

culmination of an outstanding career 杰出事业的顶峰

barrister 律师

one-to-one tutorial 一带一导师制

academically rewarding 学术上受益

breeding ground 温床

cut their professional teeth 开始他们的职业生涯

classical music ensemble 古典乐团

rich, exalted history 丰富而声誉高的历史

For centuries, Oxford has been at Britain's intellectual heart, perhaps the most prestigious among Europe's many ancient universities. It lies only 50 miles from London, close to the centers of power—Parliament and the Law Courts. Oxford has attracted students and scholars from all over the world. They have gone on to achieve the highest positions in their own countries in politics, administration, science and the arts. Alumni include numerous eminent scientists, literary figures and such overseas politicians as American President Bill Clinton, Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto and the Philippines’ President Gloria Arroyo.

Its civic origins go back to the Middle Ages. At that time, Oxford was a small town built on a mound of gravel between two deep rivers, the Thames and the Cherwell, at a place where oxen could ford the waters. As a place of learning Oxford's beginnings are equally distant. Legend has it that Alfred laid its foundations at the end of the ninth century. By the 12th century scholars were teaching in the town and their renown had spread to the Continent, particularly to the Sorbonne in Paris, then Europe's greatest center of learning. A group of English scholars left the French capital in 1167 to settle in Oxford and the place became a magnet for students and teachers from all over Britain. Today Oxford is a large, teeming city, but the cluster of ancient university buildings in the center—colleges, libraries, museums and administrative blocks –has remained largely untouched. While most old universities have modernized radically to accommodate their growing populations, Oxford has managed to expand while still preserving its traditional collegiate structure. The 36 existing colleges, varying from the older houses to the newest such as Green, are independent, self-governing institutions operating under the umbrella of the University of Oxford.

Few positions in academia are grander than being head of an Oxford college. Usually it is the culmination of an outstanding career and a reward for decades of public service. The post requires the combined talents of diplomat, administrator and academic. As Sir Roger Bannister, former Master of Pembroke College says:" Heading an Oxford college was a new challenge, you should recognize the needs and aspirations of the students and help to realize them. The three-year period students spend at Oxford is the most important of their lives; it shapes their future careers; the friendships they form will last for ever."

Every year in Oxford, among thousands of applicants, only a few hundred are chosen by each college through an increasingly competitive process. Once accepted, the undergraduates benefit from a range of traditional privileges. The most notable and the rarest of these is the one- to-one tutorial, at which a student presents his or her work to the tutor. The relationship of profound respect and trust that can develop between teacher and pupil over three years can be as lasting as it is academically rewarding. Years after students have left they return to their tutors for advice and guidance.

Parallel to their academic work, students can cultivate their particular talents and interests by joining a vast range of societies. Many of Britain's finest actors, actresses and theatre directors started their careers at the Oxford University Dramatic Society. The Oxford Union (short for the Oxford University Debating Society) has been a breeding ground for the country's political leaders and celebrated barristers. Debate topics there vary from politics, philosophy, religion and ethics to less lofty subjects. The list of famous politicians who cut their professional teeth here is endless, such as the British Prime Ministers Edward Heath and Margaret Thatcher, and the Prime Minister of other countries as well.

Another famous institution is the Oxford University Boat Club, founded in 1839. Each college has its own team of rowers, and the best among them are chosen to form the Oxford squad. Although boating is not usually a spectator sport, millions watch the annual duel between Oxford and Cambridge on television and tens of thousands more line the banks of the Thames.

Oxford has a rich musical life, too. Students who play an instrument are encouraged to develop their talents. Some form pop and rock music groups, playing at parties and dances, while others create classical music ensembles. The best musicians are invited to join the Oxford University Orchestra.

So generations of students, scholars and teachers come and go, each adding a layer to the university's rich, exalted history as Oxford shines everlasting.