走进哈佛大学 第6期:马萨诸塞堂

 　　There are two Massachusetts Halls in New England. One is at the Bowdoin College, in Brunswick, Maine. The other, which is also the most mentioned? one, is on Harvard Campus, in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The latter was erected¹ between 1718 and 1720 in Harvard Yard. It is the oldest surviving building at Harvard College, and second oldest academic building in the United States (The Wren² Building at College of William & Mary is the oldest). As such, it’s significance in the history of the United States and American education speaks for itself在新英格兰有两个马萨诸塞堂。一个坐落于缅因州布伦兹维克的鲍登学院；另一 个，也是人们最经常提到的那个，位于马萨诸塞州坎布里奇市哈佛大学的校园里。后 者建造于1718年到1720年之间，是哈佛学院现存的最古老的建筑，也是除了威廉和 玛丽学院的雷恩教学楼外美国最古老的学术大楼。因此，它在美国历史和美国教育史 上的重要性是不言而喻的。

　　As an building that is almost 300 years old, Massachusetts Hall at Harvard has gone through many ups and downs, and is replete³ with historical significance. Originally, it was built as a dormitory that could contain 64 students. During the Revolutionary War, it sheltered soldiers of the Continental⁴ Army. 640 Continental soldiers took quarters in the hall. Much of the interior woodwork and hardware disappeared at this time. While designed as a residence for students, the hall has served many purposed through the years. In 1722, for example, the hall housed an informal observatory⁵. Therefore, for most part of its history, it was used as a dormitory, offices, and administration space. In 1924，the hall was threatened with destruction when a fire broke out on the roof. A good deal of the wall had to be torn down in an endeavor to trace the source of the fire.

　　作为有近300年历史的古建筑，马萨诸塞堂经历了许多跌宕起伏,充满了历史意义。 最初建马萨诸塞堂的目的是为了建一个能容纳64名学生的宿舍楼。在美国独立战争 时期，马萨诸塞堂成了大陆军的避难所，640名大陆军在那里住宿。在此期间，大堂 内部有很多木制品和金属制品都消失不见了。虽然学校把大堂设计为学生宿舍，但这 些年来大堂担当了很多角色。例如，1722年大堂里就有一个非正式的天文台。因此， 马萨诸塞堂大部分时间都被用作宿舍、办公室和管理处。1924年一场大火险些毁掉马 萨诸塞堂，为竭力找寻起火源头，大堂墙体的一大部分都不得不被拆除了。

　　In 1939, the Harvard president’s office moved from University Hall into the bottom floors of Mass. Hall. Parts of the top two floors of the building, however, are still used to house around 20 freshmen⁶. This tradition of bringing the two power poles of Harvard into close proximity⁷ has been passed on. In recent years, however, there are rumors⁸ that the hall will be sold by the Faculty⁹ of Arts and Sciences to the central administration of the University. Many people are agUinst this trade, because the odd mixture of “lowly” undergrads and top administrators¹⁰ is unique and worth preserving. For Harvard people, the tradition and symbolism of housing freshman¹¹ above the offices of the president and provost outweighs¹² the practical benefits of using the dormitory space on top two floors for other purposes.

　　1939年哈佛大学校长办公室从大学堂搬到了马萨诸塞堂的底部楼层。虽然如此， 最高的两层楼仍被用作宿舍，可以容纳大约20名左右新生。从那以后，这个让在哈 佛大学处于权力两极的人近距离接触的传统保留了下来。但在近几年，有传言说文理 学院的人要把马萨诸塞堂卖给大学的管理中心。许多人都反对这一交易，因为“地位 低下”的本科生和校领导同居一楼这一奇怪的混合很独特，值得保留。对哈佛人来说， 让新生住在校长和教务长办公室的楼上有其传统和象征意义，这种意义超过了把最高 两层楼的宿舍用作其他用途而产生的实际利益。

　　It won’t be strange if Harvard students protest against this trade. In history, Massachusetts Hall was taken over by students. In 2001, several dozen students occupied the hall for three weeks to protest the low wages paid to workers. Eventually, the school authority resigned. Therefore, it is not impossible for students to have a sit-in to guard the tradition of Massachusetts Hall.

　　如果哈佛学生抗议这一交易的话，也不奇怪。历史上，马萨诸塞堂就曾被学生占领过。2001年 数名学生为了抗议低工资水平，占领了大堂达三 星期之久。最后，校方妥协了，并同意增长工资。 所以学生为了保卫马萨诸塞堂的传统而再次占领 马萨诸塞堂也不是不可能的。

 

1 ERECTED   

adj. 直立的，竖立的，笔直的 vt. 使 ... 直立，建立

参考例句：

• A monument to him was erected in St Paul's Cathedral. 在圣保罗大教堂为他修了一座纪念碑。
• A monument was erected to the memory of that great scientist. 树立了一块纪念碑纪念那位伟大的科学家。

2 wren   

n.鹪鹩；英国皇家海军女子服务队成员

参考例句：

• A wren is a kind of short-winged songbird.鹪鹩是一种短翼的鸣禽。
• My bird guide confirmed that a Carolina wren had discovered the thickets near my house.我掌握的鸟类知识使我确信，一只卡罗莱纳州鹪鹩已经发现了我家的这个灌木丛。

3 replete   

adj.饱满的，塞满的；n.贮蜜蚁

参考例句：

• He was replete with food and drink.他吃喝得饱饱的。
• This immense space may be replete with happiness and glory.这巨大的空间可能充满了幸福和光荣。

4 continental   

adj.大陆的，大陆性的，欧洲大陆的

参考例句：

• A continental climate is different from an insular one.大陆性气候不同于岛屿气候。
• The most ancient parts of the continental crust are 4000 million years old.大陆地壳最古老的部分有40亿年历史。

5 observatory   

n.天文台，气象台，瞭望台，观测台

参考例句：

• Guy's house was close to the observatory.盖伊的房子离天文台很近。
• Officials from Greenwich Observatory have the clock checked twice a day.格林威治天文台的职员们每天对大钟检查两次。

6 freshmen   

n.（中学或大学的）一年级学生( freshman的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• We are freshmen and they are sophomores. 我们是一年级学生，他们是二年级学生。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• University freshmen get lots of razzing, but they like the initiation. 大一新生受各种嘲弄，但是他们对这种入门经验甘之如饴。 来自辞典例句

7 proximity   

n.接近，邻近

参考例句：

• Marriages in proximity of blood are forbidden by the law.法律规定禁止近亲结婚。
• Their house is in close proximity to ours.他们的房子很接近我们的。

8 rumors   

n.传闻( rumor的名词复数 )；[古]名誉；咕哝；[古]喧嚷v.传闻( rumor的第三人称单数 )；[古]名誉；咕哝；[古]喧嚷

参考例句：

• Rumors have it that the school was burned down. 有谣言说学校给烧掉了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Rumors of a revolt were afloat. 叛变的谣言四起。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 faculty   

n.才能；学院，系；(学院或系的)全体教学人员

参考例句：

• He has a great faculty for learning foreign languages.他有学习外语的天赋。
• He has the faculty of saying the right thing at the right time.他有在恰当的时候说恰当的话的才智。

10 administrators   

n.管理者( administrator的名词复数 )；有管理（或行政）才能的人；（由遗嘱检验法庭指定的）遗产管理人；奉派暂管主教教区的牧师

参考例句：

• He had administrators under him but took the crucial decisions himself. 他手下有管理人员，但重要的决策仍由他自己来做。 来自辞典例句
• Administrators have their own methods of social intercourse. 办行政的人有他们的社交方式。 来自汉英文学 - 围城

11 freshman   

n.大学一年级学生(可兼指男女)

参考例句：

• Jack decided to live in during his freshman year at college.杰克决定大一时住校。
• He is a freshman in the show business.他在演艺界是一名新手。

12 outweighs   

v.在重量上超过( outweigh的第三人称单数 )；在重要性或价值方面超过

参考例句：

• Her need to save money outweighs her desire to spend it on fun. 她省钱的需要比她花钱娱乐的愿望更重要。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Its clarity in algebraic and analytical operations far outweighs any drawbacks. 文化代数和解析运算中的清晰性远远胜过任何缺点。 来自辞典例句