走进牛津大学 第38期:撒切尔:那时我手头不富裕

 Thatcher said in her autobiography¹, "I went to take examinations in Oxford² in a chilly³ winter."

她在自传中写道：“我是在一个隆冬的严寒中去参加牛津的人学考试的。”

This was the first time that I grasped a clear face of Oxford.

这是我第一次对牛津有全方位的了解。

Before then,I had little impression of the College I was going to study in, let alone the university as a whole.

之前，我对我将要就读的学院知之甚少，对整所大学的了解就更有限了。

Then I was admitted and became a formal member of the university.

后来我被录取了，成为了这所学校的一分子。

If I were allowed to use one word to describe the full view of Somerville College, that will be 'simple'.

如果让我用一个词来形容萨默维尔的全貌的话，那就是‘朴实'。

It was so simple that the people passing by would never imagine that it was the renowned⁴ Somerville College...

她的外表是那么的朴实低调，以至于很多经过这里的人都不知道这就是大名鼎鼎的萨默维尔学院……

My life in Oxford could be more varied⁵ and colorful. But I was poor then.

我的牛津生涯本来可以更丰富多彩些，但那时我手头不富裕，

If it were not for my helpful supervisor⁶, the chemist Dorothy Hodgkin,

若不是我的导师——乐于助人的化学家多萝西.霍奇金

who always recommended me for some scholarships, I even could not make ends meet,

总是向学校建议让我获得一些奖学金，我将人不敷出。

Besides, I was also supported financially by some educational funds.

此外，我还得到了一些教育基金的资助。

Therefore, most of my time was spent in learning.

基于这些情况，我的大部分时间都在啃书本。

When I graduated from Oxford, I had got a perfect understanding about the world, especially politics.

从牛津毕业之际，我对大千世界，尤其是政治局势的情况已了解不少。

My character never changed, so did my faith.

我的性格依然如故，信仰也一如既往。

But I mastered the ability of how to handle the ambitions and opinions of others.

但我已经能够很好地对待他人的雄心和意见了。

In a word, I had grown up.

简言之，我长大了。

This mysterious process brings people to all kinds occupations, celebrated⁷ or mediocre⁸.

这个神秘的过程把人们带向种种显赫的或者平庸的职业。

Fortunately, I figured out what was the thing that I real want to do in the future.

幸运的是，我找到了自己此生真正想要去做的事情。

1 autobiography   

n.自传

参考例句：

• He published his autobiography last autumn.他去年秋天出版了自己的自传。
• His life story is recounted in two fascinating volumes of autobiography.这两卷引人入胜的自传小说详述了他的生平。

2 Oxford   

n.牛津（英国城市）

参考例句：

• At present he has become a Professor of Chemistry at Oxford.他现在已是牛津大学的化学教授了。
• This is where the road to Oxford joins the road to London.这是去牛津的路与去伦敦的路的汇合处。

3 chilly   

adj.凉快的，寒冷的

参考例句：

• I feel chilly without a coat.我由于没有穿大衣而感到凉飕飕的。
• I grew chilly when the fire went out.炉火熄灭后，寒气逼人。

4 renowned   

adj.著名的，有名望的，声誉鹊起的

参考例句：

• He is one of the world's renowned writers.他是世界上知名的作家之一。
• She is renowned for her advocacy of human rights.她以提倡人权而闻名。

5 varied   

adj.多样的，多变化的

参考例句：

• The forms of art are many and varied.艺术的形式是多种多样的。
• The hotel has a varied programme of nightly entertainment.宾馆有各种晚间娱乐活动。

6 supervisor   

n.监督人，管理人，检查员，督学，主管，导师

参考例句：

• Between you and me I think that new supervisor is a twit.我们私下说，我认为新来的主管人是一个傻瓜。
• He said I was too flighty to be a good supervisor.他说我太轻浮不能成为一名好的管理员。

7 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
• The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。

8 mediocre   

adj.平常的，普通的

参考例句：

• The student tried hard,but his work is mediocre. 该生学习刻苦，但学业平庸。
• Only lazybones and mediocre persons could hanker after the days of messing together.只有懒汉庸才才会留恋那大锅饭的年代。