一项剑桥300年传统被打破

 　　The University of Cambridge is poised¹ to break a 300-year-old tradition by no longer informing students of their exam results on a public notice board due to claims it causes too much stress. The ancient tradition of pinning candidates exam scores to a board outside the university’s Senate House is to be changed after a lengthy² student campaign. Undergraduates have argued for several years that the practice can be too upsetting for students who have underachieved, particularly when they find out second-hand³.

　　剑桥大学拟打破一项300年的传统，不再在布告栏公开张贴学生考试成绩，原因是学生抱怨这一做法带来的压力太大。经历了旷日持久的学生抗议，剑桥大学将改变在学校议会大厦外布告栏公示学生成绩的古老传统。多年来，本科生们一直在抗议，认为对那些成绩不好的学生而言，这种做法实在太伤自尊，特别是在自己尚不知情的情况下由别的同学告知自己的成绩。

　　However, from next June students will be sent an email telling them their results before they are published. They will also be able to apply to have their names and grades removed from the list before it is pinned up. Students have welcomed the move, but said they were disappointed that it would not be introduced in time for this year. Campaigners are also angered that students will only be eligible⁴ to have themselves removed from the public lists if they can prove “exceptional circumstances” such as mental health problems.

　　不过从明年六月份起，公示成绩之前，学校将会先用电子邮件告知学生成绩。学生还可在张榜前向校方申请不公布自己的名字和成绩。学生们对这一举措表示欢迎，但同时抱怨为何不从今年就实行这个新政策。根据规定，学生只有在能证明“异常情况下”才能被取消上榜，比如有精神方面的问题，这也引起抗议学生不满。

　　A University of Cambridge spokesman said: “The students’ union was asking for results to be sent by email first and we have agreed to that in principle. But the second thing they wanted was for students to be allowed to have their names removed from the class list, which we cannot agree to.” He said this was partly in order to preserve the tradition of the class lists, but added: “There are also practical reasons. It is a very busy time of year when a lot of results are being processed. To give everyone the option of having their names removed would be too costly⁵ and time consuming.”

　　剑桥校方一名发言人说：“校方已原则上同意校学生会先用邮件寄送成绩的提议，但他们又要求学生可以将自己的名字从班级名单中删除，这点我们不能同意。”他说，之所以如此决定有保留传统的考虑，但同时表示：“这么做也有现实原因。学校在期末有许多考试结果需要处理，如果所有学生都有权选择不上榜，将非常耗时耗力。”

1 poised   

a.摆好姿势不动的

参考例句：

• The hawk poised in mid-air ready to swoop. 老鹰在半空中盘旋，准备俯冲。
• Tina was tense, her hand poised over the telephone. 蒂娜心情紧张，手悬在电话机上。

2 lengthy   

adj.漫长的，冗长的

参考例句：

• We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。
• The professor wrote a lengthy book on Napoleon.教授写了一部有关拿破仑的巨著。

3 second-hand   

adj.用过的，旧的，二手的

参考例句：

• I got this book by chance at a second-hand bookshop.我赶巧在一家旧书店里买到这本书。
• They will put all these second-hand goods up for sale.他们将把这些旧货全部公开出售。

4 eligible   

adj.有条件被选中的；(尤指婚姻等)合适(意)的

参考例句：

• He is an eligible young man.他是一个合格的年轻人。
• Helen married an eligible bachelor.海伦嫁给了一个中意的单身汉。

5 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。