從新聞里聽到了劍橋大學(xué)的什么奇談？牛津大學(xué)和劍橋大學(xué)之間有什么關(guān)系

 
從新聞里聽到了劍橋大學(xué)的什么奇談？牛津大學(xué)和劍橋大學(xué)之間有什么關(guān)系
 
來聽今天的講解:
 
A: Morning, Kerry! You have shadows under your eyes. It seems that you didn’t sleep well last night. What’s the matter?
 
早上好！凱瑞！你有黑眼圈，昨曉設(shè)睡好吧。出什么事兒了嗎？
 
B: Oh, I did have a sleepless night after having watched a piece of news about the University of Cambridge. It sent shivers down my spine.
 
我昨晚的確失眠了，就是因?yàn)榭戳穗娨暽弦粍t有關(guān)英國劍橋大學(xué)的新聞。真讓我毛骨悚然。
 
A: Now you have really hooked my curiosity. As far as I know, the University of Cambridge is consistently ranked in the world’s top five universities and the leading university in Europe by numerous media and academic rankings. How can it terrify you?
 
你現(xiàn)在激起我的好奮心了。據(jù)我所知，劍橋大學(xué)穩(wěn)居世界大學(xué)排名的前五名，還被眾多媒體和學(xué)術(shù)機(jī)構(gòu)評為歐洲最好的大學(xué)。關(guān)于這樣一所大學(xué)的消息怎么會(huì)嚇到你呢？
 
B: Yes, you are quite right. This is a university with over 800 years history, thus, it provides a platform for those myths and legends.
 
你說得對。這是一所有著800多年歷史的大學(xué)，所以它也為眾多神話和傳說提供了素材。
 
A: 800 years? Are you sure? That’s quite a long time!
 
800年？真的嗎？這真是一段漫長的時(shí)光！
 
B: Of course. The year of 2009 marked its 800th anniversary.
 
是的。2009年劍橋大學(xué)迎來了800周年校慶。
 
A: So what myth or legend have you heard about?
 
那么你從新聞里聽到了什么樣的奇談或是傳說呢？
 
B: On the evening news last night, the ghost in the university has become the talk of the town....
 
在昨晚的晚間新聞里，劍橋大學(xué)里的鬼影已經(jīng)成了街頭巷尾的話題……
 
A: You are kidding, aren’t you? There is no such a thing existing in the world.
 
你在開玩笑吧？世界上根本沒有這種東西。
 
B: No, I’m serious. In the video shot by a tourist at the campus, we can see a blurred white shadow go through the wall and enter fee castle of a college.
 
不，我是說真的。有位游客在校園里拍了一段視頻，上面有個(gè)模糊的白色影子直接穿過了城墻，進(jìn)入了一個(gè)學(xué)院的古堡里。
 
A: A ghost? Even though the university manages to maintain its medieval appearance since its foundation, with those lawn, rivers, castles, it cannot be a place of ghost.
 
鬼？即使劍橋竭力保持了自其創(chuàng)始以來的中世紀(jì)風(fēng)貌，有草坪、河流、古堡等等，那也不代表它就成了座鬼城呀。
 
B: Students of this university believe that’s Crowell’s spirit. People had the head of this beheaded revolutionist buried somewhere at the campus. As the alumni, he may sometimes feel like returning to his old dormitory.
 
劍橋大學(xué)的學(xué)生認(rèn)為那是克倫威爾的鬼魂。聽說這位被斬首的革命家就是被埋在了劍橋大學(xué)里。作為校友，克倫威爾可能有時(shí)候想要回自己原來的宿舍看看。
 
A: This story completely makes no sense. It must be made up to boom the local tourism. Don’t be mocked.
 
這些故事都是毫無根據(jù)的。它們是被編出來刺激當(dāng)?shù)芈糜螛I(yè)發(fā)展的。你可別上當(dāng)了。
 
B: All right. Maybe J shouldn't trouble until trouble troubles me. By the way, do you know the relationship between Oxford and Cambridge?
 
你說得對。也許我不該自尋煩惱。對了，你了解牛津大學(xué)和劍橋大學(xué)之間的關(guān)系嗎？
 
A: A little. I find some materials online that tell me they are both friends and rivals.
 
知道一點(diǎn)兒。根據(jù)我在網(wǎng)上査到的資料，他們既是朋友，又是對手。
 
B: Oh, in my eyes, they have much cultural and practical association as a historic part of British society. You see, both of them are ranked the top five universities in the world; they both locate in the British Island, and Cambridge is founded by scholars leaving Oxford after a dispute with the townsfolk there.
 
噢，在我眼中，它們之間有著眾多文化和實(shí)踐的結(jié)含，都是英國社會(huì)歷史的一部分。你瞧，它們都是世界排名前五的大學(xué)，都位于大不列顛島上，而且劍橋是在—群牛津的學(xué)者們?yōu)榱硕惚芘c當(dāng)?shù)厝说臓幎?，離開了牛津之后建立起來的。
 
A: However, on the other hand, they are in a long competition since then.
 
但是從另一方面來看，劍橋自創(chuàng)立的那一天起，就和牛津展開了漫長的競爭。
 
B: Please elaborate this part, OK? I’d like more examples.
 
你能詳細(xì)說說嗎？我想聽聽。
 
A: There’re plenty cases which can justify my point. For instance, during every Easter holiday, these two universities would begin the Boat Race, and this tradition has been maintained since the 19th century!
 
例子可多著呢。比如，在每年的復(fù)活節(jié)放假期問，這兩所大學(xué)就會(huì)舉辦“牛津劍橋劃艇比賽”,這一傳統(tǒng)可是從19世紀(jì)就已經(jīng)流傳下來的！
 
B: Boat Race? Why?
 
"劃艇比賽”？為什么是比這個(gè)項(xiàng)自呢？
 
A: Because they cannot tell which one is better academically, and sports is one of the most reasonable ways to pick out a winner.
 
因?yàn)樗鼈儧]法決出哪所學(xué)校在學(xué)術(shù)上更為出色，而體育運(yùn)動(dòng)就是能夠含情含理地挑選出臝家的最好方式之一。
 
B: Oh, I remember that the Boat Race is a rowing race in England between the Oxford University Boat Club and the Cambridge University Boat Club. The first race was in 1829 and it has been held annually since 1856，each spring on the Thames in London with the exception of the two world wars.
 
哦，我想起來了，這個(gè)劃艇比賽是在英格蘭舉行的劍橋大學(xué)劃艇俱樂部和牛津大學(xué)劃艇俱樂部之間的比賽。第一次比賽是在1829年，除了在兩次世界大戰(zhàn)期間暫停過以外，自1856年以來每年都在倫敦的泰晤士河舉行。
 
A: This event is very popular. About a quarter of a million people watch the race live from the banks of the river, around seven to nine million people on TV in the UK.
 
這個(gè)比賽很受歡迎。在英國，大約有25萬人在泰晤士河河岸現(xiàn)場觀看比賽，有700萬到900萬人通過電視收看。