你印象中的新生入學(xué)季是什么樣的？是節(jié)目豐富的迎新晚會，還是校長和學(xué)長們飽含激情的迎新演講？今天我們將目光轉(zhuǎn)向常春藤名校之一的普林斯頓大學(xué)，看看他們有著哪些豐富多彩且別出心裁的迎新活動。不知哪一項活動最吸引你，是開學(xué)典禮、新生游行還是大合唱呢？

By Betty Liu

閆春蕾 注

With the first rustlings of autumn leaves also comes the start of the school year. However, before the official start of classes, there is a bit of time set aside for incoming freshman to be introduced to their new home and for returning students to get back into the swing of things. While it can be called many different names, this time is called “Freshman Orientation” at Princeton University . Throughout the week, there is a lot going on to liven the spirit of the campus. With all of the students coming together for the first time, everyone is excited to meet new people and to have fun with friends. Incoming freshman are excited to get to know their classmates and there are plenty of opportunities to socialize such as scavenger hunts, parades, and movies. Upperclassmen are also looking forward to seeing their friends after being apart for the summer and many are helping to integrate freshman into the university community. Often times, faculty and staff also participate in many activities so that they are able to interact with students. With so much going on, it’s hard to focus on one thing, so I’m going to talk about a few of my favorite activities during orientation week: the Opening Exercises, the Pre-Rade, and the Step-Sing. Not only are these activities some of the most notable among orientation week activities, they are also quite enjoyable and a great way to welcome the new freshman into the Princeton Community.

The Opening Exercises are the first time that freshman, trustees, faculty, and administrators come together in a formal assembly. Before the ceremony, freshman gather on Cannon Green with other members of their residential colleges. During this gathering, it really struck me that I was now a part of a historic community. In the center of Cannon Green, there is an old cannon, colloquially called the “Big Cannon,” which was used in the Battle of Princeton in 1777. This was one of the major battles of the Revolutionary War, an important win that was able to give a much-needed boost to American morale. Standing there, in the place where history was made, it felt larger than life. Then, when I looked around at my new classmates, I realized that we were now in a position to make history, just like so many Princetonians have before us. From the looks of awe and excitement on the faces of my classmates, I could see that many of them felt the same way.

After gathering on Cannon Green, the freshman marched to the University Chapel under the banner of our residential colleges. We were all dressed in our residential college shirts, so we moved together as different chunks of color. Though we had only been on campus for a few days, it already felt like we were on the road to being a tight-knit community. I know that I was proud to be with Mathey, my residential college. Together we marched and then split into orderly lines to enter the chapel and fill in the pews. As I walked in, I noticed beautiful organ music that was filling the air around me as well as the breathtaking stained glass windows that lined the walls. The windows were too far away for me to make out the specific depictions , but the blending of color as they came together was simply beautiful. After the students filed in , came the faculty members, administrators, trustees, and other members of the university community. They all wore their academic regalia, which added an even greater air of dignity to the event.

Once everyone was in their seats, the church service began. Since Princeton University is a diverse community, consisting of many different people all coming from different cultures, the service was inter-faith . Students of all backgrounds participated in giving speeches where they shared bits of wisdom with the incoming freshman. These speeches also included an address from President Eisgruber, where he wished us the best as we began our journey at Princeton. During the service, prizes for academic distinction are also awarded to various undergraduate students.

After the service, it is time for the Pre-Rade. This is a long standing tradition where the freshmen march from the University Chapel to FitzRandolph gate with members of their residential college. It’s very lively, with members of the freshman class marching with the faculty members and other members of the university community. Along the way, there are often members of the community and upperclassmen standing along the sides. The Princeton University band gives a performance, decked out in their orange-plaid jackets. School tradition dictates that the Pre-rade is the only time Princeton undergraduate students will pass through the gate until graduation, because legend holds that a student who exits the gate before graduation will not graduate from Princeton.

The Pre-rade leads the freshman class to Blair Arch, one of the most notable landmarks for Princeton University. If you’ve ever seen a picture of an arch on Princeton’s campus, it’s likely that it’s Blair Arch. The arch part of the beautiful gothic architecture you can find around Mathey and Rockefeller, two of Princeton’s residential colleges. At the arch, students are congregated for the Step-Sing. As students come over to the arch, they are taught the words to “Old Nassau ,” Princeton’s traditional school song. Along with singing “Old Nassau,” students also sing songs that are popular at the time, such as “Don’t Stop Believing” or “Eye of the Tiger.”

The Opening Exercises, Pre-rade, and the Step-Sing only make up a small part of Princeton’s orientation week, but to me they were some of the most moving. There is something about being together with all of your classmates that inspires a feeling of community. Participating in these activities really drove home the fact that I was now part of an ever-growing community of incredible individuals and that the next four years were going to be amazing. With such a great start, I can’t wait to see what else is in store for me as a Princeton Tiger.

Vocabulary

1. orientation: 培訓(xùn)，熟悉（環(huán)境）

2. rustling: （紙張或樹葉的）沙沙聲。

3. set aside: 留出，留下；get into the swing of things: 融入其中，開始進入狀態(tài)。

4. Princeton University: 普林斯頓大學(xué)。

5. liven: （使）愉悅，（使）振奮。

6. scavenger hunt: 尋寶游戲；parade: 游行。

7. integrate: 使融入。

8. faculty: 教員，老師；interact with: 與……互動。

9. Opening Exercise: 開學(xué)典禮；Pre-Rade: 新生游行；Step-Sing: 此處指學(xué)生在布萊爾拱門階梯上的大合唱。

10. notable: 著名的。

11. trustee: （公司或?qū)W院等的）董事，理事；administrator: 行政官員，管理者；assembly: 集會，聚會。

12. Cannon Green: 普林斯頓大學(xué)中的一片綠地，中間放著一枚獨立戰(zhàn)爭時期使用過的大炮；residential college: 住宿學(xué)院。

13. colloquially: 口語地，通俗來說。

14. Revolutionary War: 即美國獨立戰(zhàn)爭（the American War of Independence, 1775—1783）；boost: 提高，促進；morale: 士氣，斗志。

15. 站在這個曾經(jīng)創(chuàng)造過歷史的地方，感覺一切都充滿了傳奇的色彩。

16. awe: 敬畏。

17. chapel: 小禮拜堂，小教堂；banner: 橫幅，旗幟。

18. chunk: 大塊，組塊。

19. tight-knit: 親密的，緊密團結(jié)的。

20. split: 分裂，分離；pew: （教堂里的）長木椅。

21. 走進教堂，悠揚的管風(fēng)琴聲在空氣中回蕩，墻上的彩色玻璃窗美得令人窒息。organ: 風(fēng)琴，管風(fēng)琴；breathtaking: 激動人心的，令人驚嘆的；stained: 著色的，彩色的。

22. depiction: 描述，描寫。

23. file in: 排隊進入。

24. academic regalia: 學(xué)位服；dignity: 尊嚴，莊重。

25. 普林斯頓大學(xué)具有多元性，有眾多來自不同國家、不同民族的人，因此這是一場多信仰的禮拜活動。inter-faith: 跨信仰的，多種信仰的。

26. address: 演講，致辭；Eisgruber: 指Christopher Eisgruber（克里斯托弗?埃斯格魯伯），普林斯頓大學(xué)現(xiàn)任校長。

27. distinction: 卓越，杰出；undergraduate: （尚未取得學(xué)士學(xué)位的）大學(xué)生。

28. FitzRandolph gate: 費茲蘭道夫門，每年的新生都列隊走入這扇門，表示加入普林斯頓大學(xué)這個集體，而每年的畢業(yè)生們也會列隊走出大門，象征著他們離開學(xué)校走向社會。

29. deck out: 裝扮，穿著；plaid: 帶格子圖案的。

30. 根據(jù)學(xué)校傳統(tǒng)，新生游行是大學(xué)畢業(yè)前唯一可以穿過這道門（即費茲蘭道夫門）的機會，因為據(jù)說在畢業(yè)前穿過這道門的學(xué)生將永遠無法從普林斯頓畢業(yè)。dictate: 規(guī)定，要求。

31. Blair Arch: 布萊爾拱門；landmark: 地標，標志性建筑。

32. gothic: 哥特式的。

33. congregate: 聚集，集合。

34. “Old Nassau”: 《老拿蘇》，普林斯頓校歌。

35. 參加這些活動讓我感覺自己真正融入了這個群體，它不斷壯大，人才濟濟，我相信接下來四年的大學(xué)生活將會非常有趣。drive home: 使人理解，感覺到；incredible: 非凡的，極好的。

36. in store: 準備著，即將發(fā)生；Princeton Tiger: 普林斯頓猛虎，老虎為普林斯頓大學(xué)的吉祥物。

（來源：英語學(xué)習(xí)雜志 編輯：丹妮）