IN OXFORD   在牛津

 Jenny 和Peter一直住在Peter的Susan的農場里，附近有牛津大學。Jenny和Peter在導游的陪同下在大學里參觀。

Guide  And this is the main quad, where most students have their rooms.

Jenny  How old are most of the colleges?

Guide  The oldest buildings date from the fourteenth century, but there was a university in Oxford long before that. People have been studying here for about a thousand years.

Peter  Is that the age of the city?

Guide  No, the city is much older than that. There was a town already here when the Pomans arrived. People have been living in and around Oxford for more than two thousand years.

Jenny  Whew!

Pter  What?

Jenny  It’s always amazing for an American to hear dates like those.

Peter  Because they’s so long ago?

Jenny  Yes. Everything that I grew up with is so recent.

Peter  Yes, I suppose it must be.

Guide  Now, please follow me through this door here. This is the dining hall. The original was destroyed by fire in 1780. The present dining hall was finished in 1785, and students have been eating in here ever since that date. If you follow me, I’ll now show you the chapel, which was built in 1585, and is the most famous building in the college.

Peter  I think we ought to go soon. Susan usually has lunch at about one o’clock.

Jenny  OK. Do you think we cab escape now by going that way?

Peter  We can try!

* quad  n.  （大學的）四周有建筑物圍繞的方院；方院四周的建筑物                 * century  n. 世紀   

* amazing  adj.驚人的，令人吃驚的          * recent  adj.最近的            

* original  adj.最初的，原始    *destroy  v. 毀壞             *chapel（學校的）小教堂          *ought to  應該              * 逃跑，逃脫

quad是quadrangle的縮寫地。愿意是“四邊形”， 在這里它指的是大學等地方的中庭。quad周圍建有建筑物圍成了一個四邊形,，里面一般都種有鮮花樹木，也有小路和草坪。學生和教職員工可以在這里散步或者休憩。

 

AT LUNCH   吃午餐

Jenny 和Peter為了和Susan一起吃飯趕回了農場。

Jenny  Mm, this meal is delicious, Susan.

Susan  Thank you. I’m glad you like it. Everything you are eating comes from this farm.

Jenny  Even the vegetables?

Susan  Yes, but I’ve only been growing vegetables for about a year.

Jenny  How long have you been living here, Susan?

Susan  Well, I’ve been living in this area for about 15 years, but I’ve only had the fram for ten years.

Peter    Is it as long as that?

Susan  Yes, it is. Wewll, Jenny, what did you think of Oxford/

Jeeny  I lived it. We had a great time.

Susan  Was it your first visit to Oxford?

Jenny  Yes, it was. But it won’t be my last visit.

Susan Good Now, what about some home-made apple pie?

Jenny  Mm, Yes, please.

Susan  What about you, Peter?

Peter  Do you need to ask?

Susan  Good. Could you get the cream?

Peter  Certainly, where is it?

Susan  In the fridge.

* home-made   adj. 自制的        * apple pie 蘋果派         * fridge  n. 冰箱