迎新三步曲

你印象中的新生入学季是什么样的？是节目丰富的迎新晚会，还是校长和学长们饱含激情的迎新演讲？今天我们将目光转向常春藤名校之一的普林斯顿大学，看看他们有着哪些丰富多彩且别出心裁的迎新活动。不知哪一项活动最吸引你，是开学典礼、新生游行还是大合唱呢？

By Betty Liu

闫春蕾 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: 培训，熟悉（环境）

2. rustling: （纸张或树叶的）沙沙声。

3. set aside: 留出，留下；get into the swing of things: 融入其中，开始进入状态。

4. Princeton University: 普林斯顿大学。

5. liven: （使）愉悦，（使）振奋。

6. scavenger hunt: 寻宝游戏；parade: 游行。

7. integrate: 使融入。

8. faculty: 教员，老师；interact with: 与……互动。

9. Opening Exercise: 开学典礼；Pre-Rade: 新生游行；Step-Sing: 此处指学生在布莱尔拱门阶梯上的大合唱。

10. notable: 著名的。

11. trustee: （公司或学院等的）董事，理事；administrator: 行政官员，管理者；assembly: 集会，聚会。

12. Cannon Green: 普林斯顿大学中的一片绿地，中间放着一枚独立战争时期使用过的大炮；residential college: 住宿学院。

13. colloquially: 口语地，通俗来说。

14. Revolutionary War: 即美国独立战争（the American War of Independence, 1775—1783）；boost: 提高，促进；morale: 士气，斗志。

15. 站在这个曾经创造过历史的地方，感觉一切都充满了传奇的色彩。

16. awe: 敬畏。

17. chapel: 小礼拜堂，小教堂；banner: 横幅，旗帜。

18. chunk: 大块，组块。

19. tight-knit: 亲密的，紧密团结的。

20. split: 分裂，分离；pew: （教堂里的）长木椅。

21. 走进教堂，悠扬的管风琴声在空气中回荡，墙上的彩色玻璃窗美得令人窒息。organ: 风琴，管风琴；breathtaking: 激动人心的，令人惊叹的；stained: 着色的，彩色的。

22. depiction: 描述，描写。

23. file in: 排队进入。

24. academic regalia: 学位服；dignity: 尊严，庄重。

25. 普林斯顿大学具有多元性，有众多来自不同国家、不同民族的人，因此这是一场多信仰的礼拜活动。inter-faith: 跨信仰的，多种信仰的。

26. address: 演讲，致辞；Eisgruber: 指Christopher Eisgruber（克里斯托弗•埃斯格鲁伯），普林斯顿大学现任校长。

27. distinction: 卓越，杰出；undergraduate: （尚未取得学士学位的）大学生。

28. FitzRandolph gate: 费兹兰道夫门，每年的新生都列队走入这扇门，表示加入普林斯顿大学这个集体，而每年的毕业生们也会列队走出大门，象征着他们离开学校走向社会。

29. deck out: 装扮，穿着；plaid: 带格子图案的。

30. 根据学校传统，新生游行是大学毕业前唯一可以穿过这道门（即费兹兰道夫门）的机会，因为据说在毕业前穿过这道门的学生将永远无法从普林斯顿毕业。dictate: 规定，要求。

31. Blair Arch: 布莱尔拱门；landmark: 地标，标志性建筑。

32. gothic: 哥特式的。

33. congregate: 聚集，集合。

34. “Old Nassau”: 《老拿苏》，普林斯顿校歌。

35. 参加这些活动让我感觉自己真正融入了这个群体，它不断壮大，人才济济，我相信接下来四年的大学生活将会非常有趣。drive home: 使人理解，感觉到；incredible: 非凡的，极好的。

36. in store: 准备着，即将发生；Princeton Tiger: 普林斯顿猛虎，老虎为普林斯顿大学的吉祥物。

（来源：英语学习杂志 编辑：丹妮）