牛津的古怪規矩

There are some less-known laws governing Oxford student life that you might not quite get used to. They might not be written in the official regulations handbook， but unspeakable atrocities await those who dare to question Oxford’s weirdest rules.

你可能不清楚，有一些不為人知的規矩影響著牛津人的日常生活。盡管它們沒被寫進官方的學生守則里，但膽敢質疑這些最古怪的規矩的人將會面臨苦不堪言的懲罰。

Don’t bring your bow and arrow to lectures

別帶弓箭去上課

Oxford University is the oldest university in the English-speaking world: professors have been pontificating and students have been snoozing since the 12th century. Back then， students didn’t have Angry Birds to distract them in lectures—but they did have bows and arrows. In 1209， a student accidentally shot a townswoman (the subsequent hanging of two innocent students led to a breakaway group of university men founding Cambridge University)， and one of Oxford’s earliest rules banned students from bringing their weaponry to classes， just in case the boredom became too much…

牛津是英語世界里最古老的大學：早在12世紀，教授們就開始在臺上威嚴地授課，而過去的學生們在臺下偷偷打盹。那時可沒有“憤怒的小鳥”讓學生們消磨時光——不過他們有弓箭呀！1209年，一個學生不小心射中了鎮上的一名婦女（后果是兩名無辜的學生被處死，導致了一群人逃離牛津，創辦了劍橋），因而牛津最早的規矩之一就是禁止學生帶武器去學校，以防學生們無聊過了頭……

Permission for a pint

買酒需書面批準

In the early 20th century， students needed written permission from their tutors before they could stop off for a beer at The Bear (Oxford’s oldest pub). Without a note， students weren’t simply thrown out—they were arrested by the ‘bulldogs’， the university police.

在20世紀早期，牛津學生如果想在路過The Bear（牛津最古老的酒吧）時買點酒，他們需要找導師寫一張書面批準！如果沒有書面批準，可不僅僅是被趕出酒吧那么簡單，學生們會被校園警察（別稱“斗牛犬”）逮捕！

Making a splash

跳進浴缸泡個澡

In 2012， the college JCR voted unanimously to install a hot tub for stressed finalists during the final week of Trinity term， costing up to ￡400. It has since become an annual fixture.

2012年，學院的“本科生公共休息室”（JCR，Junior Common Room）通過投票一致同意：在夏季學期的期末周花費400英鎊為緊張備考的畢業班學子們安裝一個熱水浴缸。從此，這就成了學院每年固定的規矩.

No cake for finalists

畢業生沒蛋糕吃

Finalists certainly deserve a reward after their last exams: but the university proctors will not let them eat cake. The famous ‘Trashing’ celebrations that occur when students walk out of exams—where friends of the freed throw confetti and pop champagne—are permitted， so long as they don’t involve food stuff. Eggs， flour and whipped cream are specifically prohibited from being brought into the proximity of the exam schools， so no one can whip up a celebratory cake on their friend’s head. Much as post-exam students need sustenance， it might not be worth risking the ￡80 fine .

考完最后一門的畢業生們的確應該得到獎賞：但牛津的學監們可不會允許他們吃蛋糕。當學生們從考試地獄中解放出來走出考場時，將迎來著名的“搗毀”（Trashing）慶典：他們的朋友們會拋灑五彩紙屑、打開香檳——這些都是被允許的，只要他們沒帶食物。雞蛋、面粉和生奶油被明令禁止帶到考場附近，所以沒人能把奶油蛋糕砸在朋友的臉上來慶祝了。盡管大考后的學生們急需大快朵頤，但要冒被罰80英鎊的風險，還是不值一試的。