C: I'm looking for a sapphire blue gown. Do you have any gown suits me?
C:我在找一件宝蓝色的晚礼服，你们这儿有适含我穿的吗？
T: Yes, please follow me.
T：有，请跟我来。
C: I bought a ticket for Queens’ May Ball this year, so I really want to find a gorgeous evening dress for the ball.
C:我买了今年女王学院五月舞会的门票，所以很想找一件漂亮的晚礼服参加这个舞会
T： You mean the May Ball held by Queens College, Cambridge?
T:你指的是剑桥大学女王学院举办的五月舞会吗？
C: Exactly. A May Ball is a ball at the end of the academic year that happens at any one of the colleges of the University of Cambridge.
C:就是那个舞会。五月舞会是指在剑桥大学各学院的学年末举行的舞会。
T： Oh, I heard of that. It’s the formal affair, requiring evening dress, with ticket price of about 100 pounds.
T:哦，我听说过那个舞会。那可是个正式的舞会，要求穿晚礼服，持票入场，门票大概 100英镑。
C: The balls are held in the college gardens, lasting from around 9 p. m. until well after dawn， with some colleges offering rides in balloons when the ball ends, and even breakfast in Paris, or more traditionally, punting to River Cam.
C:这个舞会一般在各学院的花园举行，从晚上 9点持续到第二天黎明后。一些学院 在舞会结束时还让学生们乘坐热气球当作短途旅行，甚至还可以去巴黎吃早餐，或者还有更传统的活动~在剑河撑船。
T: It sounds interesting. So the May Balls are held in May?
T:听起来很有意思。那么五月舞会是在五月举行吗？
C: Many Cambridge colleges originally held the balls in May, sometimes in the week preceding year-end exams. Today, they take place in May Week.
C:剑桥大学的很多学院最初是在五月份举行舞会的，有时在学年末考试的前一周举行。现在各学院在"五月固”举行舞会。
T： May Week?
T:五月固？
C: May Week is the name used within Cambridge to refer to a period of time at the end of the academic year. Originally May Week took place in the week during May before year-end exams began. Today, May Week takes place in June and lasts about ten days, after exams are over.
C:“五月固”这个名字是在剑桥大学内部使用的，指的是学年末（考试结束后的）一段时期。最初"五月固”是指在五月份学年末考试开始前的那一固。现在‘ '五月固"指的是 6月份考试结束后的十来天里。
T: Oh, I see. And I know that the balls operate a strict dress code. Magdalene is the only college that insists on white tie, which is recommended but not required at Trinity and Peterhouse， while all the others have a minimum of only black tie.
T:哦，我知道了。我知道五月舞会有严格的着装要求。麦格达伦学院是唯一一个要 求穿燕尾服、系白领结的学院。三一学院和彼得学院虽然要求没那么严，但是也 建议这样穿。其他的学院则要求至少要穿小礼服。
C: Well, it seems you know a lot about the May Ball.
C:哇，看起来你对五月舞会还挺了解的。
T: Because some Cambridge students pick evening dress here, too.
T:那是因为有些剑桥学生也到这儿来挑晚礼服。'
C： I get it. And talking about the balls, most balls are themed, though Magdalene’s and Trinity’s are notable for their lack of a theme.
C:哦，原来是这样。说到五月舞会， '虽然麦格达伦学院和三一学院的舞会以缺少主题而闻名，但是绝大多数学院的舞会都是有 k题的。
T: But Trinity May Ball will offer a variety of spectacles to entertain you all night long. And usually a fireworks display would be performed at that night.
T:但是三一学院的舞会在整个晚上都会举行很多新奇的娱乐活动。在举行舞会的那 天晚上，学院通常都有烟花表演。
C； It’s true. And it’s difficult to buy a ticket of Trinity May Ball.
C:嗯，是这样的。所以三一学院五月舞会的票很难买到。
T: With tickets priced at over￡ 100 and in short supply, there maybe students trying to gain unauthorized access to the ball.
T:这些舞会门票的价格都在 100英榜以上，又供不应求，所以可能会有学生试图混进舞会吧。
C： Some students climb high walls, others arrive dressed as gorillas pretending to be part of the evening’s entertainment, still others pose as journalists.
C:有些学生翻高墙，还有的学生扮作大猩猩到舞会现场，假装要来舞会表演节目，甚至还有学生扮成记者。
T: Do the colleges adopt any measures to deal with it?
T：各学院有没有釆取什么措施来应对？
C: Typically, college porters are joined by professional security staff and, at larger balls, police to identify and apprehend the crashers,
C:一般来说，专业安保人员会加入到学院的保安队伍中，在规模较大的舞会上，警察还在现场巡逻，逮捕擅闯舞会的人。
T： I read on a piece of news that Some colleges have painted walls with anti-burglar paint, which stains the crashers， clothes with luminous green paint, making it somewhat difficult to blend in.
T：我看过一则新闻，说的是一些学院在墙上涂上“防盗油漆”，谁擯自闯入，谁的衣服就会沾上夜光绿漆，这样一来，没买票的人就很难混进来了。
C： But, you know what? More courageous crashers can be seen swimming down the river Cam holding their clothes in a plastic bag above the water in an attempt to enter colleges from the banks.
C:但是，你知道吗？更有甚者竟然游过剑河，把衣服装在塑料袋里，高举过水面， 试图从岸边进入学院。
