哈佛大学的历史

The history of Harvard University
Harvard University is a private university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts and a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1636 by the colonial Massachusetts legislature, Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and currently comprises ten separate academic units. It is also the first and oldest corporation in the United States .
Initially called "New College" or "the college at New Towne", the institution was renamed Harvard College on March 13, 1639. It was named after John Harvard, a young clergyman from the London Borough of Southwark and alumnus of Cambridge University (after which Cambridge, Massachusetts is named), who bequeathed the College his library of four hundred books and £779 (which was half of his estate), assuring its continued operation.The earliest known official reference to Harvard as a "university" occurs in the new Massachusetts Constitution of 1780.
During his 40-year tenure as Harvard president (1869–1909), Charles William Eliot radically transformed Harvard into the pattern of the modern research university. Eliot's reforms included elective courses, small classes, and entrance examinations. The Harvard model influenced American education nationally, at both college and secondary levels.
生词：
1、Cambridge [英]'kæmbrɪdʒ[美]'kæmbrɪdʒn.剑桥
2、Massachusetts 马萨诸塞州
3、Ivy League 常春藤联盟
4、Colonial [英][kəˈləʊniəl][美][kəˈloʊniəl]
adj.殖民地的; 殖民地化的; [生]群体的，集群的; 英领殖民地时期的; n.殖民地居民; 殖民时代建筑;
5、legislature [英][ˈledʒɪsleɪtʃə(r)][美][ˈlɛdʒɪˈsletʃɚ]
n.立法机关; 立法机构; 立法部; （特指）州议会;
6、clergyman[英][ˈklɜ:dʒimən][美][ˈklɜ:rdʒimən]
n.牧师; 教士;
7、alumnus[英][əˈlʌmnəs][美][əˈlʌmnəs]
n.男校友; 男毕业生;
8、bequeath[英][bɪˈkwi:ð][美][bɪˈkwið, -ˈkwiθ]
vt.将（财物等）遗赠给; 将（知识等）传给（后人）;
9、endowment[英][ɪnˈdaʊmənt][美][ɛnˈdaʊmənt]
n.捐赠; 基金; 天赋; 养老保险;
段落：
1、Founded in 1636 by the colonial Massachusetts legislature, Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and currently comprises ten separate academic units.
1636年在马萨诸塞州议会的殖民统治上建立的哈佛大学，是美国最古老的高等学校,目前包括10个独立的学术学院。

2、Initially called "New College" or "the college at New Towne", the institution was renamed Harvard College on March 13, 1639.
最开始,哈弗大学叫做“新学院”或者“新城市大学”,到1639年3月13日,它才改名为哈弗大学.
3、During his 40-year tenure as Harvard president (1869–1909), Charles William Eliot radically transformed Harvard into the pattern of the modern research university.
在Charles William Eliot任职哈弗校长的40年间（1869-1909）,他彻底的改革了哈弗大学的教育模式,使之成为一个现代教育研究大学.。