全外教英语口语培训，牛津大学撒切尔教学楼惹争议
（文/太平洋英语） 牛津大学主要捐赠人、叙利亚出生的亿万富翁瓦菲克·赛义德向牛津大学赛义德商学院捐款1500万英镑(约合1.5亿元人民币)建造新大楼，并计划用撒切尔夫人的名字命名这栋新建筑。然而此举却遭到牛津大学许多教师的反对。据悉，这并不是撒切尔夫人第一次在牛津这所知名学府遭到冷遇。1985年，牛津大学曾拒绝授予撒切尔夫人荣誉学位，尽管她是二战后第一位曾在该校接受教育的英国首相。
而这一计划的支持者则认为，当年大家反对授予撒切尔夫人荣誉学位是因为对她当时的政策有所不满，现在她已经不再是首相，学校完全可以用她的名字命名新楼。赛义德作为新大楼大部分资金的投资者，有为新大楼命名的权利，但是还需要经过学校行政委员会和由学者和学校官员组成的专门委员会审核通过后才能正式命名。
Baroness Thatcher is at the centre of a new row at Oxford University after plans to name a building after Britain's first female Prime Minister were revealed.
Some academics are hoping to snub one of the university's most illustrious alumnae again - more than 25 years after protests there led to her being denied an honorary degree.
Thatcher became the first Oxford educated Prime Minister since the Second World War to be refused an honorary degree from the University in 1985 following student protests amidst cuts to education.
And now 17 years on a new revolt could halt plans to name a new facility after her. Oxford donor and Syrian born billionaire Wafic Saïd is said to have donated £15
million towards a new facility at Oxford's Saïd Business School, due to open in the autumn, and has indicated that he wants to name it after the women he describes as 'lioness'.
But the news is not being welcomed by everyone.
Speaking to the Daily Telegraph, Bernard Sufrin, a fellow at Worcester College, said signatories would be 'lining up' to force a vote against the 'inconceivable' plans.
He said 'I hope that those responsible for naming the building will take advice from those – now retired – leading members of the University who oversaw the embarrassing fiasco of an honorary degree for Mrs Thatcher being proposed only to be rejected by a large majority of the Congregation.
'It is inconceivable that Congregation would accede to such a naming.'
Mr Siad has long been and admirer of The Iron Lady and is given the naming
opportunity because he has provided at least 51 per cent of capital funding to the building.
In 1996 he donated £23 million to establish the Saïd Business School at the
university and he has since made an additional £15 million donation to help pay for the new building.
In order for the naming to get the go ahead it must first go before a series of
administrative committees and subcommittees made up of academics and officials. Collectibles(收藏品)
Collectibles have been a part of almost every culture since ancient times. 从古代开始，收藏品就是文化的一部分。
Whereas some objects have been collected for their usefulness, others have been selected for their aesthetic beauty alone.
一些物品因它们的有用性被收藏，而另一些则纯粹因为它们的美被收藏。
In the United States, the kinds of collectibles currently popular range from traditional objects such as stamps, coins, rare books, and art to more recent items of interest like dolls, bottles, baseball cards, and comic books.
在美国，当今流行的收藏品种类从传统物件，如邮票、硬币、珍本书籍、艺术品，到更近期一些的有趣的东西，如布娃娃、瓶子、垒球卡、连环漫画册。
Interest in collectibles has increased enormously during the past decade, in part because some collectibles have demonstrated their value as investments. 对收藏品的兴趣在过去十年中大大地增长，部分原因是一些收藏品显示出了它们的投资价值。
Especially during cycles of high inflation, investors try to purchase tangibles that will at least retain their current market values.
尤其在高通货膨胀时期，投资者尽量购买那些至少会保持他们现有市场价值的有形资产。
In general, the most traditional collectibles will be sought because they have preserved their value over the years, there is an organized auction market for them, and they are most easily sold in the event that cash is needed.
一般来说，最传统的收藏品受青睐，因为它们多年后仍保持其价值。 它们拥有完善的拍卖市场，在需要现金的时候最容易被卖掉。
Some examples of the most stable collectibles are old masters, Chinese ceramics, stamps, coins, rare books, antique jewelry, silver, porcelain, art by well-known artists, autographs, and period furniture.
一些最稳当的收藏品是古老的画作、中国陶器、邮票、硬币、珍本书籍、古代珠宝、银器、瓷器、著名艺术家的作品、亲笔签名和有时代特征的家具。
Other items of more recent interest include old photograph records, old
magazines, post cards, baseball cards, art glass, dolls, classic cars, old bottles, and comic books.
其它更近期的物品有旧唱片、旧杂志、明信片、垒球卡片、彩色玻璃、布娃娃、早期汽车、古瓶和连环画册。
These relatively new kinds of collectibles may actually appreciate faster as short-term investments, but may not hold their value as long-term investments. 作为短期投资这些相对说来较新颖的收藏品的确可能更快地增值，但作为长期投资则可能不能保值。
Once a collectible has had its initial play, it appreciates at a fairly steady rate, supported by an increasing number of enthusiastic collectors competing for the limited supply of collectibles that become increasingly more difficult to locate.
一旦一件收藏品有了它第一次交易，它便以一个相当稳定的比率增值，这个增值率受到越来越多的热情的收藏者的支持，他们为有限的而且越来越难找到的收藏品而竞争。