UK ranked 15th for school science education, study about seals 英国中学自然科学教育排世界第十五、研究海豹的水中生活
Researchers to uncover secret life of seals 研究人员即将揭开海豹水中生活的秘密
文字稿 Simple science, but today a wider lesson for the UK: technology is changing the world but our schools aren’t keeping up with the best. Ministers around the UK say they need more time. For schools in England a shortage of science teachers - year on year not enough are starting training. And without enough teachers some fear we'll never catch up.
这些学生正在课堂上学习基本的科学知识，但今天发布的一则消息给英国人上了一堂意义深远的课：科技正改变世界，但英国的学校却没能给学生提供世界最高标准的科学教育。英国的部长们说，他们需要更多的时间来改变这一状况。英格兰地区的中学普遍缺少教授自然科学的老师，而参加这类教师培训的人数连年不足。有些人士担心在教师不足的情况下，英国将永远无法与其它国家并驾齐驱。
Above the waves their lives are well understood. But beneath, Britain’s grey seals are more of a mystery. They spend two-thirds of their time in the water but until now they’ve been little studied. If you want to study these incredible animals up close you do have to get into the water. Around the coast of the UK nearly 40% of the world’s grey seals live here and there are 5,000 of them here, in the Farne Islands. This is Ben Burville. He’s been diving with seals for decades. Now he’s capturing them on camera working with Newcastle University to record behaviour that surprisingly has never been seen before.
虽然我们对英国灰海豹在岸上的生活颇为了解，但它们在海洋中的活动却充满了更多的神秘。灰海豹一生中三分之二的时间都在水中生活，然而到目前为止，几乎没有针对它们在水中活动的研究。如果你想近距离地仔细研究这群奇妙的动物，的确需要下到水里去。世界上约有40％的灰海豹栖居于英国沿岸，其中有5000只生活在法恩群岛附近。这是本·博韦尔（Ben Burville），他在海豹的陪伴下潜龄已有好几十年。现在，他正和英国纽卡斯尔大学合作，利用摄像机捕捉海豹的影像，并意外地记录了下了这群动物从未被人见过的行为。
词汇
keeping up
跟上
up close
近距离地，靠近地
练习 请从以下词汇中选择适当的答案来完成句子。注意：你可能需要改变单词的时态来完成句子。
keeping up / up close
1. I would never go camping in the wild. I'm afraid of getting __________ with a bear.
2. Why did you buy this expensive car? Are you trying to __________ with your rich neighbour?
答案 1. I would never go camping in the wild. I'm afraid of getting up close with a bear.
2. Why did you buy this expensive car? Are you trying to keep up with your rich neighbour?