2023年考研英语一阅读 Text 1 原文翻译及答案解析

The weather in Texas may have cooled since the recent extreme heat, but the temperature will be high at the State Board of Education meeting in Austin this month as officials debate how climate change is taught in Texas schools.

德克萨斯州的天气可能自最近的极端高温以来有所降温，但本月在奥斯汀举行的州教育委员会会议上，温度将会很高，因为官员们正在辩论如何在德克萨斯州的学校教授气候变化。

Pat Hardy, who sympathises with the views of the energy sector, is resisting proposed changes to science standards for pre-teen pupils. These would emphasise the primacy of human activity in recent climate change and encourage discussion of mitigation measures.

Pat Hardy同情能源部门的观点，正在抵制对青少年学生科学标准的拟议修改。这些修改将强调人类活动在近期气候变化中的首要性，并鼓励讨论缓解措施。

Most scientists and experts sharply dispute Hardy's views. "They casually dismiss the career work of scholars and scientists as just another misguided opinion. " says Dan Quinn, senior communications strategist at the Texas Freedom Network, a non-profit group that monitors public education. "What millions of Texas kids learn in their public schools is determined too often by the political ideology of partisan board members, rather than facts and sound scholarship. "

大多数科学家和专家强烈质疑Hardy的观点。"他们轻率地将学者和科学家的毕生工作驳斥为只是另一种错误的观点。"德克萨斯自由网络（一个监督公共教育的非营利组织）的高级传播策略师Dan Quinn说。"德克萨斯州数百万孩子在公立学校学到的东西，往往是由党派董事会成员的政治意识形态决定的，而不是事实和可靠的学术成果。"

Such debates reflect fierce discussions across the US and around the world, as researchers, policymakers, teachers and students step up demands for a greater focus on teaching about the facts of climate change in schools.

此类辩论反映了美国乃至全球范围内的激烈讨论，研究人员、政策制定者、教师和学生正加大要求，希望在学校教学中更注重气候变化的事实。

A study last year by the National Center for Science Education, a non-profit group of scientists and teachers, looking at how state public schools across the country address climate change in science classes, gave barely half of US states a grade B + or higher. Among the 10 worst performers were some of the most populous states, including Texas, which was given the lowest grade ( F) and has a disproportionate influence because its textbooks are widely sold elsewhere.

去年，由科学家和教师组成的非营利组织国家科学教育中心进行的一项研究，考察了全国各州公立学校在科学课上如何讲授气候变化，结果显示仅有不到一半的美国州获得了B+或更高的成绩。表现最差的10个州中包括一些人口最多的州，如德克萨斯州，它获得了最低的成绩（F），并且由于其教科书在其他地方广泛销售，具有不成比例的影响力。

Glenn Branch, the centre's deputy director, cautions that setting state-level science standards is only one limited benchmark in a country that decentralises decisions to local school boards. Even if a state is considered a high performer in its science standards, "that does not mean it will be taught" , he says.

该中心的副主任Glenn Branch警告说，在将决策权下放给地方校董会的国家中，制定州级科学标准只是一个有限的基准。即使一个州在科学标准上被认为是高表现者，"这并不意味着它会被教授"，他说。

Another issue is that, while climate change is well integrated into some subjects and at some ages—such as earth and space sciences in high schools—it is not as well represented in curricula for younger children and in subjects that are more widely taught, such as biology and chemistry. It is also less prominent in many social studies courses.

另一个问题是，虽然气候变化在某些学科和年龄段（如高中的地球和空间科学）中得到了很好的整合，但在针对年幼儿童的课程以及更广泛教授的学科（如生物学和化学）中却没有得到充分体现。它在许多社会科学课程中也不那么突出。

Branch points out that, even if a growing number of official guidelines and textbooks reflect scientific consensus on climate change, unofficial educational materials that convey more slanted perspectives are being distributed to teachers. They include materials sponsored by libertarian think-tanks and energy industry associations.

Branch指出，即使越来越多的官方指南和教科书反映了关于气候变化的科学共识，但传达更倾斜观点的非官方教育材料正在分发给教师。这些材料包括由自由主义智库和能源行业协会赞助的材料。