Pig Academy 養豬專業進入高等學院－看BBC學英文

Pig Farmers Needed to Satisfy Pork Demand 養豬農戶需要滿足市場的豬肉需求

點此連結收聽音頻：http://www.bbc.co.uk/ukchina/simp/elt/take_away_english/110113_tae_301_pig_academy_story.shtml

Today's Britain is full of TV shows like Fame Academy, which claim to offer young hopefuls an instant passport to fame and riches.

But a very different kind of academy may provide a new generation of Brits with a slower, steadier path to wealth.

A 'pig academy' in the east of England is aiming to train up new pig farmers to help boost local agriculture and meet the UK's growing demand for pork.

Last year consumption of pork products increased by 6,000 tonnes.

But British farmers have not benefited from this rise in demand. A combination of increasing feed prices, competition from cheaper imports and an outbreak of foot and mouth disease have all eaten into their profits. Pig numbers in the UK have actually almost halved in the last decade.

Now, Fresh Start Pig Academy in Lincolnshire is launching a course which intends to redress the balance. They say pig husbandry is a growth industry and newcomers are welcome.

For those of you who fancy getting your hands dirty, the course will teach you everything you need to know: from keeping pigs healthy to raising the capital needed to start up.

Pig farmer Anne Longthorp followed her father into the industry and believes that farming pigs is very rewarding work:

"They're great, inquisitive animals to work with. Just watching their behaviour – it's really interesting work. There is a lot more to pig farming than people give us credit for. It's very scientific."

So, while most of Britain's young people may continue to dream of overnight stardom, others will hope a more traditional career will help them bring home the bacon.

Glossary 辭彙表

young hopefuls 希望成功的年輕人
instant passport 快速通行證
steadier更可靠的
boost local agriculture 促進當地農業繁榮
consumption 消費量
feed 飼料
outbreak 爆發
foot and mouth disease 口蹄疫
eaten into their profits 削減、吃掉了利潤
halved 減半
redress the balance 修復平衡
pig husbandry 養豬業
growth industry 增長性行業
newcomers 新加入者、新手
getting your hands dirty 親手去做某事
capital 成本、資本
rewarding 值得的，有報酬的
inquisitive 好奇的
give us credit for 給予肯定、讚揚
bring home the bacon 掙錢養家

【看BBC學英文】優質免費的英文學習平台！你想要學習原汁原味的英國腔調嗎？還是你希望增加自己的聽力呢？IELTS及TOEIC考試中的聽力題，對於不熟悉英國腔的朋友們是一大苦手！每週利用BBC〝6 Minute English〞教學，擷取適當篇幅讓大家熟悉音調，利用填空練習考考自己，並有延伸單字片語，你只要利用短短的時間，就能進行單元式的英文聽力練習，而且還是免費的！當然還有不定期的重點新聞分享，一起利用零碎時間累積英文實力！