原文: Back to School

September is traditionally the end of summer and the beginning of autumn in the UK. It is also the month when children go back to school after their long summer holidays, but what do you actually know about British schools?

There are two types of school in England. State-run schools are paid for by the government, so are free to attend. Independent Schools are private, which means you have to pay to attend.

The school day usually starts at 9 in the morning and finishes around 4, with breaks for lunch of course! In many schools, you have to wear a uniform too.

Children start school when they are 5 years old. This is called primary school, and lasts until the child is 11 when he or she will go on to senior school.

Secondary school is compulsory from 11 until 16 years of age. At 16, students take national examinations called GCSE’s. After this, students can stay at school for another 2 years and take A Level examinations. These examinations are necessary if they want to go on to university at 18.

Some universities start in September, but others begin in October. Courses normally last 3 years, but some, such as languages, engineering or medicine, can take much longer to complete.

Students usually go to university in a different town, so need to get used to living alone, paying bills and washing their own clothes! For many, this is a difficult time, but everyone soon becomes used to it!

Universities in Britain used to be free, but many students now have to pay for part of their course. Similarly, students used to receive a grant – money from the government in order to live. Nowadays, they have to borrow money from banks or the government, called a student loan, or take part-time jobs.

Either way it can be difficult, and many students have money problems.

School and university life are not just about studying, however. Many students take part in drama productions or play music. Others, of course, take part in a wide range of sports, such as football, rugby and cricket.

Many of the friends British people make at school and university remain friends for life, so it seems to true to say that your schooldays really are ‘the best days of your life.’

译文: 开学了

    传统来讲，在英国，9月是夏末秋初的月份，也是孩子们从漫长的暑假回到学校的月份。但是，你又真对英国的学校了解多少呢？

    在英格兰有两种类型的学校。公立学校由政府支付费用，上学是免费的。私立学校则是私人性质的，进这样的大学就意味着你要自己交钱上学了。

    学校一般早上9点开始上课，下午4点左右放学，当然中间有午餐的休息时间。许多学校会要求学生穿校服。

    孩子到了5岁，就要开始上小学了。小学要一直上到11岁，那时候孩子就要进入高一级的学校学习了。

    中学的教育是义务教育，面向11-16岁的青少年。16岁的时候，学生要参加全国统一考试，称为GCSE。这次考试以后，就可以在学校再呆两年，然后去参加全国统一的大学入学考试。如果学生想在18岁的时候上大学，这些考试成绩都是必需的。

    一些大学在9月开学，但也有10月开学的。课程通常会持续3年，但像语言类，工程类，或者医药类学科的修满则要花费更长的时间。

    通常，学生们上的大学都在另外一个城镇，因此他们要习惯独自生活，支付帐单和自己洗衣服！对于很多人来讲这都不是容易的事情，但是每个人不久以后都会习惯的！

    英国的大学以前是免费的，但是现在，许多学生都必须支付各自课程的费用了。同样地，学生以前也会有助学金 – 来自政府的生活补贴。而现在，他们不得不向银行或者政府借钱，这被称为学生贷款；或者去做兼职。

    哪一种方式都很困难，而且很多学生都存在经济上的问题。

    然而，学校和大学生活并不仅仅是学习。许多学生会参加戏剧创作或者去搞音乐。当然，其他的人也会参加各种各样的体育活动，比如足球，橄榄球和板球。