369. But most experts agree that some research activity is essential to keep the staff and their students in touch with the latest developments in their subjects.

译文

但是大多数专家都认同，为了让教职员及学生接触到其学科的最新发展，一些科研活动是必要的。

点睛

that引导的是agree的宾语从句。be essential to do sth.意为“做某事绝对重要，必不可少”。如：Good food and plenty of exercise are essential to lead a healthy life. 要想健康地生活，吃得好并进行大量的锻炼是非常重要的。
keep in touch with sth.此处意为“获得某方面的最新信息（知识等）”。如：We are able to keep in touch with events of the outside world via the Internet. 通过互联网我们能够了解到外界发生的事。

考点归纳

有关touch的常见短语还有：
be/get/keep in touch with sb.意为“与某人有／获得／保持联系”。如：
I'm still in touch with my friends from college. 我和大学的朋友还有联系。
They're trying to get in touch with the manager. 他们正设法和经理取得联系。
Let's keep in touch. 我们要保持联系。
be out of touch和lose touch都意为“失去联系”，后接介词with也都可以指“不再了解”。如：
I'm out of touch with many old friends now. ＝I've lost touch with many old friends. 我现在和很多老朋友都失去了联系。
You are out of touch with real life. ＝You've lost touch with real life. 你脱离了现实生活。