万花筒 2011-11-15&11-17 韩国孩子怎么读书的？

 Welcome to Seoul, South Korea. Capital city of one of the world's fastest growing economies. There are many reasons to be impressed with this ancient tiger that rose from the ashes of the Civil War. But South Korea's crown¹ jewel is its education system.

 

Thanks to a militant² drive for success, this nation's students have outperformed the rest of the world for the better part of a decade. On the most recent PISA exam, the benchmark international test, South Korea ranked first in reading and second in math among all nations.

 

"In South Korea, teachers are known as nation builders."

 

President Obama has noticed, singing Korea's praises on a regular basis. On a visit to Seoul in 2009 he asked South Korean President Lee Myung-bak what his biggest challenge was in education. The president's reply? Korean parents care too much about their children's success.

 

We visited the Cho family on a typical day for their son, Sung-do. He gets up every day at 6:00 a.m. Jumps rope as the sun comes up. Then eats a massive³ breakfast his mother has prepared. She says a healthy meal helps his concentration⁴.

 

Sung-do goes to school from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on most days, much longer hours than most American stints⁵. There are about 205 school days in South Korea's calendar, 25 more than the typical U.S. schedule.

 

Over the course of their academic careers, South Korean children will spend almost two more years in the classroom than their American counterparts⁶.

1 crown   

n.王冠，王权，顶点；v.使...成王，加冕，居...之顶

参考例句：

• He won the crown in 1973.他荣获1973年冠军称号。
• They wanted to crown Caesar king.他们想立凯撒为王。

2 militant   

adj.激进的，好斗的；n.激进分子，斗士

参考例句：

• Some militant leaders want to merge with white radicals.一些好斗的领导人要和白人中的激进派联合。
• He is a militant in the movement.他在那次运动中是个激进人物。

3 massive   

adj.巨大的，大规模的，大量的，大范围的

参考例句：

• A massive sea search has failed to find any survivors.经过大规模的海上搜救仍未找到幸存者。
• He drank a massive amount of alcohol.他喝了大量的烈酒。

4 concentration   

n.集中；专注；浓度；浓缩

参考例句：

• She wrinkled her brows in concentration.她蹙额皱眉，陷入沉思。
• If smoke is going that way,then it means the concentration here should be decreasing.如果烟雾沿着这个方向飘，这意味着，这里的浓度应该是减少的。

5 stints   

n.定额工作( stint的名词复数 )；定量；限额；慷慨地做某事

参考例句：

• He stints himself in [of] sleep. 他节制睡眠。 来自辞典例句
• She never stints herself of money to buy books for her children. 她从不吝惜掏钱让子女们买书。 来自互联网

6 counterparts   

与对方地位相当的人，与另一方作用相当的物( counterpart的名词复数 )； 同仁

参考例句：

• Deep-sea valleys are the counterparts of the mountain chains. 深海里的峡谷相当于陆地上的山脉。
• Many states have enacted their own counterparts to RCRA and CERCLA. 许多州都已经针对《资源保护和恢复法》和《综合性环境反应、赔偿与责任法案》制定了他们各自的实施细则。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法