國營事業◆英文題庫下載題庫

      When U.S. President Barack Obama said that the challenges of a new century demand more time in the classroom, he intended to say that U.S. schoolchildren don't spend enough time in the classroom. Obama believes that this puts them at a disadvantage when compared to schoolchildren in other countries. 

      Obama is lucky that most schoolchildren are too young to vote, as they would not likely reelect a man who supports more time in school and shorter summer vacations, with children staying in school almost until suppertime and enjoying only eight weeks’ break over the summer instead of the 10 weeks U.S. schoolchildren currently enjoy. 

       If schooling is measured in terms of instructional hours per year, U.S. students receive more than many students in Asia. While U.S. children spend 1146 hours in the classroom per school year, children in Singapore, Japan and Hong Kong officially spend 903,1,1005 and 1,013 hours in the classroom, respectively. Taiwan outpaces those three with a score of 1,050 hours spent in formal schools, but that is still nearly 100 fewer hours than that of the U.S.