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荷兰是世界上教育最普及、教育程度最高的国家之一。
荷兰的小孩都上学很早，一般5岁左右就要入学。虽然入学很早，但孩子们却不存在课业负担，所有教学也是以孩子的兴趣为主。这种“放养”式的教育方式非但没有导致所谓的玩物丧志，反而培养出来创造力和独立思考能力都一流的荷兰儿童。小学毕业后，学校会根据每个学生的统考成绩、平时成绩、平时表现、兴趣爱好以及学习积极性来出具一份报告，为家长提供一些关于学生适合何种类型的中等教育的建议。荷兰的中高等教育也分两个大的方向，学生可以根据自己的兴趣来选择进行一般教育还是职业教育，二者不分高下。荷兰的高等教育水平在世界上处于领先地位——这个面积仅4万多平方公里，人口仅1700万的小国，在近期公布的世界前五十名大学中竟占有六名，甚至超过了德国。
天才是1%的灵感加99%的汗水？荷兰“因材施教”的例子，或许给我们上了另外一课。
Dutch nickname荷兰人，ur Dutch
语言，Dutch language, Dutch people
Holland part of Netherland 两个大省，nickname
the Netherlands 官方
Dutch: adj. 荷兰 (人/语) 的 n. 荷兰语
· the Netherlands: n. 荷兰 (官方说法)
· Holland: n. 荷兰 (昵称；实指北荷兰省和南荷兰省两省)
大嘴型
Why Dutch teenagers are among the happiest in the world
① In report after report, the Netherlands tops the list of countries for介词 high life satisfaction among its young people.
day after day: continuously, many days
· I hate working in the office day after day.
我讨厌日复一日地在办公室里工作。
· The same food can get boring if you eat it day after day.
如果你每天都吃一样的食物，长时间下去会变得很无聊。
week after week
· Week after week, the bad weather continued.
一周又一周，坏天气还在继续。
· Revising for exams week after week can be very boring.
一周又一周地复习考试可能会很无聊。
2. top the list: to be number one on the list
· In summer, ice cream tops the list for popular snacks among young people.
夏季，冰淇淋是年轻人最爱吃的零食。
② It contrasts starkly with the picture in countries like Britain and America, where depression and anxiety are on the rise among teenagers.
contrast starkly with …: 与……形成鲜明对比
· contrast: vi. 形成对照；显出明显的差异
· starkly: adv. 显而易见地；十分明显地
3. contrasts starkly with …: to be very different from …
· This statement contrasts starkly with his previous statements.
这一声明与他之前的声明明显不同。
· The sweet flavour of the dessert contrasts starkly with the spicy main course.
甜品的甜味和主菜的辛辣形成了鲜明的对比。
4. sth. is on the rise: sth. is increasing
· Crime is on the rise.
犯罪率在上升。
· House prices are on the rise.
房价在上涨。
③ So why is this flat, damp country of 17 million people so good at giving young people an optimistic outlook? The school system is the key to their happiness.
5. damp = wet
· The rain has stopped but it's still quite damp outside.
雨虽然停了，但外面还是湿哒哒的。
· Damp weather is expected this weekend, so don't plan your picnic.
这周可能要下雨，所以野餐还是别考虑了。
6. an optimistic outlook
optimistic: you think that good things will happen in the future
outlook: a person's way of understanding and thinking about something
· Violet has a very optimistic outlook on life. She always looks at things in a very positive way.
Violet 有着很积极的人生观，总是以非常乐观的态度看待事情。
④ The Dutch school system€ focuses more on developing autonomy than giving priority to obedience. Children are more free to do what they want, and in doing what they want, they get an idea of what they really like and develop their social skills. In the Dutch school system there are no "extra classes" or private tutors. If you are bad at maths you are bad at maths. Don't worry. Focus on the things you like and are good at. If you don't like history, you don't read about history.
7. autonomy & obedience
autonomy: being independent, having the ability to make your own decisions, without being controlled by anyone else
develop autonomy
give priority to obedience
obedience: doing what others tell you to do (for example teachers) and following school rules and regulations
⑤ It's no surprise then that in the Netherlands, children like going to school. In recent studies, Dutch children were found to feel less pressured by schoolwork and scored very highly in terms of finding their classmates friendly and helpful.
8. It's no surprise …: we should not be surprised to learn or hear something.
· It's no surprise that many shops are closing as online shopping is now so popular.
如今网上购物这么受欢迎，许多线下店关门也不足为奇。
⑥重点 The Dutch aren't concerned about their kids being the smartest. They just want them to be the happiest, to let them find their own passion and follow it.
⑦ On the downside, it does rain a lot in the Netherlands, but nowhere is perfect.
on the downside: 缺点是；不利的地方是
im terms of就某方面
healthy diet因为蔬菜很便宜，不健康的食物贵很多
bicycle, more bikes than people
17 m people, 18 m bikes
偷自行车的很多
The netherlands has the highest English proficiency for an non-English speaking country.
top the world /list of countries/popular snacks for……