More than 9.5 million Chinese teenagers started a tough two-day exam on June 7 that will decide if they can go to college, amid concerns that cheating will taint the process, state media said.
Nervous youngsters, most of them accompanied by their equally worried parents, turned up at high schools for the test.
"The exam is regarded as one of the most important events for the participants, and could change their lives in a fiercely competitive society," said the Xinhua news agency.
PHOTO: AP
Only 5.7 million students will be able to enter college — meaning there is huge pressure to perform.
Some students have rented hotel rooms near the exam venues to ensure they get a good night's sleep, while others follow special diets to be as alert and energetic as possible.
But a growing number of students are cutting corners, some by seeking ever more advanced methods of cheating such as wireless electronic devices, Xinhua said.
The trend seems to be rising. In last year's national college exam, about 3,000 students were caught cheating, up from 1,300 the year before.
"The consequences of cheating, if unchecked, go far beyond the dishonest behavior of individual students," the China Daily said in an editorial.
"Those who have cheated their way into universities have robbed others of the opportunity to compete fairly for the opportunity of higher education. One person's dishonesty can damage the course of another person's life."
The college entry exam, which generally takes two days although in some places can go on for three or even four, is an experience that nearly one in 20 Chinese knows personally. (AFP)
中國國營媒體報導,為期兩天的全國高考六月七日正式展開,九百五十多萬名年輕學子卯足全力想擠進大學窄門,不過作弊行為是否會影響考試過程仍讓人憂心。
緊張的高中畢業生大多在家長陪同下應考,陪考家長的心情也是七上八下。
新華社報導:「對考生來說,這場考試是人生中最重要的關鍵之一,因為在這個高度競爭的社會,它可能扭轉他們的一生。」
只有五百七十萬名幸運兒能夠進入大學,因此考生壓力極大。
部分考生為了讓自己一夜好眠,租下了考場附近的飯店房間,有些則是吃特殊補品來提神醒腦、補充體力。
新華社表示,愈來愈多考生心存僥倖,有些還想藉由無線電子裝置等先進科技舞弊。
這股作弊歪風似乎有蔓延的趨勢。去年高考期間,作弊被抓的考生約有三千人,比前年的一千三百人增加不少。
《中國日報》在一篇社論中說:「作弊不光是考生個人不誠實的行為,若不加以管束,影響層面更大。」
「那些靠作弊考進大學的人,剝奪了他人公平競爭接受高等教育的機會,個人不誠實的行為可能損及他人的人生發展。」
全國高考試期通常是兩天,但部分地區可能進行三或甚至四天。中國只有將近二十分之一的人口有資格參加全國高考。(法新社/翻譯:林倩如)
The strongest earthquake to hit Taiwan in 25 years killed at least 16 people and damaged dozens of buildings, but the destruction was largely contained thanks to decades of preparedness work. Taiwan sits on the “Ring of Fire,” an arc of intense seismic activity along the Pacific Rim, and — much like neighboring Japan — has a long history of catastrophic quakes. How does April 3 compare with other recent quakes? The April 3 earthquake, which measured 7.4 on the moment magnitude scale, was felt across Taiwan. It was the most severe since a 7.6 magnitude quake in 1999 killed
A: Artificial intelligence technology has been causing controversy lately: a student was caught cheating with AI to win the grand prize in an art contest. B: That’s so absurd. Does this mean that AI paints better than humans? A: Maybe. Luckily, the student was later disqualified. B: And more absurdly, it’s becoming more and more popular to use AI technology to “resurrect” people. A: Yeah, some netizens even posted videos featuring the late singer CoCo Lee, who was “resurrected” by them with AI software. A: 人工智慧的爭議不斷,有學生違規使用AI參加美術展,甚至贏得首獎。 B: 真誇張,這是不是代表AI比人類還強大? A: 或許吧,幸好得獎資格被取消。 B: 還有更誇張的︰讓死者重現的「AI復活」技術越來越熱門。 A: 對啊,還有網友製作已故歌后李玟「復活」的影片呢! (By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times/台北時報張聖恩)
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