The bustling city of Shanghai quietened for 20 minutes yesterday afternoon - to ensure a hushed environment for the ongoing college entrance examination.
The exam period, which runs over three days until today, yesterday tested students on their English comprehension. Yesterday's exam ran from 3pm to 3:20pm.
To keep noise low around the city's 134 exam sites, especially during the 20-minute listening test, the city government banned construction work within 100 meters of test sites and warned drivers not to blare their horns.
At downtown Xiangming Middle School, Luwan District traffic police handed out cards telling drivers to slow down and keep noise down a block away from the school gate.
Traffic assistants were also deployed at the gate to remind bus drivers to keep their brake noise low, as a bus station is only about 30 meters away.
"We were quite worried whether a strong thunderstorm would affect the children's listening test, but fortunately it didn't come," said a mother surnamed Liu who was waiting outside Xiangming.
On Saturday, a sudden thunderstorm hit the city just after the math exam started at 3pm. Students escaped from the heavy rainfall by heading into classrooms, but waiting parents weren't that lucky.
Many parents used their first Dragon Boat Festival holiday to escort their children to the exam.
Exam sites, such as Fudan Middle School and Gezhi Middle School, eased regulations to offer some indoor shelter to parents. Usually no parents are allowed to enter the exam site.
Students are being tested in Chinese, math, foreign language, comprehensive ability and an elective course such as physics, chemistry, politics or history. Test results will come out later this month.
Nearly 100,000 local students are sitting this year's exam, the second consecutive drop from the record of 112,000 people in 2006 and 105,000 last year.
About 80,000 applicants will be admitted to city colleges and universities.
Hot monthly
