Wannabe student hopes 13th time is the charm

Changsha resident Cao Xiangfan, has set a record for taking 13 national college entrance examinations in the Hunan provincial capital this year.

Cao, 39, has become a well-known figure among local experts because of his frequent attendance at the examinations.

Cao said this year would be the last time he would sit for the exam, which takes place annually between June 7 and 9. He will give up his dream of becoming a university student if he fails this time, he said. To prepare for the examinations, Cao moved out of his home and lived in a rented apartment. He has been resting for just four hours a day since last month.

 
Prison trips designed to deter corrupt officials

Senior officials and civil servants from Wuhan municipal government are being taken on day trips - to learn what life is like in prison.

The government workers will be given a talk on what life is like inside prison and a trip to a jail is a must before any official can gain a promotion.

The Hubei capital has become the first city in the province to organize such trips for Party and government officials.

The idea was introduced after the city investigated 215 corruption cases involving local officials and civil servants last year, up 70 percent year-on-year.

(China Daily 06/12/2007)

（英语点津 Linda 编辑）

About the broadcaster:

Matt Doran is an award-winning American newspaper journalist and an undergraduate student at Albion College. He is currently a polisher for China Daily Website and is on summer break from Beijing Foreign Studies University, where he will resume his study of Chinese in the fall.