Sixty-two people have been detained for selling electronic cheating equipment and counterfeit exam documents in the run-up to the national college entrance examination, the Ministry of Education announced.
Police and educational bureaus across the country have recently handled 45 cheating-related cases and cracked down on illegal sales of devices such as wireless headphones and two-way radios that allow people to cheat on exams, the ministry said.
On Saturday, two suspects, a father-and-son duo surnamed Qian, were detained on criminal charges in Xiamen, Fujian province, for advertising the sale of electronic cheating equipment and counterfeit exam documents. They confessed having made tens of thousands of yuan from dozens of customers.
From Tuesday to Wednesday, more than 9.3 million students will sit the national college entrance examination, the world's largest standardized test. About 6.75 million will be admitted into college, with the enrolment rate up 4 percentage points year-on-year to surpass 72 percent, according to the ministry.
However, a string of cheating scandals involving high-tech devices in past years have cast a shadow over the test's principle of fairness in giving students an equal chance to attend university.
In 2009, teachers in Songyuan, Jilin province, were found selling wireless devices to students, which sparked intense public outrage. In 2010, about one out of every 5,000 examinees was found to have cheated, according to the ministry.
The ministry vowed on Friday to exercise an "iron hand and zero tolerance" on cheating during the annual tests, and ordered local bureaus to hand out severe punishments if violations are discovered.
Examinees found cheating will be disqualified from this year's exam and will be prohibited from signing up for next year's test.
Questions:
1. How many people have been arrested?
2. How many students will sit the exam?
3. How many were found to have cheated in 2010?
Answers:
1. 62.
2. 9.3 million.
3. One in every 5,000.
(中国日报网英语点津 Helen 编辑)
About the broadcaster:
Lee Hannon is Chief Editor at China Daily with 15-years experience in print and broadcast journalism. Born in England, Lee has traveled extensively around the world as a journalist including four years as a senior editor in Los Angeles. He now lives in Beijing and is happy to move to China and join the China Daily team.