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Businesses cash in as millions of Chinese students sweat over crucial exam by Cody Abbey @CNNMoney For millions of teenagers, it's a big source of stress. For many businesses, it's a great chance to make money. More than 9 million high-school students across China are taking the biggest exam of their lives this week. Known as the gaokao, the grueling test determines where the students can go to university and what they'll study. With so much riding on the outcome, parents are willing to loosen the purse strings to try to ensure success, splashing out on private tutors, good luck charms and even luxury hotels. (The exam lasts two or three days, depending on where the students go to school.) "Gaokao economics has an extremely large influence," said Professor Ding Yanqing, an associate professor at Peking University's Graduate School of Education. "It affects the majority of families in China." Hotels raise rates Hotels near a test center in northwestern Beijing say they are fully booked for the days of the gaokao. The rooms are reserved for students who don't live near the center so they have somewhere to take refuge between the different phases of the demanding exam. Some hotels jack up their rates for the gaokao. Upmarket ones propose extra pampering to those students who can afford it.The Shangri-La in Beijing offers its "Way to Success Gaokao Package." For the auspicious amount of 888 yuan (about $130) a night, students can book a room on floors specially reserved for those taking the test. Customers also get a 20% discount on room service and spa treatment, while a limousine service to the test center comes with a 30% discount. Buying academic blessings Smaller businesses also benefit from the exam.Wang Jing makes her living by selling ornaments at the Imperial College, a heritage site that for centuries was China's highest seat of learning. She said she's recently seen a marked increase of parents buying wooden tablets inscribed with blessings for academic success. Hospital technician Meng Ning was one of many customers lining up to buy one last weekend. She said she wanted to improve her 17-year-old daughter's chances of landing a spot at her dream school."We definitely believe in it," Meng said. "And believing in something makes it become true." Stocking up at pharmacies Chinese students have also begun spending more on drugs and dietary supplements that they believe will improve their memory and attention. Huang Yangling, who works at LBX Pharmacy in Beijing, said that in the weeks leading up to the gaokao some parents enter her store hastily searching for medications that will boost exam scores."Just today, a student's father came in to purchase some Isatis root for gaokao-related reasons," Huang said Saturday. "In reality, it won't have any actual effect unless it's taken over a longer period of time. You can't just eat it for two days and expect a change."Isatis root is widely used in traditional Chinese medicine. Students often take it ahead of exams in the hope of keeping colds and flu at bay. Bruce Chen, who's now a student at Peking University, took a U.S. brand of deep-sea fish oil daily for six months prior to his gaokao."I think it really had an effect," he said. "It improved my memory, I had more energy, and all of a sudden I felt like I could think more clearly."He admits it's hard to know for sure whether the fish oil definitely made a difference. But having made it into China's top-ranked university, he's not complaining. 1. CNN美國有線電視新聞網(wǎng)絡(luò)（Cable News Network） 2. cash in從…中牟利 3. sweat over努力 4. crucial重要的；決定性的 5. stress壓力 6. grueling['ɡru?li?]折磨人的 7. ride on sth--if one thing is riding on another, it depends on it依靠 8. outcome結(jié)果,結(jié)局 9. loosen the purse strings慷慨解囊 10. ensure確保 11. splash out on大筆花錢 12. private tutor一對(duì)一老師 13. good luck charm帶來好運(yùn)氣的護(hù)身符 14. luxury奢侈的[?l?k??ri] 15. Gaokao economics高考經(jīng)濟(jì)學(xué) 16. associate professor副教授 17. Graduate School of Education教育研究生院 18. majority多數(shù) 19. reserve 預(yù)訂 20. take refuge得到庇護(hù) 21. phase階段，部分 22. demanding費(fèi)力的，費(fèi)神的 23. jack up增加(價(jià)錢、工資等) 24. ppmarket質(zhì)優(yōu)價(jià)高的；高級(jí)的 25. pampering溺愛; 細(xì)心照顧 26. Shangri-La香格里拉飯店 27. Package酒店包價(jià)服務(wù)，類似于購買的一條龍服務(wù) 28. auspicious吉利的 [?'sp???s] 29. room service〔酒店提供的〕客房送餐服務(wù) 30. spa treatment溫泉理療 31. limousine service接送旅客服務(wù)['l?m?zi?n; 32. academic學(xué)業(yè)（成績(jī)）優(yōu)秀的 33. blessing祝福 34. make one's living謀生 35. ornament裝飾 ['?rn?m?nt] 36. Imperial College國子監(jiān),元、明、清三代國家設(shè)立的最高學(xué)府和教育行政管理機(jī)構(gòu)，又稱“太學(xué)”“國學(xué)”。 37. heritage site世界文化遺產(chǎn)地 38. seat of learning高等學(xué)府；學(xué)術(shù)中心 39. marked顯著的[mɑrkt] 40. wooden tablet古代寫字用的木板 41. inscribe雕刻 42. Hospital technician醫(yī)院專業(yè)技術(shù)人員 43. line up排隊(duì) 44. land a spot at one's dream school考入理想學(xué)校 45. Stock up大量?jī)?chǔ)備 46. pharmacy ['fɑrm?si]藥房 47. dietary supplement膳食補(bǔ)充品 48. LBX Pharmacy老百姓大藥房 49. hastily匆忙地 50. medication藥物治療 51. boost促進(jìn)；增加 52. come in to purchase進(jìn)店購買 53. isatis root板藍(lán)根[a?'z?t?s] 54. gaokao-related與高考有關(guān)的 55. in reality事實(shí)上 56. ahead of在…之前 57. in the hope of懷著……的希望 58. keep...at bay不讓……接近，防范 59. colds and flu感冒和流感 60. brand品牌 61. deep-sea fish oil 深海魚油 62. prior to在……之前 63. definitely清楚地 64. make a difference有(重要)作用；有影響 65. top-ranked最優(yōu)秀的 66. make it into a top-ranked university考入頂尖大學(xué) |
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