Earthquake students sit for top exam

Wang Lei, a student from the earthquake-stricken Mianyang city, considers himself lucky to be able to take the national college entrance examination. The 19-year-old managed to flee his home before it collapsed in the May 12 earthquake. A week after the disaster, the local education authorities moved Wang and his schoolmates from Mianyang to a temporary shelter in nearby Deyang city. Besides food and clothing, Wang also received textbooks and psychological conseling, which had helped him prepare for the exam. "I will do my best in the exam," Wang said. "I am lucky just to be able to take it." During the next three days, 96,000 high-school students in the quake-hit zones will take the annual examination, almost a month after the rest of the country. These students have gone through a traumatic experience, but are determined to... [read full story]