China quake zone students look to future with college exam

CHENGDU, July 3 (Xinhua) -- The three-day national college entrance exam started on Thursday for 120,000 students in areas hard hit by the May 12 earthquake, weeks after their peers elsewhere in the nation took the crucial test. Huang Qian, 18, wore freshly washed jeans that were bought by her mother, who died in the quake that claimed nearly 70,000 lives. Huang looked a bit nervous, and her teacher patted her on the shoulder before she entered the exam room. "Relax, I will wait for you outside. Don't forget to sign your name on the paper," the teacher advised. The girl nodded and strode into the makeshift classroom where she did her final cram sessions over the past month. The first exam was Chinese, and the composition title was "The Story I Most Want To Tell". Huang wrote quickly, crying. After finishing the test at 11:30... [read full story]