The College Entrance Examination, or commonly known as Gaokao, is an academic examination held annually¹ in the mainland of our country. This examination is a prerequisite² for entrance into almost all higher education institutions at the undergraduate level. It is usually taken by students in their last year of senior school, although there have been no age restrictions³ since 2001.

大学入学考试，也就是我们熟知的高考，是每年在我国大陆进行的学业考试。本考试几乎是所有本科层次的高等学府的入门考试，通常在高中最后一学期举行，尽管自2001起，本考试取消年龄限制。

College Entrance Examination is one of the biggest events in China, because it may change millions of students and families' lives. The number of participants reached its peak to 10.5 millions in 2008 and this year, the numbers drop to 9.15 millions. Study abroad and employment pressure are the two main reasons of the decrease. In China, there are hot discussions about this exam. People think that it's unfair to determine one's faith just by an exam, while others think that under the current circumstance, there are no other better ways. After year after year's try, some universities and colleges find more ways to recruit, and independent recruitment is the most popular. However, no matter how it will change in the future, workinghard is the key to get success in study.

高考是在中国是大事之一，因为它可能会改变成千上万学子的命运及其家人的生活。2008年高考考生达到1050万的高峰，今年考生人数降到915万。出国留学及就业压力是这一数据减少的两个原因。在中国，高考引发了激烈的讨论。人们认为仅靠一场考试决定一个人的命运是不公平的。也有人认为在当今社会背景下，没有其他比高考更好的办法。很多大学和学院，经过一年年的尝试，找到更多招生方式，自主招生就是最为热门的。其实，不管教育方式未来如何改变，努力学习永远是通向成功的关键。