Hot Issues of 2013

* Part One * No.3 Toughest job hunting year in Chinese history The year 2013 is considered as the toughest job hunting year in Chinese history by many college graduates. The title of "college student", a shining halo① for Chinese people in the 1980s and 1990s, is now considered by the students themselves as synonymous② with "soon-to-be unemployed." "I passed the first round of interviews, then the second, but finally failed." "I've sent out 200 resumes③ but only two companies responded to me. About 800 candidates took the interview and we are all graduated from well-known universities." "12 girls and 4 boys took the interview and only 3 boys received offers." In 2013, there are nearly 700 million college graduates. Never before has the nation had so many graduates competing for jobs, particularly when so few are available. The number of vacant positions offered by employers has shrunk by 15 percent. No.2 Campus poisoning case at Fudan University The strange and tragic death by poisoning of a postgraduate student by his roommate at Fudan University in Shanghai prompted editorials across the nation. Graduate student Lin Senhao confessed to poisoning his roommate Huang Yang with a toxic chemical, but he claimed that he had no intention of killing him and denied that he did it over "trivial④ daily matters". "April Fool's was coming, and Huang Yang said he was planning to play tricks on others, so I thought, fine, I will give you one first." No.1 China announces plans to reform the college entrance examination China's Ministry of Education released plans to reform the gaokao, the national college entrance exam to make it more balanced. Further details of the reforms have not been released. At the moment, it appears clear that the English test will be removed from the main Gaokao. The announced change in testing for English proficiency⑤ has been highly anticipated and much discussed. "To some extent, it can help alleviate⑥ students' academic burdens⑦" "I think the policy aims to encourage students to take an interest in learning English." Rather than the single testing opportunity available under the unified exam, the English test will now be offered to students separately and several times during the year. 1. shining halo 光环 2. synonymous 等同的 3. resume 简历 4. trivial 琐碎的 5. proficiency 熟练度 6. alleviate 减轻 7. burdens 负担 * Part Two * No 3: China to Raise Retirement Age in Progressive① Steps A senior official says China will raise the retirement age little by little. This comes amid heated discussion on the working year cap after the central government announced its plan to reform the current retirement age. Hu Xiaoyi the deputy head of the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security announced that the retirement age will not be raised all of a sudden. "We might begin with the groups who enjoy the lowest retirement age, mainly professional workers, such as doctors, teachers, scientists, engineers etc. We will start with them, and then expand the policy to include other groups." Many people have expressed their concerns about the social insurance and pension② issues which could also be affected if the working year cap is raised. "I don't really care about work year limits. I'm OK with raising the retirement age. What really matters is the dispensing③ of the pension. I may pay a lot for it now, but receive little in the future. This is what I worry about." "I work in Beijing but hold no Beijing Hukou, and may not stay in Beijing in the future. The biggest problem is if social insurances can be linked nationwide." The current retirement age in China is 55 to 60 for men, and 50 to 55 for women, according to their professions. No.2 China to ease one-child policy After implementing family planning policy for several decades, China has announced recently it would loosen④ it. It says the family planning policy will be adjusted and improved step-by-step to promote the "long-term balanced development of the population in China. The decision has sparked⑤ heated discussion across China. "I have no plans to have a second child. I think one child is enough and we can put out all our efforts into taking care of him." "Most of my peers were born after the 1980s as the only child in their families. This means that as their parents get older, they can only be taken care of by one child. So if we can have a second child, not only will the child have a companion, the parents can also receive more care from their children as they age." According to the decision on major issues concerning comprehensively⑥ deepening reforms, which was approved at the Third Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Committee, China will implement this new policy while adhering to the basic state policy of family planning. No.1 China's anti-smog drive a hard battle The spread of smog to more Chinese cities this winter came as another warning for the country to intensify its campaign against environmental damage caused by three decades of rapid growth. There are almost nine million new graduates in China every year. It used to be the dream of many to go to big cities like Beijing and Shanghai for a white collar job. But this trend is now gradually changing, in part, because of people's concerns about their health. Zhou Shangling, who graduated with a master's degree in Beijing says the sky looks much brighter in her hometown, Lanzhou, the capital of Gansu. "Though Beijing has a lot of opportunities, the environment - and particularly the air quality - is far below a healthy standard. So I decided to come back home." 1. Progressive 循序渐进的 2. pension 养老 3. dispensing 执行 4. loosen 放松 5. sparked 引发 6. comprehensively 包含一切的