BEIJING — China's education authority will tighten the widely criticized policy of “extra credits” for the national college entrance examination to ensure a fairer chance for all exam-takers.

    Under the policy, high school students who win awards in national Olympic competitions could get "extra credits', up to 20 points for the national college entrance exam. Students with talent in sports and students who are from ethnic groups can also benefit from this policy. The extra credits have increased these students' chances of being admitted by famous universities. Some parents were found to have helped their children fabricate(伪造)award experiences or falsify qualifications to get extra credits.

    “It has harmed education equality，” the ministry said.

    Xiong Bingqi, vice-chief of the 21st Century Education Research Institute, said the policy is designed to help students who have special talents but may be weak in academic performance to have a chance to receive higher education. It will still be needed but it is time to make the rules fairer," he said.

    The ministry said it will reduce the range of competitions whose winners can get extra credits, and limit the winners, privileges.

    The new policy will apply to students who begin high school in 2011, it said.

    Chen Lei, a mother of a 10-year-old girl, said she welcomed the ministry's policy adjustment as she does not want her daughter to become an Olympic competition geek.

    But not all the Chinese parents welcomed the new policy. “It is like a thunderbolt for me. My 13-year-old son has spent so much time studying Olympic math, and participated in so many technological competitions during vacations. It is useless now,” said Dong Wen, a 43-year-old mother.

    A student said, “Many students have changed the current study plan, and they can abandon the competition. I will be interested in learning the courses which can improve my abilities.”

    Yuan Guiren, minister of education, told China Daily that the reform is an attempt to consider the overall quality of an applicant. “But the country will not stop the national college entrance  examination as it is still the most objective way to evaluate talent in China,” he said.

    Looking almost as fresh as the day it was bought, this McDonald's Happy Meal is in fact six months old. Photographed every day for the past six months by Manhattan artist Sally Davies, the kids meal of fries and burger hasn't any signs of mould(霉菌) or decay(腐烂).

    Sally put the Happy Meal on a shelf in her apartment and watched it with increasing shock. Even her dogs stopped trying to steal a free tasty snack.

    “I bought the meal on April 10 this year and brought home to see how it changed,” she said. “I chose McDonald's because it was nearest to my house, but the project could have been about any other fast food. The first thing that shocked me on the second day of the experiment was that it no longer gave out any smell. And my dogs stopped circling the shelf.”

    Sally expected the food to go mouldy after a few days. In fact, Mrs. Davies' surprise turned to shock as the food still had not shown any signs of decay after two weeks. “It was then that I realized that something strange might be going on with this food that I had bought,” she explained. “The appearance of the food did not change as the weeks turned to months. And now, at six months old, the food is plastic to touch. The only change that I can see is that it has become as hard as a rock.”

    The experiment has brought her amusement rather than fear. “Maybe I would be frightened at seeing this if I were a meat eater.” she said.

    It can be a real struggle trying to learn a new language. I had always enjoyed learning languages in school, but only recently did I start learning German. I found that I could understand and learn individual words easily, but when it came to literature, I really struggled. That was when my tutor at university suggested reading some children's books printed in the target language.

    At first, I felt a bit silly going on a hunt for a book designed for someone half my age, lout then I realised that everyone has to start somewhere. As children, we are given these basic texts to familiarise our brains with certain vocabulary and writing structures, and from there, we can learn and develop. I started with books which are taught to us as children in the UK. I managed to find Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens and James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl.

    The beauty of reading books that were introduced to you as a child is that you are already familiar with the plot. As a result, you can work out some of the definitions of words with your prior knowledge of the story. At first, I used to read with the book in one hand and a dictionary in the other, but this method did not work well for me. The method I would recommend is to read a chapter of your chosen children's book and at the end of that chapter, highlight the words you do not know and then look up the definitions. If you can wait a bit before you use a dictionary, you may be surprised what you can get merely from the context of the sentence in the story. Additionally, a lot of children's books have pictures which may give you a clue as to what or to whom the passage is referring.

    Aruba is one of the most well-known Caribbean destinations for tourists around the world.

    You're probably wondering what to include as well as what to wear while you're in Aruba.

    Clothes

    The main reason why you're heading there is to relax on the country's fresh beaches and joy in warm waters of the Caribbean Sea. During most of the day, you'll likely be wearing your swimsuit. When you're finished at the beach or pool area, it is advisable to bring along a shirt or cover as well as shorts to wear.

    It is not recommended to wear beach clothes when you go out for dinner – regardless of the time of day. Shorts and T-shirts are enough in many restaurants, although more formal clothes are advised for the fanciest eating establishments.

    What else to bring?

    The Caribbean sun is very strong and if you're planning on spending lots of time in the sun, there are several precautions you must take. Include suncream, sunglasses, a wide hat, a couple of bathing suits, as well as a beach bag and a cooler in your luggage.

    What NOT to bring?

    While drinking water is questionable or not safe in many Caribbean nations, Aruba is an exception. Aruba is known for having the cleanest water in the world. There is no need to bring water, simply bring along an empty bottle.

    Several items are prohibited in Aruba for carrying. These include firearms, e-cigarettes, as well as sharp objects and tools.

    With the Chinese language growing in popularity, the UK government plans to invest (投资)10 million pounds to help more kids learn Mandarin(普通话).Do you think it is necessary for the UK pupils to learn Mandarin? Some people share their opinions online.

    Tsd(UK):The learning of any language can be valuable and rewarding, but it is not suitable for everyone. Chinese is a difficult language to learn and the UK has a poor reputation for teaching foreign languages. Why should they learn Chinese when most people in the world speak English?

    Mark(US):I studied French for 2 years in high school and German for 4 years in college. I studied Mandarin informally for about 4 months before moving to China. Now I speak Mandarin every day as my wife doesn't speak English. But it is far from being fluent, learning additional languages is a great thing, which offers a different perspective on the world around us. Nowadays, it's almost necessary to be able to speak more than just your native tongue.

George(UK):No, unless they're taught from a very early stage of childhood. Mandarin is so difficult. If China really is going to dominate the world, it'll have to do so by speaking the world's dominant language—English.

    Sam(UK):I don't think Chinese will become as widely spoken throughout the world as English. It is too difficult to learn as a second language. To learn Chinese you completely have to devote yourself to learning how to write and read it. If you have to learn it besides other subjects you can't be good at it. But Chinese will become more popular, and that is a good thing.

The terraced rapeseed(油菜)flower hills of Jiangling,Wuyuan is well-known as one of the four "seas of flowers" in China,attracting thousands of plant-loving tourists to come and appreciate and photograph the vast and endless rapeseed flower fields.

"Rapeseed flowers are the messenger of spring," said Bin Zhan,manager of Jiangxi Wuyuan Tourism."Jiangling is the best place for a relaxing spring trip to enjoy the most visually impressive views of golden seas of rapeseed blossoms covering layered terrace fields."

The rapeseed blossom in the terraced fields of Jiangling,located 45 kilometres to the northeast of Wuyuan County,Jiangxi Province,reached full bloom in the second week of March.

This year,Wuyuan restores ancient farming traditions and practices to give visitors an idea or the history,culture and folk customs of the county by adding scarecrows(稻草人) in the rapeseed flower fields.The creative scarecrows of Wuyuan County are designed in the shapes of popular cartoon characters,Hui-style architecture and folk customs.They are placed in the rapeseed fields to provide more fun and interactions for visitors on flower-viewing tours.

"As flower viewing is becoming more popular in recent years,Jiangling is seeing a growing number of returning visitors,especially professional photographers who come back every year for the dramatic rapeseed blossoms," Zhan said."The blossoms only last one to two months.April is the last chance to catch a flower-viewing tour this year."

In addition to flower viewing,Wuyuan County is also home to the most well-protected ancient Hui-style architecture in China.As one of the most beautiful countryside villages in China,it attracts photographers from around the world every year to document not only the natural scenery,but also the unique farming culture and folk traditions.