Shanghai residents have made great progress in English over the past ten years, according to the Shanghai Foreign Language Testing Service.
The number of locals taking the fundamental English test has sharply declined from some 100,000 a year to about 60,000 a year at present, while numbers sitting for the secondary English test has soared from less than 10,000 a year to more than 30,000, said Chai Ming, executive vice director of the testing service.
The secondary English test is more difficult than before, and the number of test-takers is growing by nearly 10,000 a year, Chai said.
"We are planning to offer a senior-level English test to meet the market demand," Chai said. The test is expected to debut in the second half of the year, Chai added.
(Eastday.com March 16, 2003)
