2011年高考最轟動的消息莫過于南科大45名學子拒考一事。

       今年3月，籌建多時但仍未獲招生資格的南方科技大學宣布“自授文憑”，并繞過高考招生體系，自主招收首批45名學生進入該校學習。5月27日，教育部表示教革首先要堅持依法辦學，遵循國家基本的教育制度。5月底，南科大45名學生在網上發表公開信，拒絕參加高考，引起輿論關注，教育專家們也紛紛對此發表看法。

       "Independent recruitment is one of the major reforms of the university. If the students take part in the college entrance exam, the efforts to modify the current education system will be destroyed," said Zhang Ming, a professor of the Renmin University of China and a famous educational columnist.

—— Excerpt from Students at reform university refuse to take test

       自主招生（independent recruitment）給予高校一定比例的自主權，可以繞過分數真正地選擇“個性”學生。曾經鬧得沸沸揚揚的北京大學“校長推薦制”（nominations from their headmasters）也是自主招生政策的一種嘗試。

       高考（National College Entrance Examination）是全球規模最大的標準化考試（standardized test）。從上世紀80年代“千軍萬馬擠獨木橋”的景象，到上世紀90年代的擴招（expanding the enrollment of students）熱潮，再到新世紀教育改革（educational reform）的層層推進，高考制度也經歷了一次又一次的蛻變。

       而如今，由于人口出生率下降等原因，高考生源（student pool）持續下降，部分高校將面臨嚴峻的生存挑戰。

       Colleges and universities across China are facing a challenge due to declining student numbers, according to a new study by China Education Online, reported by Xinhua.

—— Excerpt from Universities hit by falling rolls

       今年全國參加高考的考生人數達到933萬人，比去年減少15%。錄取率（admission rate）預計將達72.3%。

       This year, about 9.33 million students will take the exam in China, with a 15 percent decrease compared with last year. The admission rate is reported to be 72.3 percent.

（來源：中國網學英語頻道）