Softly it came; quietly it left. It seems to bring nothing, and leaves no trace, except for those precious memories.
June 7th and 8th, two days that have always been mysterious and sacred to me, were met the day before yesterday and yesterday. Everything happened so imperceptibly; in what seemed like just a moment, that legendary turning point in life passed by. However, only after experiencing it does one realize that it is not that mysterious, nor is it that terrifying. In fact, it is just a very ordinary test.
On June 6th, the day before the Gaokao (National College Entrance Examination), the heavens were kind and sent us the most beautiful gift and blessing—the weather was excellent, and the Transit of Venus occurred as scheduled. I watched as Venus slowly crawled across the Sun and let other enthusiastic and curious classmates observe it as well. I thought to myself: we don’t have to wait another 105 years! Perhaps, as our homeroom teacher said: for this exam, we have the advantage of time, place, and people—we are destined for glory! Whether the prediction is accurate, you and I shall wait and see!
That afternoon, I went for a walk on the back hill with my classmates. Perhaps it was the last time we would play there like that. During the evening self-study session, I forced myself to do some revision. Soon, the real Gaokao arrived.
The first subject was Chinese. Since it was my first Gaokao session, it felt somewhat simple, and the question types had changed compared to previous years: there was no Classical Chinese punctuation/segmentation task, and the essay became a material-based essay... However, I was too cautious and worked quite slowly, nearly failing to finish. After coming out, my first feeling was: anything is possible!
In the afternoon was Mathematics, which I consider my strong suit. After the papers were handed out, I first looked at the last two problems. The questions were very short and felt relatively simple, so I started from the beginning. Indeed, everything was easy up until the penultimate question. I left half an hour for the final question, but perhaps because the problem was unfamiliar or because I was too relaxed earlier, I couldn’t finish much in those thirty minutes. Afterwards, I realized that various small errors might almost completely wipe out my score for the last question! Thus, I lamented: I underestimated it.
The second day was the Science Comprehensive exam. Although it is called one subject, it is actually three subjects tested together, containing both my strengths and weaknesses. I still felt it was simpler than last year. I did the multiple-choice questions first, followed by Physics, Biology, and Chemistry. The same problem from the previous day persisted—whether due to over-caution or underestimating the enemy, time was very tight. Consequently, I again did not have enough time to complete it!
The final subject was English. Surprisingly, I felt that this year’s English was more difficult than last year’s! I vaguely sensed many traps within it! I don’t know if it was an illusion or if it was actually the case, but I finished it calmly nonetheless. A small accident occurred during the session, which led to me replacing my answer sheet... After the exam: I hope I fell into fewer traps.
Three years, twelve years, have passed just like that. At the moment of "liberation," I was neither very excited nor very sad. Because I believe that what has ended is the Gaokao and high school; everything else remains unchanged.
It is summer vacation now. Besides getting good rest and traveling for a while, I also need to properly study mathematics and physics and summarize some of the results obtained during the Gaokao review period. Heading towards the next station in life!
When reposting, please include the original address of this article: https://kexue.fm/archives/1613
For more detailed reposting matters, please refer to: Scientific Space FAQ