Beijing Officials Use Bush Speech To Test English Proficiency

SINO DAILY

Beijing (AFP) Dec 11, 2005
An extract from a speech by US President George W. Bush is being used by authorities in the Chinese capital Beijing to test the English of leading officials in the run-up to the 2008 Olympics, state media said Sunday.

The Beijing Evening News said one hundred officials will have to take a test measuring their proficiency in expression, comprehension, reading, writing and translation in order to "adapt to Beijing's demands as an international capital."

The first official to pass told the paper that the oral comprehension test was an extract from one of Bush's televised speeches.

"This exam tests not only the language level but also everyone's international perspective," said Zhang Tiedao, deputy director of the city's research department into science and education.

The US leader, who paid an official visit to China last month, is one of the few Western leaders openly to raise with Beijing sensitive topics like the value of the yuan and human rights.

Source: Agence France-Presse

SINO DAILY

China Punishes Nearly 50,000 Corrupt Officials Over Two Years

Beijing (AFP) Dec 11, 2005
China has prosecuted and punished nearly 50,000 corrupt officials over the past two years during an on-going campaign against graft, official media said on Sunday quoting a senior state prosecutor.

SUPERPOWERS Outside View: Coping with China Walker's World: A 4x4 Coalition Emerging New Map Of Asia Lacks US India And Russia Sign Major Defense Agreements	TRADE WARS EU Holds Ground On Doha Pressure US Coalition Critical Of White House Policy On China's Subsidized Currency G20 Developing Nations Meet Ahead Of WTO Trade Liberalization Talks WTO Urges G8 Leaders To Reform Agriculture
DISASTER MANAGEMENT Tourists Trickle Back To New Orleans Providing GMES Services At The Ends Of The Earth Integration Of New EU Member Countries Into GMES Programme Commences Ridge Tells FEMA Critics To Stop Whining	DRAGON SPACE Santa Claus And Shenzhou Verso Announces NetPerformer Solution Selected For Shenzhou 6 Mission Traditional Chinese Medicine Applied In Space Flights China To Launch Commercial Satellite For Nigeria
ENERGY TECH Portugal Turns To Wind, Waves And Sun To Reduce Oil Dependence OPEC Hawks Play Nice Guys New Paper Thin Foldable Battery Developed To Attach To Clothes Massive Explosions Hit Key British Oil Depot, Hurt 43	EPIDEMICS Possible Human Transmission Of Bird Flu Investigated US Prepares For Bird Flu Indonesia's Health System Fumbles As Bird Flu Spectre Looms New Bird Flu Outbreaks As Blogs Fear FEMA Repeat
CIVIL NUCLEAR Ukraine Considers Storing Foreign Nuclear Waste At Chernobyl Storage Of Spent Nuclear Fuel From Australia Illegal Says French Court India Joins International Fusion Project In France Chinese PM Eyes Nuclear Future In France	THE PITS Seven Arrested After China Coal Mine Disaster Chine Mine Blast Kills 54 Over 100 Dead Or Missing In China Mine Disasters

The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2006 - SpaceDaily.AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA PortalReports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additionalcopyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement