Shanghai closed traffic for 20 minutes in some streets Thursday afternoon to maintain quiet environment for students at nearby schools taking an English listening test, part of China's annual national college entrance examination.

The traffic police were called upon by the municipal government to carry out traffic control on urban highway sections near the exam sites for the moment while the listening test was going on in a bid to get rid of outside noise for the students to hear the question on tape clearly.

At an exam site in Xujiahui, a downtown district of Shanghai, policemen set up boards on street that read: "Detour for the sake of the exam."

Cars and buses were stopped outside the blocked area, with only bicycles and electrical-driven motorcycles luckily allowed to pass through. The usually crowded street turned out to be empty and quiet.

"The parents seem more nervous than the students, and they are afraid of their children being influenced by the traffic noise," said a policeman.

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"I just hope my child can perform at his normal level and finally enter his ideal college," a mother said.

About 113,000 students are taking the exams at 151 exam sites all over the city, and for the whole country, the population hits a record high of 9.5 million.

With more people sitting than any other examination in the world, the Chinese candidates started the exam simultaneously at 9:00 a.m. Wednesday, with many of the venues guarded by police and anxious parents waiting outside.

The Ministry of Education announced earlier that universities and colleges this year will enroll 2.6 million freshmen for a four-year higher education -- just one place for every four candidates.

Source: Xinhua