Testing Times: China's Civil Service

① Nearly 1.6m people are registered to sit the national entrance exam, which will take place in cities across the country this weekend.

② Candidates who score well in the five-hour test will be invited to interview early next year for one of the roughly 28,500 positions on offer.

③ Job-seekers have long coveted the security and benefits that come with government posts; the number of test-sitters has multiplied many times since the contest's introduction in 1994.

④ Lately, though, interest has softened, in large part because a crackdown on corruption and extravagance has made the work look less enjoyable and the salaries somewhat scant.

⑤ Firmer rule enforcement may also be denting the appeal of joining the Communist Party—another rite of passage for many youngsters who aspire to public service.

⑥ In 2016 requests to join the club fell by about 10%, the first big drop in years.

⑦ For those undeterred: pencils at the ready.

▍生词好句

civil service: 公务员

covet /ˈkʌvɪt/: vt. 渴望

extravagance /ɛkˈstravəɡ(ə)ns/ /ɪkˈstravəɡ(ə)ns/: n. 奢侈；奢华

scant /skant/: adj. 一丁点的

enforcement /ɪnˈfɔːsm(ə)nt/: n. 加强

dent /dɛnt/: vt. 使……削弱 / n. 凹坑

appeal /əˈpiːl/: n. 吸引力 / vi. 上诉

passage /ˈpasɪdʒ/ /paˈsɑːʒ/: n. 过渡

aspire /əˈspʌɪə/: vi. 渴望

undeterred /ʌndɪˈtəːd/: adj. 顽强的；不屈不挠的