考试（exams）
at the very end of the joint university entrance exam, journalists always get a funny answer from graduated students: "now, what i want to do most is burn my textbooks and exam papers." it seems few students have other ideas than to count the total number of all exam papers over a period of three years. it well be a wonderful number——over two thousand. really, such a surprising quantity of exams harms not only students' bodies but also their social development.
first, overburdening exams destroy students' health. every day, all they do is stay inside and study. students have no time for regular exercise, which is an essential part of maintaining good health. day after day they go without adequate sleep, which lowers their resistance to disease. in addition, worrying about endless exams, students lose their appetites and are incapable of relaxing themselves even during sleep. suffering from lack of exercise, little sleep, bad appetites, and long-term tension, students look pale and sick when the entrance exam ends.
besides bodies' destruction, lots of exams also make students socially narrow. without good grades, a student may consider he is useless and doomed to failure henceforth. probably, he would rather pursue high grades than deep friendship. he may take it for granted that improving his grades is more important than caring for his surroundings in his life as a student. more ridiculously, a so-called "excellent student" can refer to one who is devoted to high grades, but indifferent to the benefit of his class. his young world seems to be built on exams and grades. miserably, grades have deeply occupied his heart, brain, and dreams.
of course, the proverb of "no pains, no gains." is doubtless true. however, entering a good school at the expense of healthful bodies and social awareness is too high a cost.