Forty years ago China reinstated its all-important college entrance exam after a gap of more than a decade when the country was plunged into the chaos of the Cultural Revolution.
在结束了长达十年的动乱之后，四十年前的中国终于恢复了高考。
More than five million people sat the exams in the hope of securing a university place.
有超过五百万考生参加了考试，希望能进入大学。
Yuwen Wu describes what it was like to be among them.
吴玉文描述了她亲历这次高考的感受。
On 10 December 1977, I took a bus to No 35 Middle School in the West City District of Beijing to do something young people in China hadn't done for more than 12 years.
1977年的12月10日，我坐着公交车到达了北京西城区的第35中学来参加中国人阔别十二年的考试。
I was taking part in the first college entrance examination since 1965.
我第一次参加高考是1965年。
There was subdued yet palpable excitement and expectation in the cold winter air, because for the first time in years we had our destiny in our own hands.
冬天寒冷的空气中弥漫着抑制不住的喜悦和憧憬，因为这么多年来我们终于又能将命运掌握在自己的手里了。
In my pocket I clutched a bar of chocolate from my father.
我包里握着父亲给我的巧克力。
It was his way of supporting me - I'd never tasted chocolate before.
这是他鼓励我的方式—我以前从来没有吃过巧克力。
During the Cultural Revolution, normal learning at schools and universities was interrupted, teachers and intellectuals found themselves publicly humiliated and beaten; some were driven to suicide.
在那期间，正常的中学和大学教学秩序被严重打乱，老师和学者们被公开羞辱和殴打，有的人甚至被逼自杀。
It was not a good time for those who valued a formal education.
对于重视教育事业的人来说这是一段最糟糕的岁月。
In February that year, I got a job as a teacher of English in a primary school in Beijing.
在那一年的二月，我在北京一所小学找到一份英语教师的工作。
I had just spent three years at a language school that trained teachers, and considered myself lucky to be staying in the city rather than being sent to the countryside, like my four siblings and many of my classmates.
我刚刚在师范语言学校完成了三年的培训，觉得自己能留在大城市，而不是像我的兄弟姐妹们和班上的同学们那样要去农村，我感觉自己非常幸运。
Of course I had always wanted to go to university, but realising that it was not possible at that time, and might not be possible ever, I got down to work.
我心里当然想上大学，但在当时看来简直不可能，甚至永远也不可能了，我只有开始潜心工作。
I was tasked with teaching English to 200 grade three pupils aged 10, divided into four big classes.
我任职后被要求给200个三年级的十岁左右的四个班的学生教授英语。
Within a week, I knew all their names, and I tried to instil in them a love for English, and was given a lot of support from other teachers.
一周内我就记住了所有人的名字，然后试图激发他们心中对英语的热爱，也收到了周围很多老师的支持。
I even did a master class for the whole school, and it looked like I was on track to become an excellent teacher.
我后来甚至带了一个全校的尖子班，仿佛正走在成为一名优秀教师的路上。
One warm autumn day in 1977, I had just returned from a month in the countryside with the pupils, when my mother told me, in a very excited tone, that the government had decided to restore the college entrance exams from that winter, and I might be able to take part.
在1977年一个温暖的秋日，我刚刚带着学生结束了一个月的乡下学习回来，我妈妈用激动的语气告诉我，政府打算从今天冬天开始恢复高考了，而我也许可以参加。
Eight young teachers wanted to do the exams.
包括我一共有八个老师想要报名高考。
Our principal told us she supported us but couldn't give us leave to prepare for the exams.
我们的校长说她很支持我们去考，但是不能给我们准假。
So we should carry on teaching as usual, but could skip the meetings.
所以我们得像平常一样继续教课，但可以不用开会。
On the last Saturday of the winter vacation in February 1978, all the staff members including eight of us exam takers were asked to make preparations for the new school year, while the principal went to pick up the results on our behalf.
在1978年二月，那年寒假的最后一个周六，所有的教职员工包括我们八个参加高考的老师都在为新学年开学做准备，而校长代表我们去拿考试成绩单。
If it was good news, this would be our last day at this school; if it was bad news, we would return on Monday to carry on being a teacher there.
如果考得好，这就会是我们在学校待的最后一天；如果考得不好，我们周一就得回学校继续上课。
The news came just before midday.
结果中午就出来了。
Five of us had places in various universities.
我们有五个考上了不同的大学。
I got into Peking University. It all seemed a bit surreal.
我考上了北京大学，这一切都仿佛不真实一般。
"You caught the first train," they would say.
他们都说，“你赶上了第一班车”。
I am very proud to be a member of the Class of '77 and bear witness to a historic event in recent Chinese history.
我很荣幸能作为77级的一员，见证了中国历史上这一伟大事件。
The exams in that year marked the beginning of China's opening up and reform and the Class of '77 went on to become the backbone of China's transformation for the next four decades.
这一年的高考标志着中国改革开放的开始，而77级成为了中国接下来四十年的转型中的中流砥柱。
It was clear this generation would be the elite tasked with the responsibility of bringing the nation out of a period of darkness.
显然我们这一代肩负起了引领中国走出黑暗的使命。
I fulfilled my dream of a university education and it is indisputable that China took a huge step towards correcting the wrongs of the Cultural Revolution.
我终于实现了自己的大学梦，而中国也毋庸置疑迈出了纠正错误，改革开放的伟大脚步。
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