A CPPCC member denounced on March 6 a proposal to remove English from China's college entrance exam, stressing the benefits of studying English for students who live in an increasingly open world.
3月6日，一名政协委员对废除高考英语的提议表示反对，强调在一个日益开放的世界里，学英语对学生大有好处。
"I think it's reckless to exclude English from the college entrance exam. English education is no longer a call made by authorities, but has become a necessity for the country's integration into the world," said Yu Minhong, a member of the central committee of the China Democratic League and owner of China's largest English education service.
民盟中央委员会成员、新东方创始人俞敏洪表示：“我认为废除高考英语太过鲁莽。英语教育已经不再是政府的要求，而是中国融入世界的必须。”
Currently, English is a mandatory subject for all Chinese students, and it is a required component of the national college entrance exam.
目前英语是所有中国学生的必修科目，也是高考必考的一项。

Yu believes that the removal of English from the exam would exacerbate existing inequities when it comes to accessing educational resources, as it is already difficult for students in poor and remote areas to receive proper English training.
俞敏洪认为，废除高考英语会加剧现有的教育资源不平等，因为目前对边远贫困地区的学生来说，接受比较好的英语教育已经很困难了。
"I suggest lowering the proportion of English on the exam, as well as simplifying the curriculum and tests. But the complete removal of English is unacceptable," said Yu.
俞敏洪说道：“我建议降低高考中英语的占比、简化英语课程和考试。但是不应该完全废除英语。”
However, not everybody shares Yu's opinion. Li Guangyu, an NPC member who proposed the removal of English from the college entrance exam, noted that Chinese students spend 18.31 percent of their time studying English, while the annual expense of English education in China is over 163 billion RMB--an amount that could fund the launch of 204 Shenzhou spaceships.
然而，并不是所有人都赞同俞敏洪的观点。提议废除高考英语的全国人大代表李光宇指出，中国学生要花费18.31%的时间来学习英语，而每年中国英语教育的支出超过了1630亿人民币--这些钱可以再发射204艘神舟飞船。
Whether or not to reduce English classes and exams has become a hot topic around the country.
是否要减少英语课程和英语考试已经成为了全中国的一个热门话题。
The hashtag "RemovalEnglishFromExams" has garnered more than 16 million page views on Sina Weibo since it was first posted on March 5, with opponents emphasizing the importance of English as an international language.
自从3月5日标签“废除高考英语”的帖子在新浪微博上贴出以来，浏览量已经超过了1600万，反对者强调了英语作为一门国际语言的重要性。
Supporters, meanwhile, have argued that studying English wastes time that Chinese students could use to develop other talents.
与此同时，支持者则认为学英语浪费了中国学生本可以用来发展其他特长的时间。
According to a poll conducted on Sina Weibo on March 5, over 41 percent of 1,400 respondents denounced the removal of English from the entrance exam, dismissing it as a proposal to "seclude China from the outside world." Another 36.7 percent voiced the belief that "exam-oriented English education is meaningless."
据3月5日新浪微博上的一项调查显示，1400名受访者中有41%的人反对废除高考英语，指责提议是“闭关锁国”。而36.7%的人则表示“应试英语教育毫无意义”。