Good-luck pen popular

高考臨近'祈福筆'流行

Students cramming for this year's college entrance exam are putting their faith in magic – specifically, in a batch of so-called "Blessed Pens" that were supposedly blessed at the birthplace of Confucius, the Xiangtan Evening News reported. The pens, marked "Blessed by the Temple of Confucius" on their packages, are very popular among exam sitters and their parents, said one stationery shopkeeper. Psychiatrists suggested the good-luck pens might have a positive placebo effect on anxious students, but they need ability more than luck to succeed.

據《湘潭晚報》報道，隨著高考臨近，一種包裝上印著"孔廟祈福"字樣的"祈福筆"在考生中悄然流行。文具店老板稱，這種筆在山東孔廟舉行過祈福典禮，由于彩頭好，深受考生和家長歡迎。心理醫生表示，購買"祈福筆"做為一種心理暗示，對穩定情緒或有幫助。但考試終歸要靠自己，考生不應過分迷信外在因素。

*以上新聞由ChinaDaily雙語手機報提供