More than 92,000 high school graduates in Shanghai will soon be able to breath a sigh of relief as today marks the end of the national college entrance examination.

　　The end of the three-day test, which started on Saturday, will also be a relief for thousands of parents, grandparents and teachers who have had to live and breathe the annual event, considered crucial for a student's future career.

　　This year, there was little evidence of parents waiting outside of test venues as usual. Instead, they were told to stay away to avoid the gathering of large crowds as a SARS-prevention measure.

　　Such a situation proved a boon to taxi operators in Shanghai.

　　Dazhong, Qiangsheng and Jinjiang, a few of the city's major taxi operators, reported the number of reservations doubled compared to last year. Qiangsheng Taxi Co said it received a call to reserve a cab every two seconds on average.

　　"Some parents booked a taxi a month ago," said Liu Bijin of Shanghai Qiangsheng.

　　Elsewhere, the Shanghai Education Examinations Authority proved to be on top of preventing any spread of the SARS virus as special "fever test venues" were set up for students with a high temperature.

　　As of yesterday, more than 80 students had to sit their test in the special venues. Nobody was found to show signs of SARS, the examination authority said.

　　"Four students whose temperature exceeded 38 degrees Celsius were each allocated a separate classroom, while the others finished the test in some 20 standby classrooms," said Shen Benliang, deputy director of the examinations authority.

　　He added, according to a doctor's diagnosis, some students had been found to have caught cold and some had a temperature possibly because they were in the sunshine too long or they had rushed to the test site.

　　Still, the prevention measures are continuing as those students' test papers will be sealed in separate bags and sent for disinfection before being transported to marking centers.

　　Outside noise was also closely monitored to guarantee minimal disturbance to students. The city government banned the sounding of car horns 100 meters around test venues, while police cracked down on 2,300 illegal roadside stalls over the weekend to ensure smooth traffic flow.

　　On Saturday, the Shanghai Health Supervision Institute launched a spot-check on restaurants near exam venues to ensure students get a healthy diet. The results turned out to be unsatisfactory as most of the restaurants inspected had hygiene and disinfection violations.

　　Health officials recommended students choose established restaurants, and if possible, check the kitchen before eating.

　　This year, the annual test was moved ahead by a month for the first time nationwide to avoid the hot weather. An estimated 70 percent of the students in the city will be recruitedsintoscolleges and universities.

　　Around the mainland, about 6.13 million students took the exams.