By Tom Chatfield

More students are avoiding physics during the national university entrance exam,or gaokao,which could cause a decline in expertise,China's Science and Technology Daily reported.

Following new regulations on the gaokao in Zhejiang Province and Shanghai,students are required to take exams on three compulsory subjects—Chinese,mathematics and a foreign language.

But they can choose three optional ones from politics,history,geography,physics,chemistry,biology and science in other tests.

Only about 80,000 of the total 291,300 test takers in Zhejiang took physics last year,Chinese media reported,while in Shanghai only 30 percent of candidates did the same.

“Compared with other subjects,physics is more difficult,” said Sun Guobiao,a veteran physicsteacher in Zhejiang's Keqiao Middle School,who added that in the gaokao scoring system,it is difficult to get high marks with fewer students taking the test.

Beijing is also trying to promote new gaokao regulations this year,so some students are thinking of giving up physics,according to Chinese media.

“If the situation continues,many excellent physics teachers will disappear in future,which will be a crushing blow to the subject,”Sun said.

据《中国科技日报》报道，越来越多的考生倾向于在高考时选择弃考物理，该现象很可能导致日后该领域专家人才的大量流失。

根据浙江省和上海市的最新高考政策，语文、数学和外语这三门是考生的必考科目。

但是他们可以从政治、历史、地理、物理、化学、生物和科学等科目中任选三门作为选考科目。

据中国媒体报道，去年高考浙江全省共有29.13万考生，选考物理的只有8万人。在上海，高考时选择物理科目的考生也仅占总人数的30%。

浙江省柯桥中学资深物理教师孙国标表示：“相对于其他科目，物理学科比较难是主因。”他还表示，在现如今的高考体制下，考生基数越少，想得到高分越难。

国内媒体报道称，由于北京也试图在今年实行全新高考制度，所以许多考生也开始考虑弃考物理。

孙国标说：“如果这种局面持续下去，未来我们会失去一大批优秀的物理教师，这对物理领域来说也将是一个毁灭性的打击。”