NEW YORK, July 11 (Xinhua) -- Educational Testing Service (ETS) has been selected for the second time as the exclusive English assessment partner for China's "21st Century-Lenovo Cup" National English Speaking Competition.

The organization's TOEIC (Test of English for International Communication) test, the most widely used business English test in the world, will be used as an important reference to judge and screen contestants during regional contest phases, according to an ETS website report available here on Friday.

The online screening process of the 14th "21st Century-Lenovo Cup" National English Speaking Competition began on July 8, 2008 on the competition's official website http://contest.21stcentury.com.cn, marking the launch of this year's competition.

The "21st Century Cup" National English Speaking Competition was created in 1996 by China Daily, the country's largest English-language newspaper, and is organized by the 21st Century English Newspaper.

The competition is associated with the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai and will bring China back into the international spotlight immediately after the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, the report said.

This year's competition will present a series of English speaking activities to be held across China under the Expo's theme of "Better City, Better Life," which addresses issues such as the value and development of city life.

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Founded in 1947, ETS designs, develops, delivers and scores more than 50 million tests annually in more than 180 countries, at over 9,000 locations worldwide.