Reading Comprehension
What you must understand
Reading texts in this course range from notices, advertisements, and emails to short articles and narratives. The exam tests main idea, specific detail, inference, author attitude, and vocabulary in context. You must be able to skim for gist and scan for detail, and to separate what the text says from what you assume.
Text organisation
Chinese texts often place the topic at the start and the conclusion at the end. Pay attention to connectives: 因为…所以, 虽然…但是, 不但…而且, 如果…就, 一…就. These pairings carry the logic of the passage, and a question may test whether you understand the relationship (cause, contrast, condition).
Common traps
- Distractor recycling - an option repeats words from the text but reverses the meaning.
- Scope errors - 有些 (some) is treated as 所有 (all), or 可能 (possibly) as 一定 (definitely).
- Wrong-attitude options - the writer is mildly concerned, but the option says strongly opposed.
- Unfamiliar characters - do not panic; use the surrounding words and radicals to guess meaning.
Strategy
Read the questions first so you know what to hunt for, then read the passage once for gist and again for the specific items. Underline the sentence that supports your answer; if you cannot find one, the option is probably wrong.
Worked example
Text: "虽然这家店的价格比别家贵一些，但是很多顾客还是愿意来，因为这里的服务特别好。" Question: Why do customers come? Option A says the shop is cheaper (false - 贵 means expensive). Option B says the service is good (correct - 因为这里的服务特别好). The 虽然…但是 structure tells you the price is a concession, not the reason.
Rule of thumb
Every answer must be traceable to one sentence in the text; if you are guessing from general knowledge, re-read.