HSK 7-9: Reading (HSK 7-9)

Reading at HSK 7-9 uses long expository and argumentative passages, plus matching and inference items. It tests whether you can follow an argument across paragraphs, resolve reference, and separate claim from evidence.

Core rules

• Map the passage: issue → claim → evidence → qualification → conclusion. Main-idea items usually sit at the claim or conclusion, not the first example.
• Follow reference chains: 这, 其, 该, 前者 and 后者. Replace each with its antecedent before answering.
• Treat the text as the only evidence. World knowledge that is true but absent is a distractor.
• For matching, look for paraphrase, not identical wording; a repeated noun often marks a different function.
• Check qualification: 通常, 在一定程度上 and 除非 limit the claim and often decide the answer.

Worked example

Passage: “城市绿地并不只是景观。实测显示，连片树冠能把午后地表温度压低两三度；但零散的小块绿地效果有限，因此规划时应优先连通，而不是只追求总面积。” Question: What does the author recommend? Reasoning: The contrast is 连片 vs 零散, and 因此 introduces the recommendation: prioritize connectivity. “只追求总面积” is explicitly rejected. The answer is 'connect green patches rather than merely increase total area,' not 'plant more trees everywhere.'

Traps

• Extreme wording: 都, 完全, 唯一, 从不.
• Scope shift: an option true of one study becomes true of all cities.
• Causal inversion: effect presented as cause.
• Choosing a supporting detail as the main idea.