HSK 3.0 · HSK 7 · Reading · Part 3

HSK 7 Reading Part 3: Long Text Comprehension

This part tests whether you can read long, dense texts efficiently. 9 questions — answer format: choose the correct option for each question.

9Questions in this part
Part 3 of 3Reading section
~60 minWhole Reading section
AutomaticMarking
Not printedPinyin

How HSK 7 Reading Part 3 works

A long text — often a feature article, an essay or an account of research — followed by a set of questions with four options each. It is the last reading part of the advanced paper and the hardest on time.

Questions follow the order of the text and cover facts, definitions, reasoning, the writer’s view and the meaning of expressions in context. There is not time to read every sentence closely, so reading strategy matters as much as vocabulary.

The instruction on the paper

读长文,回答下面的问题。

Read the long text and answer the questions.

HSK 7, 8 and 9 are one exam. Everyone sits the same paper and the score decides which of the three levels is awarded, so this part is the same whichever of them you are aiming for.

HSK 7 Reading Part 3 sample questions with answers

5 questions from our practice bank, in the format of the real paper. Try each one before opening the answer.

Sample 15 questions

十九世纪中叶,伦敦爆发霍乱。当时主流的看法是疾病由"瘴气"——空气中的不洁之物——传播,因此防治的重点放在清除臭味上。医生约翰·斯诺不接受这个解释。他把每一例死亡标注在地图上,发现病例高度集中在布罗德街一口水泵周围,而附近一家啤酒厂的工人几乎无人染病——他们喝的是厂里自酿的啤酒。斯诺据此推断,传播媒介是水而不是空气,并说服当局拆掉了水泵的把手。 值得注意的是,斯诺当时并不知道霍乱弧菌的存在,细菌理论要到几十年后才被广泛接受。他所依靠的不是对病因的了解,而是对分布的观察。这提示我们,在机制尚不清楚时,有效的行动依然可能。 不过,这个故事常被讲得过于圆满。事实上,拆掉把手时疫情已经开始回落,斯诺的结论在此后多年仍受到质疑。真正让它站住脚的,是后来一系列独立的观察。科学很少靠一次决定性的证明前进,它更像是同一结论被不同的路径反复走到。

shí jiǔ shì jì zhōng yè , lún dūn bào fā huò luàn 。 dāng shí zhǔ liú de kàn fǎ shì jí bìng yóu " zhàng qì "—— kōng qì zhōng de bù jié zhī wù —— chuán bō , yīn cǐ fáng zhì de zhòng diǎn fàng zài qīng chú chòu wèi shàng 。 yī shēng yuē hàn · sī nuò bù jiē shòu zhè ge jiě shì 。 tā bǎ měi yī lì sǐ wáng biāo zhù zài dì tú shàng , fā xiàn bìng lì gāo dù jí zhōng zài bù luó dé jiē yī kǒu shuǐ bèng zhōu wéi , ér fù jìn yī jiā pí jiǔ chǎng de gōng rén jī hū wú rén rǎn bìng —— tā men hē de shì chǎng lǐ zì niàng de pí jiǔ 。 sī nuò jù cǐ tuī duàn , chuán bō méi jiè shì shuǐ ér bú shì kōng qì , bìng shuō fú dāng jú chāi diào le shuǐ bèng de bǎ shǒu 。 zhí de zhù yì de shì , sī nuò dāng shí bìng bù zhī dào huò luàn hú jūn de cún zài , xì jūn lǐ lùn yào dào jǐ shí nián hòu cái bèi guǎng fàn jiē shòu 。 tā suǒ yī kào de bú shì duì bìng yīn de liǎo jiě , ér shì duì fēn bù de guān chá 。 zhè tí shì wǒ men , zài jī zhì shàng bù qīng chǔ shí , yǒu xiào de xíng dòng yī rán kě néng 。 bù guò , zhè ge gù shì cháng bèi jiǎng dé guò yú yuán mǎn 。 shì shí shàng , chāi diào bǎ shǒu shí yì qíng yǐ jīng kāi shǐ huí luò , sī nuò de jié lùn zài cǐ hòu duō nián réng shòu dào zhì yí 。 zhēn zhèng ràng tā zhàn zhù jiǎo de , shì hòu lái yī xì liè dú lì de guān chá 。 kē xué hěn shǎo kào yī cì jué dìng xìng de zhèng míng qián jìn , tā gèng xiàng shì tóng yī jié lùn bèi bù tóng de lù jìng fǎn fù zǒu dào 。

John Snow mapped cholera deaths to a pump without knowing the bacterium; the story is usually told too neatly.

  1. Question

    当时主流的看法认为霍乱由什么传播?

    dāng shí zhǔ liú de kàn fǎ rèn wéi huò luàn yóu shén me chuán bō ?

    • A 食物
    • B 瘴气
    • C 老鼠
    • D 水
    Show the answer

    B 瘴气

  2. Question

    斯诺用什么方法研究疫情?

    sī nuò yòng shén me fāng fǎ yán jiū yì qíng ?

    • A 动物实验
    • B 显微镜观察
    • C 问卷调查
    • D 把死亡病例标注在地图上
    Show the answer

    D 把死亡病例标注在地图上

  3. Question

    啤酒厂工人几乎不染病的原因是什么?

    pí jiǔ chǎng gōng rén jī hū bù rǎn bìng de yuán yīn shì shén me ?

    • A 他们喝自酿的啤酒
    • B 他们已有免疫力
    • C 工作环境好
    • D 他们住得远
    Show the answer

    A 他们喝自酿的啤酒

  4. Question

    斯诺当时知道霍乱弧菌的存在吗?

    sī nuò dāng shí zhī dào huò luàn hú jūn de cún zài ma ?

    • A 部分知道
    • B 文中未提
    • C 不知道
    • D 知道
    Show the answer

    C 不知道

  5. Question

    斯诺依靠的是什么?

    sī nuò yī kào de shì shén me ?

    • A 对病因的了解
    • B 实验室数据
    • C 权威的支持
    • D 对分布的观察
    Show the answer

    D 对分布的观察

How to approach it

  1. Skim the questions first and note what each asks.
  2. Skim the text for structure: what is each paragraph doing?
  3. For each question, return to the relevant paragraph and read that part closely.
  4. Watch the clock: give each text a time budget and move on.

Common mistakes

  • Reading the whole text slowly before looking at the questions.
  • Choosing an option that is true but answers a different question.
  • Running out of time on the last text.

Frequently asked questions

How many questions are in HSK 7 Reading Part 3?

9. It is part 3 of 3 in the HSK 7 Reading section, which has 47 questions and lasts about 60 minutes, for 100 points.

How is HSK 7 Reading Part 3 marked?

Automatically. Every question has one correct answer and all carry the same weight. A wrong answer costs nothing more than a blank one, so never leave a question empty.

Is pinyin printed at HSK 7?

No. At HSK 7 the paper is printed in characters only, so you need to recognise the characters themselves.

How long are the texts?

Long — commonly more than a thousand characters each.

Are the questions in text order?

Generally yes, which helps you find the relevant paragraph quickly.

Can I practise HSK 7 Reading Part 3 online?

Yes. HSK Test has practice sets for this part, built like the real paper. Create a free account to start; your answers and scores are saved, so you can see how you are improving.

Every part of HSK 7

Long Text Comprehension at other levels

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