READING: TEST STRATEGIES

Simulated Test Resources:

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Where to Purchase:
​Rules:
  • Try to complete one simulated test without outside help.
  • Check the answers by yourself.
  • Use the self-evaluation form to diagnose your weakness.

Self-Evaluation for Reading

Suggestions:

Study Tips for General Reading​:


​Daily practice for reading comprehension can be more fun than you thought. Read about your favorite topics and choose your favorite methods to improve your reading comprehension:

Vocabulary Building: Take note of any new vocabulary you encounter. Work on them for a while; making flashcards can be helpful. Sort them by themes, by radicals, by sounds, by meanings, by logic stories—whatever helps you to memorize them most effectively.

Extensive Reading: Browse www.wenxuecity.com or www.sohu.com, or Google the topics you like. Read the titles and guess the content. Talk about what you read with your classmates. You can do this in English if you prefer; however, read the materials in Chinese! Read a lot of Chinese “classified advertisements” (分类广告). They provide a good tool for learning basic vocabulary and expressions. The more you read, the easier finding key words and understanding the content will be on the readings you encounter on the exam.

Intensive Reading: Make good use of this website. The vocabulary words and expressions as well as grammatical materials in Stage 1 are appropriate for the AP exam. Try to understand each word or structure. The amount of material in this website is not overwhelming, but it is all essential. You not only need to understand these words, phrases, and structures in the reading passages, but you will also be able to use them in speaking, listening, and writing. Try to do timed reading and skimming to mimic the format of the AP exam.

Strategies for a 5:

During the test:

  • Find the main idea: Browse all the questions first to find the main idea of the selection before you read the passage.
  • Locate the question: Mark the key words in each question and its four answer choices. This will help you to locate the sentences related to the answers in the passage.
  • Find the answer: Read the questions again after you’ve skimmed the reading selection. Analyze how the sentences are related and choose your answer.
  • Mark the questions you are not sure about. You can come back to these later.
  • Practice scanning and skimming skills and learn to spot the subject, verb, and object of longer sentences in one second.
  • ​For the reading selections, read the question, write down the key words on scratch paper, and find the corresponding sentence or key words in the context first. Do not spend too much time on one question.