HSK 2 reading practice
Every passage here is written inside HSK 2 — the grammar and the vocabulary stay in the level, so you read rather than decode. Shortest first.
I Forgot My Password我忘了密码Chen Jing is locked out of her phone and can't remember her password. Her friend Wang Lei walks her through trying the phone number, then the email, b…HSK 2 · 153 characters · 2 min · tech
The Great Wall Is Long长城很长Xiao Hong asks Wang Ming to go to the Great Wall with her next Saturday. She has never been; he went last year and tells her how long it really is, ho…HSK 2 · 186 characters · 2 min · history
The Eighth Floor八楼最贵A couple house-hunting with an agent discovers that the eighth floor costs more than the ninth, and the fourth costs least of all. The agent explains…HSK 2 · 225 characters · 3 min · culture
The Exam Is Over考试已经完了Lili is upset about a bad exam result and can't stop replaying it in her head. Her friend Qiangqiang helps her see the line between the finished exam…HSK 2 · 248 characters · 3 min · philosophy
The Group Chat Is Too Busy群里的消息太多了Two coworkers complain that their company group chat gets hundreds of messages a day. One has turned off notifications for relief; the other worries a…HSK 2 · 248 characters · 3 min · tech
The Well That Is Still There还在的那口井A grandmother explains why the old well in her courtyard has never been filled in, even though the family now drinks tap water. It is not useless, she…HSK 2 · 255 characters · 3 min · history
Ugly Dumplings不好看的饺子A mother and daughter invite a friend to wrap dumplings with the family for the first time. Her dumplings come out ugly, with the meat falling out, an…HSK 2 · 257 characters · 3 min · food
The High Speed Train坐高铁去上海Anna takes the high speed train to Shanghai for the first time and tells her friend Li Qiang how fast it is and what she saw from the window. He asks…HSK 2 · 266 characters · 3 min · current-events
The Shop That Closed关门的小店A small noodle shop near the school has closed, and a phone shop has opened in its place. Two regular customers notice the change on their street and…HSK 2 · 273 characters · 3 min · current-events
Tea in the Afternoon下午喝茶David visits Wang Fang's home in the afternoon and she makes tea. Talking about why her family always does this for a guest turns into the real point…HSK 2 · 286 characters · 3 min · culture
We Read the Same Story一样的新闻，不一样的看法Two colleagues both read the same short news story about apple prices this morning, and they come away with opposite opinions about whether it is good…HSK 2 · 307 characters · 3 min · current-events
How Much Goes in the Red Envelope红包给多少A young couple preparing red envelopes for the new year disagrees on the amount. He wants a big round number because more money makes the kids happy.…HSK 2 · 308 characters · 3 min · culture
Class Online or in the Room网课还是教室里的课A university student now takes some classes online and some in the classroom. A friend who chose an all-in-person program asks if she really learns as…HSK 2 · 319 characters · 4 min · current-events
Li Bai Looked at the Moon李白看月亮Two friends talk about Li Bai, a poet from more than a thousand years ago. One friend has never heard of him and asks why his poems still matter today…HSK 2 · 321 characters · 4 min · literature
Everyone Is My Teacher谁都能教我A boy tells his friend that his eight-year-old sister could not possibly teach him anything. Then he admits she beat him at basketball and his grandmo…HSK 2 · 329 characters · 4 min · philosophy
My Grandmother Learns to Pay奶奶学会了手机付钱A grandson teaches his grandmother to pay with her phone at the neighborhood store. She is nervous and worried she will get it wrong, but it works, an…HSK 2 · 340 characters · 4 min · tech
The Elevator or the Stairs坐电梯还是走楼梯Xiao Lin walks up the stairs to the office every morning; Da Wei always takes the elevator. They argue, half-joking, about whether three floors of sta…HSK 2 · 349 characters · 4 min · daily
Rice or Noodles米饭还是面条A northern student and a southern student argue over lunch about what really counts as a meal: for him, a meal without noodles is just a snack; for he…HSK 2 · 361 characters · 4 min · food
Are the Fish Happy鱼快乐吗Two friends on a bridge argue about whether the fish below them are happy. A third friend recognizes the argument from a book: two men named Zhuangzi…HSK 2 · 390 characters · 4 min · philosophy
You Do Not Have to Pay Me Back你不用回报我A man lends his umbrella to a stranger outside on a rainy day. The next day the stranger brings it back along with a gift, and the man does not want t…HSK 2 · 393 characters · 4 min · philosophy
The Monkey Who Could Change会变的猴子A Chinese student tells an American friend about Sun Wukong, the monkey who was born from a stone, could change into anything, and could not be contro…HSK 2 · 399 characters · 4 min · literature
Why Everything Is Red为什么都是红色的At a friend's wedding, an American guest notices the doors, the red envelopes, and the bride's dress are all red, and asks her Chinese friend why. The…HSK 2 · 400 characters · 4 min · cultureThese readings are one step of a course that moves. GraphChinese teaches HSK 0 through HSK 6 on a mastery-gated knowledge graph: the reading arrives when the words in it are ones you have already met, and spaced review brings them back just before you would forget. One payment of $49, lifetime access.
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