Reading is very beneficial for Chinese language learners to learn Chinese in China. Most reading materials are based on true reality. Therefore, learners can learn much more about China during the process of improving language skills by reading.
The following passage is a reading material provided for those who want to learn more about the film industry in China when they learn Mandarin
看电影正在成为中国人的一个 1 。中国电影票房持续增长，这种变化对电影行业的发展是很有利的。2008年，中国出品406部电影，票房收入增长30%。五年来中国一直 2 着25%以上的增长率，2008年票房总收入达到43亿元人民币。尽管电影行业的发展依然存在很多 3 ，中国的电影市场 4 是国内和国外电影行业竞争的一块大蛋糕。
After reading the above passage, foreign learners who study Chinese are supposed to fill the blanks with the following possible words. In this process, they will learn more words with similar meaning.
1. A风俗 B传统 C习惯 D消费
2. A保持 B保存 C持续 D坚持
3. A请求 B谈判 C问题 D限制
4. A竟然 B居然 C果然 D仍然
For the first blank, most teachers in Mandarin learning courses will tell you that “风俗” means “custom” and “传统” indicates “tradition”, both of them are formed in a long period of time. Besides, “消费” can’t be collocated with “成为”. So we should choose “习惯”, meaning “habit”.
The second and the third blanks are all related to the set structures in Chinese language. There are many of them in Chinese for learners to remember when they learn Chinese language. Here, “保持…增长率” implies “keep a growth rate of” and “存在…问题” means “problems exist in…”.
The last blank is about the conjunctive words. Both the words “竟然” and “居然” are used to express the result is unexpected. When we use “果然”, we often mean the result is the same as we expected. Teachers inChinese language school would tell you that “尽管…仍然” means that the result remains the same no matter what happened before. So we choose D.
Another reading text is provided to help students who study in China to improve their language skills. In this material, learners will learn more about the development of the electric bicycle industry in China.
10年以前中国只有5万辆电动自行车，现在增加到了1.2亿辆。电动自行车成了中国 1 最快的交通工具。在城市里，最早人们喜欢电动自行车是因为它又安静又干净，不但速度比普通自行车快，而且也不会像汽车那样堵车、污染环境。
可是人们没有想到现在电动自行车成了马路杀手。电动自行车的速度太快， 2 ，很容易造成交通事故。2007年，电动自行车事故造成2469人死亡，在当年交通事故死亡总人数中约占3%。这些交通事故使得很多人开始 3 使用电动自行车。
During the process of filling the blanks, learners will learn and tell apart the following given words.
1. A使用 B消费 C制造 D增长
2. A而且它的速度很难控制 B而且它不遵守交通规则
C它很容易吸引行人的注意 D不能像普通自行车那样说停就停
3. A反对 B反复 C重新 D重复
To complete the first one, learners should know the words’ meanings when they go to school to study Mandarin. Those four given words mean “use”, “consume”, “manufacture” and “increase” respectively. According to the context, only “增长” can be matched with “最快”.
In the second one, learners should understand the contexts if they want to find the right answer. In Mandarin language courses in China, teachers will explain that the former is “速度快(fast)” and the later is “容易出事故(traffic accidents often happen), so the blank should be filled to express “不能说停就停(hard to control)”.
The last one question is easy to answer for those who attend to school to study in China. The essay says there are many traffic accidents caused by the electric bicycles. So many people reject to ride it. The words “反复、重新、重复” have nothing to do with this level of meanings.
After finishing the reading materials in this article, foreign learners can learn some certain information about China. From this point of view, reading is a perfect method for learners to train their language skills.