Many Chinese students are trying their best to pass English tests like the TOEFL and IELTS. At the same time, many non-native Chinese speakers are struggling to learn Chinese and pass the HSK.

The HSK is the official test for non-native Chinese speakers. Passing it can give non-native speakers new work or education opportunities. It has been offered since 1992. Each of the exam’s six levels includes three parts: listening, grammar practice and reading. In 2018, the HSK was taken 6.8 million times, up 4.6 percent from 2017, according to the Ministry of Education.

Schools in countries around the world are starting to offer more Chinese language programs. That’s because trade and cultural exchanges between China and other countries are continuing to increase, China Daily reported.

For example, the Zambian government has announced in May that it will roll out(推出) Mandarin(普通话) classes in over 1,000 secondary schools starting in 2020. It will be the largest Chinese language program in Africa, the Financial Mail reported. Zambia will become the fourth country on the continent — after Kenya, Uganda and South Africa — to offer Chinese language programs in its schools.

Starting this year, Russian middle school students can take Chinese as a foreign language on Russia’s national college entrance exam, Sputnik News reported.

“I am fascinated with China’s history, culture and language, as well as its economic development. I think studying in China could provide me with some great job chances.” Patcharamai Sawanaporn, 26, a Thai graduate student in Beijing, told China Daily.

【小题1】According to China Daily, more countries are promoting Chinese because of ________.

A．the increasing number of Chinese overseas students

B．the fact that Chinese is one of the UN’s official languages

C．their increasing economic and cultural exchanges with China

D．the rapid development of Chinese language programs

【小题2】What do we know from Paragraph 4?

A．Zambian students are not learning any foreign languages.

B．There are three African countries offering Chinese in their schools now.

C．Chinese is the most popular foreign language in Africa.

D．Chinese was introduced to Uganda earlier than Kenya.

【小题3】If we divide the passage into 3 parts, the best structure may be ________.

A．①②     ③④     ⑤⑥	B．①     ②③④     ⑤⑥
C．①     ②③④⑤     ⑥	D．①②     ③④⑤     ⑥

【小题4】What is the purpose of this story?

A．To explain what the HSK test is.

B．To offer advice for taking the HSK test.

C．To prove that Chinese is not difficult to learn.

D．To show that more people are learning Chinese.