The HSK surveyed the wreckage of its All-Star Breakfast with a curious mixture of accomplishment and self-loathing. Thirty minutes ago, the standardized Chinese proficiency exam had christened its American road trip with an early-morning feast of bacon, scrambled eggs, flapjacks, hash browns, toast and a cavernous dish of fruit. But now, as its gastric juices burbled merrily deep within, the HSK wondered if it would really make SFU in time for its ten o'clock session, and whether it might be possible to nap through the advanced reading passages.

Tip: our HSK test today is an advanced reading passage. These are among the hardest sections on the exam, characterized by longer texts that present significantly advanced vocabulary and show no mercy. The key skill you need is the ability to skim native-level Chinese text: in a real test situation you would have only twelve minutes to complete these fifteen questions.