HSK4 Reading Practice – The Secret of the Cake

Posted on by tiffany

HSK 4 · Reading Practice

The Secret of the Cake

Vocabulary

HSK 4 婚hūn礼lǐ Tap to flip

wedding

下xià个ge月yuè我wǒ要yào去qù参cān加jiā表biǎo姐jiě的de婚hūn礼lǐ。。

Next month I’m going to my cousin’s wedding.

HSK 4 气qì氛fēn Tap to flip

atmosphere, mood

开kāi会huì的de时shí候hou，，气qì氛fēn有yǒu一yì点diǎn紧jǐn张zhāng。。

The atmosphere was a little tense during the meeting.

HSK 4 现xiàn场chǎng Tap to flip

scene, on site

演yǎn唱chàng会huì现xiàn场chǎng来lái了le好hǎo几jǐ万wàn人rén。。

Tens of thousands of people showed up at the concert.

HSK 4 新xīn娘niáng Tap to flip

bride

新xīn娘niáng一yì走zǒu进jìn来lái，，大dà家jiā都dōu站zhàn起qǐ来lái拍pāi手shǒu。。

As soon as the bride walked in, everyone stood up and clapped.

HSK 4 新xīn郎láng Tap to flip

groom

新xīn郎láng在zài台tái上shàng说shuō话huà的de时shí候hou，，感gǎn动dòng得de哭kū了le。。

The groom was moved to tears while speaking on stage.

HSK 4 冷lěng冻dòng库kù Tap to flip

freezer

冷lěng冻dòng库kù里lǐ还hái有yǒu两liǎng盒hé冰bīng淇qí淋lín。。

There are still two boxes of ice cream in the freezer.

HSK 4 传chuán统tǒng Tap to flip

tradition, traditional

端duān午wǔ节jié吃chī粽zòng子zi是shì很hěn久jiǔ以yǐ前qián就jiù有yǒu的de传chuán统tǒng。。

Eating zongzi at the Dragon Boat Festival is a very old tradition.

HSK 4 纪jì念niàn Tap to flip

to commemorate, to remember

我wǒ们men种zhòng了le一yì棵kē树shù来lái纪jì念niàn爷yé爷ye。。

We planted a tree in memory of Grandpa.

HSK 4 意yì义yì Tap to flip

meaning, significance

对duì我wǒ来lái说shuō，，这zhè次cì旅lǚ行xíng的de意yì义yì很hěn特tè别bié。。

For me, this trip has a very special meaning.

HSK 4 浪làng漫màn Tap to flip

romantic

他tā在zài海hǎi边biān准zhǔn备bèi了le蜡là烛zhú和hé花huā，，非fēi常cháng浪làng漫màn。。

He set up candles and flowers by the sea — very romantic.

HSK 4 不bù管guǎn Tap to flip

no matter

不bù管guǎn多duō忙máng，，她tā每měi天tiān都dōu会huì打dǎ电diàn话huà给gěi妈mā妈ma。。

No matter how busy she is, she calls her mom every day.

1 / 11

Reading Passage

蛋糕的秘密
The Secret of the Cake

家嘉和如安是从小一起长大的好朋友。上个月家嘉结婚了，她的先生 Andrew 是美国人。婚礼当天来了很多亲友，气氛很热闹。现场有一个三层的大蛋糕，上面有新郎和新娘的小人，很漂亮也很可爱，但是他们没有把蛋糕全部吃完。

婚礼后 Andrew 把最上面那层蛋糕包好放进冷冻库。如安看到后觉得很奇怪就问：“你们为什么要冰蛋糕？”Andrew 说这是美国的一个传统。

结婚的人会把蛋糕最上面那层冷冻起来，等到一周年那天再一起吃。如安听了觉得有趣，但还是有点担心。她问：“冰了一年的蛋糕，真的还好吃吗？”

家嘉说，很多人觉得冷冻一年的蛋糕没有新鲜的好吃。但是大家还是想吃，因为这不只是吃蛋糕，也是在纪念结婚那天的快乐。现在也有人选择在一周年时请蛋糕店再做一个一样的小蛋糕。

一年很快就过去了。一周年那天，家嘉和 Andrew 把蛋糕从冷冻库拿出来，一起吃了一小块。家嘉说味道还不错。Andrew 笑着说：“不管蛋糕好不好吃，最重要的是我们还在一起。”家嘉听了觉得很开心。

后来家嘉把这件事告诉如安。如安笑着说：“真的很浪漫。如果我以后结婚，我也想试试看。不过我可能会请蛋糕店再做一个新的，因为我有点怕蛋糕会坏掉。”

Jiājiā hé Rú’ān shì cóng xiǎo yìqǐ zhǎngdà de hǎo péngyou. Shàng ge yuè Jiājiā jiéhūn le, tā de xiānsheng Andrew shì Měiguó rén. Hūnlǐ dāngtiān lái le hěn duō qīnyǒu, qìfēn hěn rènao. Xiànchǎng yǒu yí ge sān céng de dà dàngāo, shàngmiàn yǒu xīnláng hé xīnniáng de xiǎorén, hěn piàoliang yě hěn kě’ài, dànshì tāmen méiyǒu bǎ dàngāo quánbù chī wán.

Hūnlǐ hòu Andrew bǎ zuì shàngmiàn nà céng dàngāo bāo hǎo fàng jìn lěngdòngkù. Rú’ān kàndào hòu juéde hěn qíguài jiù wèn: “Nǐmen wèishénme yào bīng dàngāo?” Andrew shuō zhè shì Měiguó de yí ge chuántǒng.

Jiéhūn de rén huì bǎ dàngāo zuì shàngmiàn nà céng lěngdòng qǐlái, děngdào yì zhōunián nà tiān zài yìqǐ chī. Rú’ān tīng le juéde yǒuqù, dàn háishi yǒudiǎn dānxīn. Tā wèn: “Bīng le yì nián de dàngāo, zhēn de hái hǎochī ma?”

Jiājiā shuō, hěn duō rén juéde lěngdòng yì nián de dàngāo méiyǒu xīnxiān de hǎochī. Dànshì dàjiā háishi xiǎng chī, yīnwèi zhè bù zhǐ shì chī dàngāo, yě shì zài jìniàn jiéhūn nà tiān de kuàilè. Xiànzài yě yǒu rén xuǎnzé zài yì zhōunián shí qǐng dàngāo diàn zài zuò yí ge yíyàng de xiǎo dàngāo.

Yì nián hěn kuài jiù guòqù le. Yì zhōunián nà tiān, Jiājiā hé Andrew bǎ dàngāo cóng lěngdòngkù ná chūlái, yìqǐ chī le yì xiǎo kuài. Jiājiā shuō wèidào hái búcuò. Andrew xiào zhe shuō: “Bùguǎn dàngāo hǎo bù hǎochī, zuì zhòngyào de shì wǒmen hái zài yìqǐ.” Jiājiā tīng le juéde hěn kāixīn.

Hòulái Jiājiā bǎ zhè jiàn shì gàosu Rú’ān. Rú’ān xiào zhe shuō: “Zhēn de hěn làngmàn. Rúguǒ wǒ yǐhòu jiéhūn, wǒ yě xiǎng shìshi kàn. Búguò wǒ kěnéng huì qǐng dàngāo diàn zài zuò yí ge xīn de, yīnwèi wǒ yǒudiǎn pà dàngāo huì huài diào.”

Jiajia and Ru’an have been good friends since they were little. Last month, Jiajia got married, and her husband Andrew is American. Many relatives and friends came to the wedding, and the atmosphere was very lively. There was a big three-tier cake at the wedding with little figures of the bride and groom on top. It was beautiful and cute, but they did not finish the whole cake.

After the wedding, Andrew wrapped the top layer of the cake and put it in the freezer. When Ru’an saw it, she thought it was strange and asked, “Why are you freezing the cake?” Andrew said this was an American tradition.

Married couples freeze the top layer of their wedding cake and eat it together on their first anniversary. Ru’an thought it was interesting, but she was still a little worried. She asked, “Is a cake that has been frozen for a year really still good to eat?”

Jiajia said that many people think a cake frozen for a year does not taste as good as a fresh one. But people still want to eat it, because it is not only about eating cake; it is also a way to remember the happiness of their wedding day. Nowadays, some people instead ask a bakery to make an identical small cake for their first anniversary.

A year passed quickly. On their first anniversary, Jiajia and Andrew took the cake out of the freezer and ate a small piece together. Jiajia said it still tasted pretty good. Andrew smiled and said, “No matter whether the cake tastes good or not, the most important thing is that we are still together.” Jiajia felt very happy when she heard that.

Later, Jiajia told Ru’an about this. Ru’an smiled and said, “That’s really romantic. If I get married someday, I want to try it too. But I might ask the bakery to make a new one, because I’m a little afraid the cake might go bad.”

Comprehension Questions

Question 1 of 5

家jiā嘉jiā和hé如rú安ān是shì什shén么me关guān系xì？？

The first sentence says they are good friends who grew up together since they were little.

Andrew为wèi什shén么me把bǎ蛋dàn糕gāo冰bīng起qǐ来lái？？

Andrew explains that freezing the top layer and eating it on the first anniversary is an American tradition.

如rú安ān对duì冰bīng蛋dàn糕gāo的de第dì一yī个ge反fǎn应yìng是shì什shén么me？？

When Ru’an first saw Andrew freezing the cake, she thought it was strange. She only calls it romantic at the very end.

关guān于yú冷lěng冻dòng一yì年nián的de蛋dàn糕gāo，，下xià面miàn哪nǎ一yí个ge说shuō法fǎ是shì对duì的de？？

Paragraph 4 says many people think a frozen cake is not as good as a fresh one, but they still want to eat it.

这zhè篇piān文wén章zhāng主zhǔ要yào想xiǎng告gào诉su我wǒ们men什shén么me？？

The story shows that eating the anniversary cake is about remembering the happiness of the wedding — as Andrew says, what matters most is that they are still together.

Did this lesson help you? 🙂

If you enjoyed practicing with this page, consider buying me a coffee — it helps keep new lessons like this one coming.

☕ Buy me a coffee