Along with the rapid economic development and increasing foreign trade in China, a worldwide heat of learning the Chinese language has been raised in recent years. One of the signals is the growing number of HSK candidates home and abroad. Take Singapore for example, the number of the examinees in 2005 has increased twelve times compared with last year. By the middle of 2005, totally 158 HSK test sites have been set up inside and outside of China and more than 1,000,000 overseas examinees from 120 countries and regions have taken HSK. The number of test candidates has been increasing by 45 percent year by year. Evidently，it is recognized by more and more countries that HSK is an objective standard to measure the language competence of non-native speakers of Chinese. It is mainly due to the fact that the test score can be viewed not only as a scale to assess the admission to a college or a university in China, but also as a kind of ability proof of working with the Chinese language. Aichi Shukutoku University where the author works has taken the lead in adopting free-examination measures in Japan. That is, the university shall pay all the fees charged for HSK tests to encourage more students to take it. 
   
However, most examinees, especially those who learn the Chinese language outside China and usually have less opportunity to get in touch with it, will feel much more difficult than what they have imagined. In particular, the listening comprehension section seems to be a huge gap impossible to be crossed. Based on the overseas Chinese language teaching experience for decades, the author believes that it is essential for the examinees to do practice prior to the test. Especially for those who take HSK (Elementary) for the first time, intensive training prior to the test is of great importance. In view of this, we have compiled the simulated examinations for HSK (Elementary) and developed accessory study software, strictly in line with the outline of HSK. 
   
This book consists of 6 simulated tests and provides the recorded script, answer key and answer sheet for each test. The test book can be used separately, in which the recording of the Listening Comprehension can be found in “Self Test” section of the software. We also developed flexible functions to enable the users to either take a complete simulated test within the allowed time, or do the exercises for each particular section separately, such as Listening Comprehension, Grammatical Structure, Reading Comprehension. Moreover, the number of each question changes at random so that the users can practice repeatedly and really master it. After finishing each test, your score is provided immediately for your reference. 
   
The book can be used as HSK (Elementary) prior-to-test training material for universities and Chinese training schools home and abroad. Test candidates can also use it for self-review. For those beginners in Chinese learning, it is also a good supplementary textbook.