Reading Graphics
AdvancedTitle → axes → legend → trend.
- Read graphics in four steps: title, axes (units), legend, trend.
- Watch the units — millions, percentages, thousands — misread one and every answer falls.
- Do not just find the highest and lowest; describe the trend: steady rise, constant fall, wild swings.
文體小知識：Charts and tables.
§Text Passage
1Chart: Hong Kong Population. The bar chart shows how the population of Hong Kong changed between 2020 and 2024. In 2020, the population stood at 7.50 million. It fell to 7.41 million in 2021, and then to 7.34 million in 2022. In 2023 the figure was 7.27 million. By 2024, it had dropped further to 7.20 million. The figures come from a recent study.
2In other words, the population has been dropping for five years. The biggest drop was between 2020 and 2021, when about ninety thousand people left the city. After that, the decline became slightly gentler, but the downward trend continued. Experts say emigration and low birth rates are the main causes. A line showing the average of the past ten years would make the fall even clearer.
3Many young families moved abroad, while fewer babies were born each year. Some parents delay having children because of high housing costs and long working hours. The trend worries schools, which now face shrinking classes and even closures. Shops and restaurants also feel the effect, as there are fewer customers to serve. If you read the chart carefully, the message is clear: action is needed.
4The government has promised to attract talent from overseas. However, experts warn that such measures take time to show results. When reading a graph, always check the title, the axes and the units first. These small details help you avoid misreading the data. A good chart tells a story faster than a page of writing. Numbers may look boring, but behind them are real people and real choices.
§Sentence-by-sentence translation Sentence-by-sentence translation
Chart: Hong Kong Population.
圖表：香港人口。
The bar chart shows how the population of Hong Kong changed between 2020 and 2024.
這個柱狀圖顯示香港人口在 2020 至 2024 年間的變化。
In 2020, the population stood at 7.50 million.
2020 年，人口是 750 萬。
It fell to 7.41 million in 2021, and then to 7.34 million in 2022.
2021 年跌到 741 萬，2022 年再跌到 734 萬。
In 2023 the figure was 7.27 million.
2023 年的數字是 727 萬。
By 2024, it had dropped further to 7.20 million.
到 2024 年，更進一步跌到 720 萬。
The figures come from a recent study.
這些數字來自一項近期研究。
In other words, the population has been dropping for five years.
換句話說，人口已經連續跌了五年。
The biggest drop was between 2020 and 2021, when about ninety thousand people left the city.
跌幅最大是 2020 至 2021 年之間，大約九萬人離開了香港。
After that, the decline became slightly gentler, but the downward trend continued.
之後跌幅稍為放緩，但向下的趨勢持續。
Experts say emigration and low birth rates are the main causes.
專家說移民與低出生率是主因。
A line showing the average of the past ten years would make the fall even clearer.
如果加一條線顯示過去十年平均數，跌幅會更清楚。
Many young families moved abroad, while fewer babies were born each year.
許多年輕家庭移居外地，同時每年出生的嬰兒愈來愈少。
Some parents delay having children because of high housing costs and long working hours.
有些父母因為樓價高、工時長而推遲生育。
The trend worries schools, which now face shrinking classes and even closures.
這個趨勢令學校擔心，現在要面對縮班甚至停辦。
Shops and restaurants also feel the effect, as there are fewer customers to serve.
商店與餐廳都感受到影響，因為客人少了。
If you read the chart carefully, the message is clear: action is needed.
如果你仔細看這個圖表，訊息很清楚：要採取行動。
The government has promised to attract talent from overseas.
政府已經承諾吸引海外人才。
However, experts warn that such measures take time to show results.
不過專家警告，這些措施要時間才能見到成效。
When reading a graph, always check the title, the axes and the units first.
看圖表時，永遠先看標題、座標軸與單位。
These small details help you avoid misreading the data.
這些細節可以幫你避免看錯數據。
A good chart tells a story faster than a page of writing.
一個好的圖表比一頁文字更快講出故事。
Numbers may look boring, but behind them are real people and real choices.
數字可能枯燥，但背後是真人與真實的選擇。
1Summary 重點摘要
Title → axes → legend → trend.
2Vocabulary cards Vocabulary
Chart.
Visual.
Grid.
Line on graph.
Key.
Direction.
Numbers.
Name tag.
3Step by step Steps
- TitleRead the title first to know what the chart shows: this is a “Hong Kong Population 2020-2024” bar chart, and the data come from a recent study — check how reliable the source is; glance at any subtitle or footnote too.
- AxisThen read the axes: the X-axis lists the years, and the Y-axis counts in millions — 7.50 means 7.5 million. Wrong units ruin every answer: million, percent and thousands are the three big traps.
- LegendThe legend tells you which colour is which: with two data sets, picking the wrong colour means answering about the wrong group. Match each bar to its legend before you read any numbers.
- TrendRead the trend, not just the highest and lowest: 7.50 → 7.41 → 7.34 → 7.27 → 7.20 million, falling five years straight; the biggest drop is 2020-2021 (about ninety thousand people left), then it slows but never turns.
- Find the focusFind the story's focus: the biggest change (the steepest year) is usually the exam point, and the text afterwards explains why — emigration and low birth rates. When the chart asks “so what”, the answer sits in the trend.
- Behind the numbersNumbers hide real people: shrinking classes, fewer restaurant customers, parents delaying children because of housing costs — chart plus text together tell the whole story.
- Answer formatAnswer trend questions with direction plus data: The population fell from 7.50 million to 7.20 million between 2020 and 2024 — direction and figures earn full marks; a bare “it fell” does not.
5Worked example Example
Read the Hong Kong population bar chart (2020-2024) in four steps — title, axes, trend, data — and state the overall trend and the biggest change.
- Step 1: Title first: the chart tracks Hong Kong's population from 2020 to 2024 — and check how reliable the source is.
- Step 2: Axes next: years on the X-axis, population in millions on the Y-axis; 7.50 means 7.5 million, so read the units carefully.
- Step 3: Trend: 7.50 → 7.41 → 7.34 → 7.27 → 7.20 million — five consecutive years of decline.
- Step 4: The biggest change is 2020-2021, when about ninety thousand people left; afterwards the fall slowed but never reversed.
- Step 5: Read beyond the numbers: emigration and low birth rates cause the drop; schools shrink and shops lose customers.
- Answer: Step one, the title tells us the chart tracks Hong Kong's population from 2020 to 2024, with data from a recent study. Step two, the axes: years across, population in millions up the side, so 7.50 means 7.5 million — never skip the units. Step three, the trend: the figures fall every single year, from 7.50 to 7.20 million, roughly three hundred thousand people in five years. Step four locates the sharpest change: the drop of about ninety thousand between 2020 and 2021, after which the decline slowed but continued. Behind the numbers sit emigration and low birth rates, shrinking school classes and quieter shops — proof that a well-read chart tells a story faster than a page of writing.
6Common mistakes Mistakes
7Quick check Quick check
Q1First look?
Q2Axis?
Q3Legend?
Q4Trend?
Q5Data?
Q6Tip?
Q7Is population increasing?
Q8What was 2023?
Q9What is the trend?
8Recap Recap
- Read graphics in four steps: title, axes (units), legend, trend.
- Watch the units — millions, percentages, thousands — misread one and every answer falls.
- Do not just find the highest and lowest; describe the trend: steady rise, constant fall, wild swings.
- Locate the biggest change; that is where the story of the data lives.
- Numbers hide people: check the source, ask why, think about the impact.