Reading is a good habit, but the problem is there’s too much to read these days and too little time to read every word of it. There are hundreds of skills to help you read more in less time. Here are two skills that I think are especially good.

Preview — if it’s long and hard. Previewing is especially useful for getting a general idea of heavy reading like long magazine articles and business reports.

Here’s how to preview.

Ø  Read the first two paragraphs and the last two paragraphs carefully.

Ø  Then read only the first sentence of the other paragraphs.

Previewing doesn’t give you all the details. It keeps you from spending time on things you don’t really want － or need － or read.

Skim － if it’s short and simple. Skimming is a good way to get a general idea of light reading like popular magazines or the sports and entertainment of your daily paper.

Here’s how to skim.

Ø Get your eyes to move fast. Sweep them across each line.

Ø Pick up only a few key words in each line.

Everybody skims differently. You and I may not pick up the same words when we skim the same piece, but we’ll get a similar idea of what it’s all about.

1. How many skills does the writer introduce to help us in reading?

A. One.           B. Two.           C. Three.           D. Four. 

2. What should you do if you read a long article according to the writer?

A. Read every word of it.          B. Read all the details.

C. Pick up a few key words in each line.

D. Read the first and the last two paragraphs carefully.

3. If you read a simple article, which reading skill is better to get the general idea?

A. Previewing.     B. Skimming.       C. Reading.        D. Sweeping.

Rules in the reading room
Hello, everyone. Welcome to the school reading room. We hope you have a good time here. Before you go into the reading room, there are some rules you need to keep.
1.The reading room is open from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. from Monday to Friday.
2. Don’t take your bag into the reading room.
3. Don’t talk loudly in the reading room.
4. Don’t take any food or drink into the reading room.
5. Take only one book at a time. After you finish reading the book, you must put it back and then you can take another one. Don’t take many books to your seat.
6. Before you leave, you must return the book to the bookshelf. You can’t take any book out of the reading room.
【小题1】How long is the reading room open every day?

A lady once wrote a long story. She sent it to a famous editor. After a few weeks the editor   21  the story to her. The lady was   22 . She wrote back to the editor:
“Dear Sir.
Yesterday you sent back a story of mine. How do you know that the story is not good? You did not read it.   23  I sent you the story, I pasted together pages 18, 19 and 20. This was a  24  to see whether you would read the story. When the story came back yesterday, the pages were   25  pasted together. Is this the way you read all the stories that are sent to you?”
The editor wrote back:
“Dear Madam,
At breakfast then I have an egg. I don’t have to eat the whole egg in order to discover(发现) that it is bad.”

Rules in the reading room

Hello, everyone. Welcome to the school reading room. We hope you have a good time here. Before you go into the reading room, there are some rules you need to keep.

1.The reading room is open from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. from Monday to Friday.

2. Don’t take your bag into the reading room.

3. Don’t talk loudly in the reading room.

4. Don’t take any food or drink into the reading room.

5. Take only one book at a time. After you finish reading the book, you must put it back and then you can take another one. Don’t take many books to your seat.

6. Before you leave, you must return the book to the bookshelf. You can’t take any book out of the reading room.

1.How long is the reading room open every day?

A．Ten hours.         B．Nine hours.        C．Seven hours.       D．Eight hours.

2.What can you take into the reading room?

A．The bag.          B．The student card.    C．Sandwiches.       D．Orange juice.

3.How many books can you take from the bookshelf at a time?

A．One             B．Two              C．Three            D．Four

4.What does the underlined word “return” mean in Chinese?

A．放置             B．带走             C．整理             D．归还

5.Which of the following is TRUE?

A．You can drink in the reading room.

B．You can take all your favorite books to your seat.

C．You can read in the reading room at 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday.

D．You can take only one book home at a time.