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.

 

 

One of the things to be learnt in a foreign language is guessing all the time what kind of thing to come when listening to someone talking. People do this all the time in their own language, so it is necessary (必要的) to do this in a foreign language, too. Here are some examples.
1. "What's the matter？" "I went to a party last night, so I…"
2. "I feel so tired these days."" I think you'd better…"
3."Of course, she never stops talking. She is one of the most…"
You can see from the above three examples that the context (上下文) helps a lot in understanding what is being talked about. So "guessing "is very important in understanding English, especially (尤其)spoken English.
【小题1】This passage tells us mainly about _________.

A．the importance of "guessing " in learning a foreign language

B．how to guess what one is going to talk about

C．some examples of right guessing

D．how important it is to guess all the time

【小题2】From the context, we can see maybe the finished answer in EXAMPLE 1 is _________.

A．"… so I didn't have a good time."	B．"…so I went to bed very late."
C．"…. So I felt unhappy."	D．"… so I got up very early."

【小题3】 Maybe the finished answer in EXAMPLE 2 is ________.

A．"I think you'd better have a good rest and take good care of yourself."

B．"I think you'd better have something to drink."

C．"I think you'd better get some help from your friends."

D．"I think you'd better be more careful."

Do you know that a fast reader can get the ideas better than a slow reader can? Of course, you save time by reading fast, but this is not the main reason for fast reading. The main reason is that you understand better what you are reading when you read fast.
As your eyes move along the line of point, they make fixations (固定) or pauses (暂停). It is important that you see several words at a fixation. It is also important that your eyes leave a group. The numbers of letters or words that you see at a fixation are called your eye span (视跨). Pay more attention to improving your rate of reading. With practice you can learn to read faster than you usually read.
The way in which you read always depends on (取决于) what you are reading and for what purpose. You should know the different ways of reading so that you can apply whatever method is necessary. Here are four ways of reading:
(1) Skimming is an important kind of reading. This method can be used when you wish to review something that you have forgotten. You can skim to get the main points.
(2) Rapid (快速) first reading and then rereading certain parts carefully is important. You may use this type of reading to study a science lesson or a history lesson.
(3) You need to do careful reading and rereading sometimes. This type of reading is necessary for making an intensive (细致的) study of your school subjects, solving math problems or reading directions.
(4) Rapid reading is used when reading stories for enjoyment. You may also do rapid reading when reviewing materials that you already know well.
【小题1】The main reason for reading fast is that you can ________.

A．get the ideas

B．save time

C．understand better

D．learn well

【小题2】The way of reading always depends on ________.

A．the method that you like	B．your reading material
C．your reading purpose	D．both B and C

【小题3】The word “skimming” means “________”.

A．reading the main points	B．reading carefully
C．reading very fast	D．reading some parts of the material

【小题4】Careful reading is an important kind of reading ________.

A．when you review a lesson that you already know well

B．when you read the directions before using a camera which is expensive

C．when you read a story of enjoyment

D．when you wish to find a lost place that you have read

One of the things to be learnt in a foreign language is guessing all the time what kind of thing to come when listening to someone talking. People do this all the time in their own language, so it is necessary (必要的) to do this in a foreign language, too. Here are some examples.

1. "What's the matter？" "I went to a party last night, so I…"

2. "I feel so tired these days."" I think you'd better…"

3."Of course, she never stops talking. She is one of the most…"

You can see from the above three examples that the context (上下文) helps a lot in understanding what is being talked about. So "guessing "is very important in understanding English, especially (尤其)spoken English.

1.This passage tells us mainly about _________.

A. the importance of "guessing " in learning a foreign language

B. how to guess what one is going to talk about

C. some examples of right guessing

D. how important it is to guess all the time

2.From the context, we can see maybe the finished answer in EXAMPLE 1 is _________.

A. "… so I didn't have a good time."         B. "…so I went to bed very late."

C. "…. So I felt unhappy."                      D. "… so I got up very early."

3. Maybe the finished answer in EXAMPLE 2 is ________.

A. "I think you'd better have a good rest and take good care of yourself."

B. "I think you'd better have something to drink."

C. "I think you'd better get some help from your friends."

D. "I think you'd better be more careful."

 

Do you know that a fast reader can get the ideas better than a slow reader can? Of course, you save time by reading fast, but this is not the main reason for fast reading. The main reason is that you understand better what you are reading when you read fast.

As your eyes move along the line of point, they make fixations (固定) or pauses (暂停). It is important that you see several words at a fixation. It is also important that your eyes leave a group. The numbers of letters or words that you see at a fixation are called your eye span (视跨). Pay more attention to improving your rate of reading. With practice you can learn to read faster than you usually read.

The way in which you read always depends on (取决于) what you are reading and for what purpose. You should know the different ways of reading so that you can apply whatever method is necessary. Here are four ways of reading:

(1) Skimming is an important kind of reading. This method can be used when you wish to review something that you have forgotten. You can skim to get the main points.

(2) Rapid (快速) first reading and then rereading certain parts carefully is important. You may use this type of reading to study a science lesson or a history lesson.

(3) You need to do careful reading and rereading sometimes. This type of reading is necessary for making an intensive (细致的) study of your school subjects, solving math problems or reading directions.

(4) Rapid reading is used when reading stories for enjoyment. You may also do rapid reading when reviewing materials that you already know well.

1.The main reason for reading fast is that you can ________.

A．get the ideas       B．save time          C．understand better   D．learn well

2.The way of reading always depends on ________.

A．the method that you like                  B．your reading material

C．your reading purpose                    D．both B and C

3.The word “skimming” means “________”.

A．reading the main points                  B．reading carefully

C．reading very fast                        D．reading some parts of the material

4.Careful reading is an important kind of reading ________.

A．when you review a lesson that you already know well

B．when you read the directions before using a camera which is expensive

C．when you read a story of enjoyment

D．when you wish to find a lost place that you have read