If you wish to become a better reader, here are four important things to remember about reading rate:

  ● Knowing why you are reading or what you are reading to find out will often help you to know whether to read rapidly or slowly.

  ● Some things should be read slowly throughout. Examples are directions for making or doing something, arithmetic problems, science and history books, which are full of important information. You must read such things slowly to remember each important step and understand each important ideas.

  ● Some things should be read rapidly throughout. Examples are simple stories meant for enjoyment, news letters from friends, pieces of news from local, or home-town, papers, telling what is happening to friends and neighbors.

  ● In some of your reading, you must change your speed from fast to slow and slow to fast, as you go along. You will need to read certain pages rapidly and then slow down and do more careful reading when you come to important ideas which must be remembered.

Reading Comprehension:

1. The underlined word "rate" in the first sentence means _______.

A. fast  B. slow  C. speed D. skill

2. Which should be read slowly according to the passage?

A. Stories for enjoyment  B. Arithmetic problems

C. Letters from friends  D. News from hometown newspapers

3. How fast should we read?

A. The faster, the better.     B. The more slowly, the better.

C. Neither too fast nor too slow. D. It depends on what we are reading.

4. According to the passage which of the following is NOT true?

A. Read slowly when you are reading something important to you.

B. Read fast when you are reading something unimportant to you.

C. Read the materials that you are interested in slowly.

D. Read the materials that you are interested in fast.

Background information:

(1）泛读

泛读就是广泛阅读，指读书的面要广，要广泛涉猎各方面的知识，具备一般常识。不仅要读自然科学方面的书，也要读社会科学方面的书，古今中外各种不同风格的优秀作品都应广泛地阅读，以博采众家之长，开拓思路。

（2）精读 要细读多思，反复琢磨，反复研究，边分析边评价，务求明白透彻，了解于心，以便吸取精华。对本专业的书籍及名篇佳作应该采取这种方法。只有精心研究，细细咀嚼，文章的“微言精义”，才能“愈挖愈出，愈研愈精”。可以说，精读是最重要的一种读书方法.

（3）通读 即对书报杂志从头到尾阅读，通览一遍，意在读懂，读通，了解全貌，以求一个完整的印象，取得“鸟瞰全景”的效果。对比较重要的书报杂志可采取这种方法。

（4）跳读 这是一种跳跃式的读书方法。可以把书中无关紧要的内容放在一边，抓住书的筋骨脉络阅读，重点掌握各个段落的观点。有时读书遇到疑问处，反复思考不得其解时，也可以跳过去，向后继续读，就可前后贯通了。

（5）速读 这是一种快速读书的方法，即陶渊明提倡的“好读书，不求甚解”。可以采取"扫描法”，一目十行，对文章迅速浏览一遍，只了解文章大意即可。这种方法可以加快阅读速度，扩大阅读量，适用于阅读同类的书籍或参考书等。

Vocabulary:

Throughout 遍及，贯穿

Arithmetic  算数

Direction  方向，指导

Expression:

Be full of 充满

Key:

1. C。推断题。文中各点讲的都是读书的速度问题，所以 reading rate 意为“读书的速度”，即是 rate 是“速度”的意思，因此答案为 C。

2. B。细节题。根据 Examples are directions for making or doing something, arithmetic problems… 可知此题答案为 B。

3. D。判断题。通过阅读全文可知：有的东西需要仔细读，而有的快速浏览一下就行，是慢读还是快读取决于所读的内容，所以此题答案为 D。

4. D。推断题。通过阅读全文和平时的常识可知对于你感兴趣的材料一定会读得仔细，所以 D 的说法是错误的，因此此题答案为 D。