弗朗西斯·培根的 Of Study 里，对读书的重要性进行了深刻的论述。但要读书要讲究方法，做到有的放矢，一起学习做一个成功的读者吧。

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.

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.

【答案与解析】本文说明读书时要注意效率，有的东西要仔细阅读，而有的只要快速浏览一下。

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。

名家摘录： 

STUDIES serve for delight, for ornament, and for ability.  Their chief use for delight, is in privateness and retiring; for ornament, is in discourse; and for ability, is in the judgment, and disposition of business.

读书足以怡情，足以博彩，足以长才。其怡情也，最见于独处幽居之时；其傅彩也，最见于高谈阔论之中；其长才也，最见于处世判事之际。