Section B Trying Your Hand
Consolidation Exercises
Read the passage and choose the best answer to each question.
For most people， it is easy to learn to read faster. Your reading rate is often just a matter of habit. But to begin， you may need to try to change some habits and try these tips：
1. Pay attention. Most people read in the same way that they watch television， i.e. in an inattentive， passive way. Reading takes effort and you must make the effort. A wise teacher once told me that you can learn anything if you do three things： PAY ATTENTION， PAY ATTENTION and PAY ATTENTION.
There are some simple methods that you can use to pay better attention and get more out of your textbook reading time. Firstly， preview the passage before you actually sit down and read every word. Through previewing， you can get some very good general ideas， which will help you to understand and remember the passage better.
2. Stop talking to yourself when you read. People talk to themselves in two ways， by a） vocalizing， which is the actual moving of your lips as you read；and b） subvocalizing，which is talking to yourself in your head as you silently read.
Both of these will slow you down to the point in which you find that you can't read any faster than you can speak. Speech is a relatively slow activity； for most， the average speed is about 250 WPM（words per minute）.Reading should be an activity which involves only the eyes and the brain.
3. Read in thought groups. Studies have shown that when we read， our eyes must make small stops along the line. Poor readers make many， many more fixations （eyestops）than good readers. Not only does this slow you down， but it inhibits comprehension. Try to read in phrases of three or four words， especially in complete clauses and prepositional phrases.
4. Don't keep re⁃reading the same phrases. Poor readers habitually read and reread the same phrase over and over again. A single careful， attentive reading may not be enough for full comprehension， but is often more effective than constant regressions in the middle of a reading. It is best to work on paying closer attention the first time through.
Choose the best answer.
1. What's the best title for the passage？
A. Reading Faster and Better
B. Important Reading Skills
C. Improving Your Reading Comprehension
D. Paying Attention and Reading Habits
2. From the passage， we can conclude that________.
A. your reading habits can be changed if you concentrate your attention in reading
B. you should only use your eyes and brain to read rather than your mouth in order to improve your reading speed
C. stopping a lot in reading may slow you down， but it can help you better understand the passage
D. re⁃reading the same phrase contributes to full comprehension of the reading material
3. The third tip “Read in thought groups” means that________.
A. read three or four words at a time
B. you should read and think at the same time
C. your eyes should make some small stops while reading
D. you should read in clauses or phrases of a few words that express one idea
Explanations
1. The key is A. The whole passage introduces some tips to help us read faster and better.
2. The key is B. The answer can be found in the last sentence in Tip 2， “Reading should be an activity which involves only the eyes and the brain.”
3. The answer is D. You may find the answer in the last sentence of Para. 6.