Skill-related Reading
Reading Skill（II）：Scanning
1．What is scanning？
Scanning is a reading technique used when one wishes to locate a single fact or a specific bit of information without reading everything．The goal is to find it quickly．Scanning is a skill you use often．Knowing how to scan better will help you find information more quickly and accurately．
Scanning is not new to you．You have used this reading skill many times in daily activities such as looking for the time and channel of a TV program in the newspaper，or scanning pages in the telephone directory to find a telephone number．In order to find the information quickly，you have to use the technique of scanning．Scanning should be both fast and accurate．
2．What is the difference between skimming and scanning？
The difference between skimming and scanning is that skimming aims at gaining a general picture while scanning looks for one thing in particular．In most cases，you know what you are looking for，so you’re concentrating on finding a particular answer．Scanning involves moving your eyes quickly down the page seeking specific words and phrases．It is not a completely new thing to you though it is perhaps the first time that you have heard of the term．Scanning is very useful for finding a specific name，data，statistics，or fact without reading the entire text．It can accelerate the reading speed to 1，500 or more words per minute．
3．How do we scan？
Scanning is not reading in the ordinary sense．There is no need to read the whole article carefully．What we have to do is to try to find in which part the required information is likely to be，then read that part with more attention．It is important to remember that you have some specific questions in mind before you start scanning．In order to scan quickly and accurately，you should：
（1）Keep the goal of the search in mind at all time
（2）Note the arrangement of information
The information is usually arranged in the following ways：
①Alphabetical Arrangement
Much of the resource material that is scanned is arranged alphabetically，such as a dictionary，the index of a book，or a telephone directory．It is easy to locate the required information．
②Non-alphabetical Arrangement
Not all materials are arranged alphabetically．For example，TV listings are listed by day and time．Historical data and tables may be arranged by month and year．The sports pages of the newspaper are arranged by category：baseball，volleyball，tennis，and so on．Keep in mind that whatever the source of the reference，it is arranged in some logical way．
③Logical Arrangement
Whatever the source of reference，it is arranged in some logical way．In order to save reading time，it is important to know the arrangement of the material in the resource being used．To prepare for scanning，you should take a few minutes to discover the organization of the material．
（3）Keep clue words in mind
When the student has found the section likely to contain the information needed，he／she is ready to begin scanning．Some clue words or phrases associated with the specific facts will aid in the scanning．Such signal words as numbers，letters，and steps，or words as first，second，or next are useful．Words that are bold-faced，italicized，or written in different sizes，styles，or colors also deserve attention．Sometimes what is written in the margin can also be very helpful．
（4）Pay attention to speed and accuracy
Since the purpose of scanning is to locate information quickly and accurately，accuracy and high speed are very essential．Once finding the appropriate section of the material and having clue words in mind，the students should strive to scan as much of the printed matter as possible in the least amount of time，and the goal should be 100 percent accuracy．Let the eyes run rapidly over several lines of print at a time．Once the desired sentence has been found，one should read the entire sentence．
＼Reading Practice＼
I．Directions：Read the following sentences，pay special attention to the bold-faced words，and scan Text A for the missing numbers．
1．My new high school seemed at first to be the perfect solution to all of my problems．It is a multicultural community with students and faculty comprised of________nationalities．
2．A typical school day with a class size of 72 people lasted from________AM until________PM，with“optional”study hall after dinner．
3．In a country with__________of the world’s population，resources are scared and opportunities are more than valuable．
Ⅱ．Directions：Read the text below and answer the questions，making use of scanning techniques．
Frimsborough County Library
Introduction
Welcome to Frimsborough County Library！This leaflet introduces the types of books and other resources that one can borrow．Limits on how many items can be borrowed can be found at the Enquiry Desk．
CDs and Cassettes：(https://www.daowen.com)
Music：pop，classical，rock，jazz，blues，rap，reggae，and opera．
Stories：famous works，modern literature，children’s stories．
Videos：
Educational：Pre-school，elementary，middle and high school，college-level，adult．
Film：new releases，classics，children’s．
Exercise：for all abilities，pre-and post-natal．
Books：
Fiction：romance，horror，science-fiction，and adventure．
Non-fiction：biography，geography，history，science，travel，and languages．
Remember：April is Library Month！
Find out more on 3／17／2020
1．What is the text mainly about？
A．Opening hours of the library． B．Library resources．
C．Fines and other fees． D．Membership conditions．
2．Is information about borrowing CDs given？
A．Yes． B．No．
3．Which category of video is not listed？
A．Educational． B．Exercise． C．Film． D．Travel．
4．Is the library’s web address provided？
A．Yes． B．No．
5．Does the text mention where to get information about the number of items one can borrow
from the library？
A．Yes． B．No．
6．Can members borrow CD-ROMs？
A．Yes． B．No． C．Not mentioned．
7．Which month is“Library Month”？
A．November． B．August． C．September． D．April．
8．What is the name of the library？
A．Frimsborough Town Library． B．Frimsborough County Library．
C．Frimsborough Village Library． D．Framborough District Library．