读者也许有一系列问题要问，例如：阅读技能的训练到底能将阅读速度提高多少？笔者认为，只要有意识地努力，就一定会有收获。哪怕只在原基础上提高百分之20%～30%，也是了不起的进步。
那么，快速阅读会不会影响阅读理解率？
实践证明，提高阅读速度时，对阅读材料的理解率并不会受到任何影响。一般而言，低于中等阅读速度的人，参加训练后都会提高到正常的理解率。当然，随阅读内容难度的变化，阅读速度会随之变化。不能死板地看问题，要有灵活性。当需要降低速度以认真理解某些段落时，速度就要降下来。但是，当欲提高速度时，没有受过系统训练的人，并不是想快便能快得起来。
阅读速度在多大程度上可以得到提高？
有可能把阅读速度提高到每分钟1000～2000个单词吗？一般地说，这是不可能的。阅读从未见过的文章时，一般读者在保证准确理解的前提下，速度不会超过每分钟500～600个单词。但是略读时，则可以达到每分钟1200个单词。有人对每分钟阅读2000个单词的人进行过测试，方法是把他们阅读的材料隔行删除一行，结果发现，阅读速度特别快的读者根本就没有注意到材料经过了删除处理。因此，阅读速度应该以阅读理解率为前提，每分钟阅读的词汇数量（WPM）并不足以作为衡量阅读速度的唯一标准。
用一种材料和方法训练提高的阅读速度和能力，对于阅读其他类型的材料是否有效？
回答是肯定的。不论用哪种方法和材料训练，一旦拥有较强的阅读能力，就将具有高效率阅读各种类材料的普遍能力，没有这种体验的读者，可以利用本书进行一下尝试。这是你应该掌握的一项技能。
阅读能力的训练和阅读潜能的开发是否受年龄因素影响？
回答还是否定的。阅读能力的训练和阅读潜能的开发与年龄因素并无直接关系。开发阅读理解潜能不像开发学习外语的能力那样看重年龄因素。不论是大专院校师生，还是社会各行业工作人员，不论是年轻人还是老年人，在坚持一定阶段的训练后都会有一定程度的提高。国外科学家的试验结果表明，40岁以下的一组人员与40岁以上的一组人员对照，在阅读训练效率的提高上的几乎没有任何明显差别。
提高阅读速度后，如果不坚持会不会出现反复？
事实证明，对多数人来说，会出现反复。国外跟踪调查研究结果显示，通过训练达到的高速度，一般不会突然下滑。6～12个月仍然会保留60%～100%。因此，如果一年内能保留60%的话，只要不懈努力，就会稳步提高。
训练后发现没有效果怎么办？
关键是要有意识地坚持，不能半途而废。阅读活动本身就是一种习惯，改掉原有习惯不容易，养成新的习惯也不容易。
要改变原有阅读习惯，就要从阅读时的下意识动作入手。具有良好习惯的读者，必有一整套高效率的方法。阅读训练专家告诉我们，虽然阅读时的一些习惯并不是妨碍提高阅读速度和效率的关键因素，例如用手指或铅笔之类的东西指着单词，但养成移动眼睛而不是移动脖子等良好习惯才是成功的开端。因为用手指或者铅笔之类的东西指着单词，无形中会影响你的速度。从一行字的左端读到右端时，应该有意识地移动眼睛，不能下意识地转动脖子移动头部。道理很简单，脖子上的肌肉肯定没有眼睛肌肉运动得方便和快捷。眼睛要动，但是嘴唇千万不能动。默读并不是默念，更不能读出声来。不少人有默念的习惯，而且有些人的默念习惯还很难改。只有把注意力放在作者要表达的思想上，才能有意识地改掉默念的习惯。
初练阅读技能的读者，大多会认为改掉自己的习惯简直不可能。但坚持一段时间后，就会吃惊地发现，速度提高了40%～60%，阅读理解效率也翻了一番。更令人欣慰的是，他们最后发现，这些成绩原来都是靠自己取得的。阅读习惯实际上是每个人自我的一部分，一旦取得突破，掌握的方法便会成为你知识技能的一部分。
当然，有些人的习惯是难以改变的，他们一旦开始阅读，不论是什么类型的材料，都是逐字逐句地读，哪怕跳过一个单词也会觉得失去了什么，这涉及到心理学及其他方面的问题，超出了本书的讨论范围。
以下介绍的就是一些常用的阅读技巧：
技巧1 全文阅览
正确的阅读方法并不是在任何情况下都从第一个字读起，并逐字逐句读，直到最后一个字。从实践上讲，没人能够一口气连续20小时读完整本书，也没人能一口气把一篇文章读完并立即获得文中的全部信息。首先，读者要对所阅读的文章的内容、文章结构及作者的表达手法和风格有个初步印象。为此，需要略读加快读，正确辨别哪些是主要信息，哪些是次要信息，哪些是主题，哪些是细节，主题是怎样表达的，细节是怎么安排的。明确作者表达主题与安排细节的方式方法往往是有效阅读的关键。只有在对全文有概括性的印象时，才能期望准确把握作者意图。也唯有如此，才能分清文章各部分的轻重，决定哪些地方该细读，哪些地方该略读，甚至哪些地方需要重读，等等。在这个过程中，不但明确了主题，而且注意到了详尽的事实和数字（facts and figures）。文章越长，阅读全文的必要性就越大。
技巧2 利用背景知识
在不少情况下，可以通过自己已有的知识推断出陌生词汇和词组的含义。有时，并不是某些词汇或文章结构令你感到头痛，而是在没有生词的情况下不明白作者在说什么。缺乏有关背景知识是阅读的最大障碍。具有一定的背景知识可以帮助读者把握文章的总体思想。有些材料初看起来很难，而有些材料却很容易。这实际上是不同读者具有的不同常识和背景知识在起作用。例如，一个喜欢欧洲历史的读者阅读一篇介绍欧洲历史人物的文章时，就会发现容易理解。如果让一个文科学生阅读生物化学或航天医学领域的科学文献选段，他便会发现异常困难。一般地，中国人阅读有关中国的历史、地理、文化、科技等领域的英文材料时，会觉得比较简单。而涉及国外同类内容的材料时便会发现相对困难。就像收听国外广播电台的英语新闻，报道中国或者亚洲新闻的节目很快便能听懂，而听懂报道其他地区新闻的节目相对要困难些。阅读《中国日报》、《北京周报》等国内英文出版物相对要比阅读国外原版报刊容易，阅读这些刊物上有关国内大事的报道又比阅读有关国外事件的报道容易。
例如，《一千零一夜》是人们熟悉的一篇阿拉伯神话故事。读者在阅读与此有关的材料时就不会有什么背景知识困难。如果这是一篇阅读理解选文，相信有些读者不用阅读全文便可直接回答文后的问题。如果需要读，也会以最快的速度完成。
The Thousand and One Nights
There was once a king of Persia who had beautiful wife。 He loved her very much，but she was a wicked woman。When the King discovered her wickedness，he killed her。He decided that all women were wicked and that he would punish them。He gave orders that he was to be given a new wife every day。After one day's marriage he would cut off her head and marry again。This went on for some time and all the people of the country were very unhappy。
Now the King had a Chief Minister who he loved。 The Chief Minister had two beautiful daughters。The elder of the two had read many books and knew all the stories of the world。She decided that she would try to cure the King of his madness。
She went to her father and said，“Father，I want to marry the King。 Please go and tell him。”
Her father was horrified and tried to persuade her to change her mind but she would not。 She was determined。“I shall marry him，”she said，“and perhaps I can make him stop this mad murder。If not，I shall die myself。”
Minister told him，and the marriage took place at once。 After the wedding，the new Queen said，“If I am going to die tomorrow，please let me have my sister with me for a short time，so that I may say good-bye。”The King agreed and the sister came。The Queen had told her sister about the plan and she knew what to do。She waited for night-time。
The King tried to sleep but he could not。 Seeing this，the sister said to the Queen，“The King cannot sleep。Why don't you tell us one of your stories？”
The Queen said，“No，the King may not want to listen。”But the King said，“Yes，tell us a story。”
So the Queen began。 It was a very exciting story，and when she reached the most exciting part of all she stopped。
“Go on，”said the King。
“It's time to stop now，”said the Queen。“What a pity that I am going to be killed tomorrow。 The next part of the story is even more exciting。”
The King thought，“There is no need to kill her tomorrow。 I will wait until the day after，and then I can hear the end of the story。”
But the second night，the Queen finished the story and began another，and again she stopped at a very exciting place。 Again her life was saved。On the third night the same thing happened。
This went on night after night until they had been married a whole year，and a beautiful son was born to the Queen。 The King now loved his wife and understood that there were good and bad women just as there were good and bad men。He was ashamed of his actions and he killed no more women，and his wife lived peacefully together。
南丁格尔是个家喻户晓的人物，了解这一点背景的读者阅读有关她的文章时就不会有太多背景知识上的问题。有些读者看到“The Lady with the Lamp”就知道是描写她的，不论从阅读速度还是最后对全文阅读理解问题的回答都已经是“先入为主”了。
The Lady with the Lamp
Florence Nightingale was born in 1820，and had a very long life。 During nearly all Miss Nightingale's life，England was ruled by the famous Queen Victoria。At one time during her reign，about a hundred years ago，the English were fighting the Russians in a place called the Crimea。Florence Nightingale became famous because of the work she did in this war。She became a nurse and she helped to train hundreds and hundreds of other women to be skillful and gentle nurses。
When Florence was a young girl，hospitals were not as good as they are now，and nurses were sometimes very careless and ignorant。 The doctors，especially the army doctors，did not know enough about healing wounds and curing diseases。A great many of the poor soldiers in the Crimean war died of wounds and fever because the doctors were not skillful enough to cure them。When Miss Nightingale was a little girl，she used to like playing with her dolls and pretending to nurse them。She used to visit the poor people near her house and look after them when they were ill。She wanted very much to be a nurse，but her father said，“Look at the women who do nursing nowadays！I don't want you to be like that！”He had plenty of money and let Florence travel to many other countries。He hoped she wouldforget about wanting to be a nurse。
But Florence didn't forget。 Wherever she went，she visited hospitals and convents where nuns were trained to be nurses。She worked in them herself and learned all she could because she was very sad to hear about the poor English soldiers dying in the crowded hospitals。Then she was placed in charge of a small hospital in London。
She wrote to some very important people and at last one of her friends，who was the Minister of War，allowed her to go and look after the wounded soldiers。 She picked the best nurses she could find and took them with her。They found the hospital crowded and dirty。There was not enough medicine。There were not enough bandages。There was not even enough food。Miss Nightingale and her nurses had to work very hard indeed。
Miss Nightingale herself worked harder than anybody。 She worked all day to see that the wounded soldiers were well looked after and properly nursed。Every night she walked round the hospital with a small lamp，visiting the patients。The soldiers were very pleased to see her。They knew that she was working very hard for them and they gave her the name of“The Lady of the Lamp”。She and her nurses saved hundreds of lives and she stayed at the hospital until the war was over。
She fell ill herself because she had worked too hard for a very long time。 When she came back to England，however，she started to train nurses in all the hospitals。Soon all the big hospitals in England had their own training schools for nurses。Hospitals became clean and cheerful places and nurses were much more skillful。Today，nurses all over the world remember“The Lady of the Lamp”。
即使你对南丁格尔其人一无所知，只要注意要领，也能抓住有关她的生平和她对人类医护事业的贡献方面的事实。从而为进一步阅读打好背景知识基础。
中国的乒乓球运动水平和普及程度是举世瞩目的。不管外国人怎么写有关乒乓球的历史和现状，中国读者一般都不会有任何背景知识障碍。
The Strange History of Ping-Pong
Pieces of scrap wood lie by day heaped on the roadside。 In the evening four or five boys arrive。They set noisily to work and，in a few magical moments，the pieces of wood are converted into a Ping-Pong table。Then the boys begin to play。Those who cannot afford bats use strips of hard cardboard instead。Their only audience is a dog，which sits and watches，its head moving from side to side。
This is how Ping-Pong is often played today and this is how it started as a friendly game，played for fun without worrying very much about rules。 No one knows who invented it。One story is that it started when two students at Cambridge University began knocking a cork to each other across a table，using old cigar-boxes。
In about the year 1800 an American manufacturer of sports goods produced a game which he called indoor Tennis。 The Americans were not very enthusiastic at first but he exported it to his London agents and it became very popular in Britain。The game was then played across dining-room tables，or on the floor with the net strung between chairs。The players used a ball made of cork or rubber，which was covered with a net of soft string to prevent it from damaging the furniture。The bats were covered with sandpaper。
A few years later a hollow ball like the one we use today was invented。 The game then quickly spread all over the world。A gentleman called Mr。Wood，of London，had the idea of covering the batswith studded rubber to give greater control over the ball。The London agents who first sold the game in England now called it“Ping-Pong”。“Ping”was meant to be the sound of the bat hitting the ball，and“Pong”was the sound of the ball hitting the table。
The game was played everywhere but not everybody liked it。 Some thought it was a silly game。The famous English humorous magazine Punch had these lines：
I know I must be wrong，but I cannot love Ping-Pong。
I cannot sing in praise of Ping。 I have no song for Pong。
Many people，however，began to play the game seriously。 Its official name was changed to Table-tennis，because the name“Ping-Pong”belonged to the London agents who first sold the equipment。In 1926 the international Table-tennis Federation was set up。That same year a European Championship was played in London。The winning country was Hungary where today the game is played almost as much as in China。The Chinese are today the greatest players。In the international Championship of 1971 Hungary won the men's singles and the men's doubles，and Japan's women's team was successful，but all the other events were won by China。In 1972 it became a game of friendship when China sent teams to America and America sent teams to China to play friendly games。
You may like to know the official measurements。 The table is nine feet long，five feet wide and，thirty inches high。The net is six feet long and six inches high。The weight of the ball is 37-39 grams（37-41 grams in the USA）。
读者能够做出最快反应的还要算是描写中国人或者历史方面的文章。
例1
The First Chinese
China is the oldest living civilization in the world。 It did not start as early as Ancient Egypt or other civilizations but all these came to an end。China has continued to the present day。People in China were living civilized lives and making beautiful things when the Greeks were still savages。Countries around China，Vietnam and Korea，for example，learned a great deal from China about civilized life——how to live in communities，for example，and how to write。
No one is sure where the first people in China came from。 We do know that the bones of some of the first people to exist have been found near Peking，the capital of China，near the Yellow River valley。There are many legends about how the world began and who the first kings were。One legend tells of the appearance in the sky of ten suns，which burnt the earth。The great archer，Hou Yi，shot them all down with his bow and arrows。Other stories tell of how Shen Nong invented farming，and of how Huang Di，the Yellow Emperor，invented the skills of pottery and of making cloth。
Then the stories tell how when Shun was king，there was a terrible flood Shun promised all his kingdom to anyone who could control the rivers。 The hero Yao agreed to do this，and he worked without stopping for thirteen years。He built dams and he changed the direction of rivers。Three times he passed the door of his house。Every time he passed by，he heard his children crying for him，but he would not go home until he had finished all his work。This great hero，who saved the world from flood，became emperor of China。He was the first of the Xia Dynasty，or family of kings。He ruled the first Chinesestate somewhere in the Yellow River valley。This may have been about 2200 BC。
The Chinese，like all the people in Europe，thought that the world was flat。 They thought it was huge and square，and rested on four great columns，surrounded by sea。They believed that China lay the center of the earth，and so they called their country the Middle Kingdom。For many centuries they were surrounded by uncivilized tribes and they knew nothing about the rest of the world。They believed that they were the only civilized people in the world and that they had nothing to learn from any other country。In some ways they were right！When the famous traveler，Marco Polo，traveled from Venice to Peking in the thirteenth century，he was very surprised by what he found in China。There were not only great cities。There are many things which were unknown in Europe。For example，the Chinese had already invented gunpowder and the compass and they knew how to print books。
古代传说中的后弈射日、神农教稼、黄帝带领人民祭祀天地大搞农业生产发展文化、尧治水等神话故事，外国人不一定了解，阅读时会发现比较难理解，但是对很多中国人来说，会相当容易。即使这些人名用汉语拼音表示，也能一目了然。
同样道理，如果我们对英美国家的历史文化不了解，在阅读英文书籍时，也会遇到这样的问题。
例2
下面是一个在中国南方高校工作的外国朋友几年前给China Daily的来信节选。虽然可能有不少生词，但是读者一般也不会碰到多少阅读障碍。
Dear Editor，
It slaps me in the face every morning when I arrive at the library……in the dimly lighted lobby in bright red calligraphy a blind man could not miss there is scrolled the aphorism，“Knowledge is power。”The repository of knowledge is padlocked early before the closing hour。 The citadel of knowledge is relocked every now and then，only opened a mere seven hours a day，five days a week——a great，big 35 hours of availability in the 168 hours in any given week，24 percent of the time。Although there are cultural differences，I see more similarities than disparities。A Pacific-size difference in educational systems lies in the single fact that better American college libraries are open 24 hours a day，seven days a week。
例3
1999年4月26日爆发的CIH计算机病毒使全球大批计算机瘫痪的事，大家也许记忆犹新。该病毒的罪魁祸首是我国台湾的一个计算机工程专业大学生。他在校期间编写了该病毒，并以自己英文姓名的头字母命名，设置病毒爆发的日期正是前苏联切尔诺贝利核电站爆炸的纪念日。许多人清早打开计算机，准备开始工作时，发现面前的屏幕上什么也没有，主机已经拒绝工作并且再也不可能启动，突然才想起来这天是26日……
阅读国外相关英文报道时，这些已有的背景知识会在文中出现，不少术语和概念猜也猜得出来，使我们感到没有太大理解困难。
Chernobyl Computer Virus Author ID'd
TAIPEI，Taiwan（AP）——A former computer engineering student was identified by his college today as the author of the Chernobyl virus——the menace that caused hundreds of thousands of computer meltdowns around the world this week。
The Tatung Institute of Technology had punished Chen Ing-hau last April when the virus he wrote as a student began to cause damage in an inter-college data system，according to Lee Chee-chen，the institute's dean of student affairs。
Chen，who was a senior at the time，was given a demerit but not expelled。 The Chernobyl virus is known in Taiwan as the CIH，using Chen's initials。
The college did not mete out a more severe punishment because Chen had warned fellow students not to spread the virus，Lee said。 Chen did not come up with an anti-virus program，Lee said。
Lee said he was not sure how the virus ended up causing so much destruction a year later。
Chen graduated from the college last summer and now is serving Taiwan's two-year compulsory military service，Lee said。
Officials of the Bureau of Criminal Investigation said they would seek permission to question Chen。 The unusually destructive virus——timed to strike on April 26，the 13th anniversary of the
Chernobyl nuclear disaster——tries to erase a computer's hard drive and write gibberish into its system settings to prevent the machine from being restarted。
Turkey and South Korea each reported 300，000 computers damaged Monday，and there were more elsewhere in Asia and the Middle East。 Fewer than 10，000 of the 50 million computers in the United States were affected。
注：ID’d=identified；整个标题的意思是：The author of the Chernobyl computer virus has been identified。英语报刊标题的特点是醒目精炼，省却不必要的文字（如谓语动词、冠词等）。句法不完整，大多用副词、介词、分词等表示句法关系。AP（Associated Press）：美联社。
我们看到，阅读外国人写的有关中国国内事件的外文报道和中国人写的国内事件的外文报道以及其他资料时，我们感到要容易一些。不过，专家们指出，这种“容易”并不是我们外文阅读水平突然提高的标志，而是由于我们有一定的背景知识所造成的假象。并不能说明我们是靠自己的语言功底达到这种程度的。如果同样的语言材料描写我们一点也不了解的国外事件的报道和其他资料时，我们未必能达到这样高的理解程度，未必会感到如此容易。同样，我们发现在收听外台英语新闻广播时，十条新闻中有关中国的一、两条新闻与世界其他地区的新闻相比，往往是我们最不费力而且最能准确地理解的（且不论某些电台是否有故意歪曲事实进行煽动等目的）。尽管我们在学习英语时要避免为这种假象所迷惑，但是出现这种假象，正好说明具有相关语言、文化、社会等方面背景知识的重要性。如果一个人的知识面很宽，其背景知识就可以把不少阅读材料变成较为容易的东西，真正做到“事半功倍”。
不过，还应该提醒读者，具有尽可能多的背景知识，只不过是提高阅读效率的辅助途径之一，并不能代替阅读。学无止境，没有人能够掌握足够的背景知识来对付一切。我们在训练阅读技能的同时，也是在学习新的知识。
技巧3 按意义结构断句阅读
为了提高阅读速度，应该有意识地提高处理语言材料的速率。有效的办法不是一个单词一个单词地阅读，而是按句子的意义结构（即意群）跳跃式地以多个单词为单位前进。国外教学试验结果表明，以单词为单位的阅读与以意群为单位的阅读方法在阅读速度上的差异是相当大的。以意群为单位的阅读不但能提高眼睛对书面文字的处理速度，更重要的是，能使读者保持高度的注意力，从而提高阅读理解的效果。
试验结果表明，使用不同的方法将会得到截然不同的效果。如果逐字阅读下面这篇文章，眼睛移动和思维跳跃的次数是443，而按句子的意义结构来读，跳跃速度明显提高，而且跳跃次数减少将近一半。
The ships in which men hunt whales are very strongly constructed。 The crew must be both courageous and strong，because they are going to fight the biggest of all animals。Many of the whaling ships sail from Norway，which is famous for its sailors。
When a whaling ship reaches the whaling grounds（the part of the sea where whales are found），all the sailors keep a watch for whales。 One at a time they stand high up on a mast so that they can see a great distance。Whales breathe air as we do。When they breathe out，the air mixes with water，and a jet of water is shot up above the surface of the sea。The sailor up above watches for these jets of water。When he sees one of them，he shouts，“There she blows！”
Motor-boats，called whalers，are lowered to the water，and they speed off towards the whale。 The whalers try to get close to the whale while it is still on the surface。An exciting moment comes when a harpoon is shot。This is a sharp spear with hooks that prevent it from being pulled out after it as gone into the whale。It is fastened to a long，light，but very strong rope，which is carefully placed in the boat so that it will run out smoothly。
As soon as the whale is struck by the harpoon，it dives deep under the water and swims away as fast as it can。 It pulls the rope after it and the whaling boat follows on the surface at full speed。Soon the whale must come up to breathe。The whalers want to be near when it comes up，in order to shoot another harpoon at it。
There is always the danger that the whale may turn round and attack the boat which is following it。 The whale has a very strong tail，with which it can attack the boat and destroy it。The whalers watch for such an attack。They get out of the way as quickly as they can，and once more they fire the harpoon gun。At last the whale tires itself out。The whalers follow it，so as to be near when great whales floats dead on the sea。The whaling ship is brought close to the whale，and the whalers begin to cut out the blubber for which they fought so hard。It is heated in large pots and the oil is poured into barrels or other containers in which it is stored。When the ship has a full load，it returns to port。
技巧4 注意信号词
文章结构不是一个个单句零散组成的。单个句子应该由过渡衔接的“粘合剂”结合起来，这样文章才能有机地成为整体。这些起着衔接作用的词汇或者短语通常出现在句子的开头，可以作为读者应该注意的“信号词”。作者所举出的例子、给出的解释、罗列的证据等等包含着读者理解个别生词所需要的提示或者暗示，而且还给读者在理解整个篇章上提供了重要线索。信号词出现在很多文章中，读者应该注意从这里入手，紧扣作者思路，归类总结他的观点。
举例（exemplification）所使用的信号词有：for example，for instance等。
列举（enumeration）所使用的信号词有：firstly，secondly，thirdly，……finally；for one thing，foranother，next，furthermore，……last，the last but not the least，……；in brief，in conclusion，to sum up……等。
比较和对照（comparison and contrast）所使用的信号词有：in comparison，similarly，in the same way，in contrast，on the contrary等。
表示先后顺序（chronological order）的信号词有：first，second，next，then，finally，eventually，at last……；in the meantime，at the same time等。
表示因果关系（cause and effect）的信号词有：therefore，thus，accordingly，consequently，as a result，for this reason等。
还有许多可以帮助读者把握作者思路和文章总体结构的信号词。只要注意识别它们，就能够有效地提高对文章总体的理解。
例1
Australia，the last continent to be discovered，was sighted by Dutch，Portuguese，and Spanish ships in the seventeenth century。 No colonies followed at the time，however，as these nations were less interested in colonizing than in exploring。As in the early history of the United States，it was the English who established the permanent settlements in Australia。This history and the geography of these two former British colonies have some other things in common as well。
Australia and the United States are about equal in size，and barren western portions of the two bear a close physical resemblance。 It was the eastern coast of Australia and America that the English first settled，and both colonies soon began to expand to the west。However，this westward expansion occurred，more because the colonists were searching for better land than because the population was increasing。Settlements of the western part of both countries quickened after gold was discovered in America in 1849 and in Australia two years later。
Although the parallels in the development of these two countries are striking，there are some sharp contrasts as well。 The United States gained its independence from England by revolution，whereas Australia was granted its independence without having to go to war。Australia，unlike the United States，was originally colonized by English convicts，and its economy was rooted in wheat growing and sheep raising。By 1922，for example，Australia had fifteen times more sheep than it had people，or almost half as many sheep as there are people today in the United States。Yet，in spite of these and other major differences，Australia and the United States have more in common with each other than either one has with most of the rest of the world。
例2
An advertisement is informative。 The majority of advertisements，however，especially television commercials，are persuasive rather than informative。This brings us back to the difference between objective and emotive uses of language。Many advertisements are interesting and entertaining，but it is advisable to be aware of the methods used to persuade people to buy products。
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例3
On a normal day，an American paper is likely to have 48 or more pages，and on Sundays the numberof pages may be nearly 200. This size is accounted for in two main ways。First，a newspaper carries items of interest to everyone——young people and old people，businessmen and workers，buyers and sellers。Second，the selling price is not enough to pay for producing the paper。In order to earn additional money，newspapers sell advertising space to private citizens and business firms，and a large part of the paper is taken up by advertisements。This combination of items of interest to everyone and a large number of advertisements accounts for the size of the newspaper。
举例、列举、比较和对比是写作中的常用手法。通过注意这些写作手法常用的关系词、连接词、过渡词，不但可以随着作者的思路顺利把握其描述或推理的内容，而且能很快掌握文章的整体结构。这样一来，不但对整个篇章有所了解，如作者提出了什么观点，反对什么观点，怎么反对，怎么证明自己，令人信服的程度等。而且，不难看出作者的背景，以及他是在什么场合对什么人讲话，从而推断出该文章或者该选段是摘自报刊杂志，还是教科书、百科全书等等。因此，对“What is the most probable profession of the author？What is the author's organization of his argument？Where is this passage most probably taken from？Where is this talk most likely delivered？The author's attitude can best be summarized by which of the following？”这类问题就会有较为明确的判断。做到这一点后，你便会发现，语言材料的逻辑结构本身就暗示了你所不熟悉的个别词汇。至少你可以判断出某个词汇的基本范畴。例如某个形容词，它用于描写人物事件的特征还是感情色彩，是褒义词还是贬义词，等等，都可以通过这些信号词做出判断。
技巧5 巧妙利用上下文
阅读时遇到生词是常见的事情。有时候可以停下来查阅辞典，但是如果查阅辞典的频率太高，就会影响阅读速度。实际上很多情况下不是每个生词都需要查阅辞典才能解决。有时候根本不用查阅辞典便可以猜测出生词或短语的意思，因为生词或者短语所出现的上下文中有不少线索可供参考。有时候你会发现，紧接着陌生单词或词组是一个解释性的重复表达的句子。该句子同样会给你提供足够的信息以便推断出你想要知道的东西。
有时候作者明确知道他所用的词汇是很多读者不大熟悉的甚至生僻词汇。为了把这个词汇解释清楚，作者一般会给该词汇一个释义。这种上下文线索是最容易发现的。有时候你把句子前后所涉及的信息联系起来，便可以明确地猜测出陌生词汇所表达的意思。
例1
A_____is something for writing on paper。 It is long and round and can be held by the first two fingers of the hand。It is about 4 inches long and half an inch wide。At the end there is an eraser made of rubber held to the_____by a surrounding metal。Lead is the material which is used in making the marks on the paper，and a sharpener is needed to keep the_____in good working order。______s are made of wood，although the kinds might differ。
假设空白线处是一个你所不认识的单词。通过对全文的阅读，4个空白线的地方以及2个代词it，可以说该单词出现了至少6次。随着每一次出现，我们对这个被描述的对象，在脑海里面的印象轮廓越来越清楚和具体。阅读第一句时，我们只能推断出是个名词，而且该描述对象是写字的东西，可能是圆珠笔、签字笔、画笔、毛笔、铅笔，也可能是更神奇的东西，反正是可以在纸张上写字的。第二句便开始具体化了，该对象是“笔”。第三句更为具体，eraser和rubber使我们在“笔”的范畴内把它缩小到铅笔。再后来，lead，wood，sharpener等词汇进一步肯定了前面做出的判断。
例2
A_____is an implement for writing，drawing，or marking。 The usual_____s have four parts：a wooden case，a solid rod of graphite or other marking material，a small eraser，and a piece of metal fixing the eraser to the wood。The wooden cases of most_____s are either round or in other shapes with round edges。Inside the wooden case，there is a solid rod of marking material which gives the_____its special writing characteristics。At the end of the wooden part，there is a small colored eraser for wiping the unwanted writings。The eraser is fixed to the main part by a colored piece of metal。Although the length，the weight，and the color differ from one_____to another，the usual length and weight are 25 centimeters and 50 grams。The shape of the_____allows it to fit easily in the hand when it is correctly held between the thumb and third and fourth finger，and in the pocket。
该段落与上一例相同，只不过提供的信息更为细致，表达得更为严密。阅读是一个逐步推理过程，随着一步一步前进，获得的印象越来越明晰，原来不清楚的东西越来越清楚。
例3
Resource is a word with many shades of meaning。 Dictionary definitions range from“something in reserve”to“additional stores，ready if needed。”But the definitions do not specify the“something”and the“stores。”They could be resources of courage to face a personal crisis，of wood to fuel a stove through a winter，or of finances to meet a medical expense。The resources discussed in this book are all linked by a common factor。They are all natural resources，which means that they are supplies we draw from a bountiful earth，such as food，building and clothing materials，minerals，water and energy……
Natural resources fall into two distinct categories。 Resources derived from living matter，such as food，clothing，and wood，are renewable resources because they are replenished each growing season。Even if one season's crop is consumed，the next season brings a renewed larder。But mineral resources such as coal，oil，atomic energy，copper，iron，and fertilizers are not renewed each season。They are nonrenewable，one crop resources，and the earth's supplies are fixed。The kinds of mineral resources，their distribution，their quantities，the amounts we use，and our ever growing dependence on them are topics covered in this book。
200 words
从这篇文章可以看出，阅读材料一般会提供很完整的细节。作者会把读者所不知道的概念通过各种手段向读者解释表述清楚。这实际上是写作的技巧和功能。如果一个作者不能把自己知道而别人不知道的东西说明白，那只能说，他写出的文章不能算作好文章。
下面一段文章讲的是另一种事物。也许有些读者会被第一个句子难倒。不过，使用同样的方法阅读全文，就可以猜测出你所不知道的东西。种事物
例4
Radar is an electronic device that is used for the detection and location objects。 It operates by transmitting a particular type of wave-form，a pulse-modulated sine wave for example，and detects the nature of the echo signal。Radar is used to extend the capability of man's senses for observing his environment，especially the sense of vision。The value of radar lies not in being a substitute for the eye，but in doing what the eye cannot do。Radar cannot resolve detail as well as the eye，nor is it yet capable of recognizing the“color”of objects to the degree of sophistication of which the eye is capable。However，radar can be designed to see through those conditions impervious to normal human vision，such as darkness，haze，fog，rain，and snow。In addition，radar has the advantage of being able to measure the distance or range to the object。This is probably its most important attribute。
技巧6 利用构词法知识
1、识别复合词
复合词是由两个或两个以上的单词构成的词。把复合词正确地划分成单个构词成分，就会发现理解词汇的线索。如：
newspaper=news+paper classroom=class+room
sports-ground=sports+ground
2、识别前缀后缀
前后缀是加在一个词前后用来改变或者增加原词汇意义的词或者音节。认识它们能有效地扩大词汇量。
常见的前缀有dis-，un-re-，mis-，im-，un-等。如：
dislike dishonest；appear disappear
unbelievable unfair；cover uncover
produce reproduce；organize reorganize
take mistake；understand misunderstand
possible impossible
healthy unhealthy
常见的后缀有名词性的（-ment，-tion，-sion，-ness，-hood，-ship，-ance/ence，-or，-er）、形容词性的（-y，-ful，-less，-cal，-ous，-ish，-ive，-al，-able/-ible），副词性的（-ly），动词性的（-en，-fy）等。如：
agree agreement
suggest suggestion
decide decision
kind kindness
invest investor
lead leader
rain rainy；fog foggy；sun sunny
beauty beautiful
care careful，careless，carelessness
neighbor neighborhood
friend friendship
resist resistance
differ difference
economy economic，economical
economical economically
adventure adventurous
child childish
act active
tradition traditional
move movable
strength strengthen
beauty beautify
大多数派生词汇都可以在词典上查到。也有不少词汇是新出现的，一般词典上查不到，需要通过阅读加以总结和分析。如，本书阅读文章里出现过volcanologist一词，如果你知道volcano是“火山”，就可以与biologist（生物学家）、geologist（地质学家）等词联系起来推断出“火山学家”的意思。
一句话，阅读是获取信息的活动。有的问题如果能够不用查阅辞典解决，就尽量不要查阅辞典。你会发现，有不少词汇根本不用查阅辞典即可明白其意义。但是如果一个出现频率很高的生词，确实会妨碍你对关键部分的理解，还得查阅辞典。
技巧7 注意主题词
任何一篇文章，都是围绕某个主题展开的。最明显的是有一个反复出现的中心词，叫做主题词。抓住它，便会抓住文章的中心。如：
The major agency for distributing information to the public is the newspaper。 Every major city has two，three，or four general newspapers，and even the smallest towns and cities are likely to have at least one local paper。In addition to the general newspapers，there are likely to be in large cities which have large numbers of foreign-born citizens，newspapers which are printed in the native languages of these citizens。It is not surprising to get on a bus or streetcar in an American city and find a person there reading a newspaper in Italian or German or Polish。In addition to the foreign language newspapers，there are also newspapers published by groups with special interests。This group includes the religious newspapers，the trade and business papers，and the political journals。
在这段仅仅有131个单词的短文中，主题词newspaper（s）出现了10次。虽然第一句出现了agency，最后一句出现了journals；虽然文中还出现了foreign citizens和foreign language newspapers，但是本文的主题词是newspapers，而不是广义的新闻媒体也不是狭义的foreign newspapers或者political journals。正确识别主题词也是抓中心思想的一个基本步骤。
技巧8 抓中心思想
一段文章最主要的成分是中心思想，它是文章的主旨。抓中心思想的首要问题是快速阅读。只有在快速阅读的基础上才能保证把高度的注意力放在主要论点及其相互之间的关系上。阅读速度太慢的读者，注意力往往放在单词上，只见树不见林，是阅读之大忌。当然总会遇到一些生词，但是，只要把文章当作一个整体，你就会发现个别生词并不会构成你理解文章的障碍。
抓中心思想时，当然要识别重要的事实和细节。需要注意以下情况：
1、如果能识别中心思想，便能轻而易举地发现表达中心思想所需的重要事实和细节。
2、并非所有事实和细节有用，只需要注意与主题有关的东西。
3、应该通过全文来看你所发现的中心思想是否准确。如果你发现的事实和细节并不能与主题发生有机的联系，那么你就是没有发现中心思想或者是没有抓住重要的细节。
要抓住中心思想，就要识别主题句。很多情况下，一篇文章会把该文的主题和写作目的明确告诉读者。主题句是作者宣布自己写作意图的，自此之后的句子是围绕主题句展开的。如：
It is a miracle that New York works at all。 The whole thing is implausible。Every time the residents brush their teeth，millions of gallons of water must be drawn from the underground。When a young man in Manhattan writes a letter to his girlfriend in Brooklyn，the love message get blown to her through a very quick channel。The underground system of telephone cables，power lines，steam pipes，gas mains，and sewer pipes is reason enough to abandon the island。Every time the pavement is cut，noisy workers reveal the complex networks beyond belief。By rights New York should have destroyed itself long ago，from panic or fire or rioting or failure of some vital supply line in its circulatory system or from some deep short circuit。Long ago the city should have experienced an insoluble traffic snarl at some impossible bottleneck。It should have perished of hunger when food lines failed for a few days。It should have been wiped out by a plague starting in its slums or carried in by ships'rats。It should have been overwhelmed by the sea that licks at it on every side。The workers in its myriad cells have given in to nerves，from the fearful smog that drifts over every few days，blotting out all light at noon and leaving people in the offices in tall buildings much depressed，sensing the end of the world。
显然，开头一句“It is a miracle that New York works at all”是主题句。整个段落围绕New York不可思议的这一个主题列举很多事实来说明。哪怕句子中有个别生词，给读者的总印象是清楚的。
有时候主题句在文章的结尾出现。如：
In the small French town，the town clerk spends two hours or so talking in the cafe every day。 The village doctor often drops in for a visit when he is between his calls。People from outlying sections of the valley who come to the village only on official business at the town hall drop into the cafe and leave news of their neighborhood。Through the cafe owner the postman relays messages that he has been given on his way。With these and many other sources of information at his disposal，the cafe owner usually knows better than anyone else in the village the news of the city。
段落开始时，作者并没有把主题明确地告诉读者。直到最后一刻，读者才明白作者的主题“the cafe owner usually knows better than anyone else in the village the news of the city”。
有时候，作者根本不会把主题明确地告诉读者。只有经过推断，读者才能明白作者的意图。阅读时应该善于捕捉信息，从作者明确表达出的东西中推断出他暗示的含义。因为有时候作者并不把表达的观点明确表达出来，所用的词汇也很模糊含蓄。如：
例1
A visitor to Athens in the early fourth century BC wrote，“It is illegal here to deal a slave a blow。 In the street he won't step aside to let you pass。Indeed you can't tell a slave by his dress，he looks like all the rest。They can go to the theater too。Really，the Athenians have established a kind of equality between slaves and free men。”They were never a possible source of danger to the state as they were in Rome。There were no terrible slave wars and uprisings in Athens。In Rome，crucifixion was called“the slave's punishment。”The Athenians did not practice crucifixion and had no so-called slave's punishment。They were not afraid of their slaves。
例2
Books can be found to fit almost every need，temper，or interest。 Books can be read when you are in the mood，they do not have to be taken in periodic doses。Books are both more personal and more impersonal than professors。Books have an inner confidence which individuals seldom show，they rarely have to be on the defensive。Books can afford to be bold and courageous and exploratory，they do not have to be so careful of boards of trustees，colleagues，and community opinion。Books are infinitely diverse，they run the gamut of human activity。Books can be found to express every point of view，if you want a different point of view，you can read a different book。Even your professor is at his best when he writes books and articles，the teaching performance rarely equals the writing effort。
技巧9 区别事实与观点
不少读者能够识别主题，能够区别主题与细节。但同时又不能思辨性地的区别哪些是作者所引用的事实，哪些是作者自己的观点。绝大多数测试阅读理解的题型都包括这样的项目。
一般说来，作者表达自己观点的时候，大多会使用修饰性的描述词语，如So far the most……is……，The best among……is……，This is largely accepted as……，有时候作者使用不大明确的资料来源，如Some people suppose that……，It appears that……，I am inclined to say that……等等。只有把事实与作者的个人观点区分开来，才能正确把握作者的态度和文章的中心思想。
技巧10 做笔记
这里作为阅读技巧的“做笔记”不是像在课堂环境下老师强调做笔记对学习有多么重要，或者告诉学生怎样做笔记。作为一个重要的技巧，读者应该在阅读过程中对文章重点进行标记、圈阅和整理。如果作者明确地把论点逐条陈述出来，那么读者只需要注意总结出作者共列举了多少个论点，按什么方式排列，结论在哪里，等等。如果作者没有很明确地把论点一条条陈述出来，那么读者就要注意总结哪些是主要的，哪些是次要的，哪些是事实和数字，哪些是作者的看法和推断。一旦在阅读过程中对这些材料进行归类整理并做出批注记号，等到回过头来寻找具体问题所涉及的细节答案时，便可一目了然。这样要比盲目地重新阅读一遍要节省很多时间和精力。阅读是读者与作者交流的过程。有经验的读者对每一个可能有用的细节都会产生一种警觉，会预计到哪些东西有用，从而把它们标记出来以备后用。这一点往往在阅读理解的效率测试中很有用。总的来说，阅读大多数文章时，要注意五个关键：也就是五个W（who，what，where，when，why）和一个H（how）。虽然有些文章并不把这些关键因素全部明确地表达出来，但是绝大多数情况下，这些要素是不可缺少的。只要紧紧抓住它们，哪怕不是全部，也能够达到阅读的最基本目的。做到这一点，通过日积月累的分析性阅读训练逐步达到提高阅读的质和量，就不是件很难的事情了。
阅读技巧要灵活运用。技巧不是万能的，是手段而不是目的。掌握一定的阅读技巧只是帮助提高阅读效率的一部分。更重要的工作还是大量阅读，大量积累知识。
§§第三章 文体风格与阅读技巧
