1. peed vs. Comprehension
Passage 1
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Reading Skill
(Unit 8, Book II)
People around the world are becoming more and more concerned about the population explosion. Some are holding that there can be some control of the number of people that are born; but population control is a subject which touches on the moral and religious beliefs of many people. Even if many families have fewer children, the speed of the population explosion will only be reduced – not stopped. There will still be problems of food supply, water, and power.
In 1992 Derrida was involved in a much publicized row at Cambridge
University when he was nominated for an honorary doctorate and a number of dons – notably the formal logician W V Quine – signed a letter of objection. Derrida eventually received his degree. With his olive skin and mop of coiffed silver hair usually offset by a dark shirt and a stylish suit, Derrida cut a striking figure. But he was reserved and wary of publicity; between 1962 and 1979 he demanded that nothing appear in print about him other than the texts he and his interpreters had written, and he refused to be photographed.
Passage 2
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Reading Skill: Choosing reading speeds
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(Unit 8, Book II)
Reading speeds are determined by
the reader‘s goal / the percentage of understanding required; the difficulty of the vocabulary / sentences;
the reader‘s readiness to read the material. (how much he knows about the content or the topic of the material and how well he can use the reading skills).
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Before beginning reading, consider your goal / the percentage of understanding required.
choose a slow speed when your purpose calls for 100% understanding. choose a faster speed when your purpose does not call for 100% understanding.
? When do you need 100% understanding and when not?
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While reading, the difficulty of the vocabulary / sentences can influence your reading speed.
choose a slow speed when the material has a low level of readability. choose a fast speed when the material is very readable.
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While reading, your readiness to read the material can also greatly influence your comprehension. Your readiness includes:
how much you know about the content or the topic of the material how well you can use the reading skills
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Think about how fast you read the following materials:
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English newspapers published outside China; English newspapers published in China;
English magazines published in China, such as English Salon, or Joy-Ride English;
The passages in your textbook; Classical English novels; Popular stories in Chinese;
The simplified versions of the classical novels;
? When there is contradiction between speed and comprehension,
what do you choose?
? When you read to learn, read slowly.
? When you read for pleasure, you can choose speed and comprehension comfortable for yourself.
? As a first-year student, your main aim here is to learn as much as possible; therefore, read slowly. When you are better equipped, you will naturally read faster.
What does a reader do if he wants to read fast and well?
? Is a 7-year-old able to understand A Tale of Two Cities?
? Is a 20-year-old able to understand Fairytales written the Grimm Brothers?
? Comprehension is all about how much you can process the
information while reading When your ability matches the difficulty of the materials, you can read fast and well. On the contrary, you can’t when your ability doesn’t catch up with the difficulty of the materials.
? While you can’t change the difficulty of the vocabulary, you can change yourself.
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When choosing how fast to read a material, you must consider:
what your purpose of reading is
the level of comprehension required
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the difficulty of the material
how good your own vocabulary is if you are familiar with the topic what reading skills can be used
2. Literary Genres
文学体裁
? What is Genre?
Genre - a category, in literature or other media, characterized by similarities in form, style, or subject matter.
For example, science fiction and fantasy are two different genres in literature.
Why recognizing genres is important?
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On the simplest level, grouping works offers us an orderly way to talk about an otherwise bewildering number of literary texts.
More importantly, if we recognize the genre of a text, we may also have a better idea of its intended overall structure and subject / main idea. Finally, a genre approach can deepen our sense of the value of any single text, by allowing us to view it comparatively, alongside many other texts of its type.
All categories of books or stories can be called either fiction or non-fiction. Fiction
a made up story
? can tell about things that could happen ? is read for fun
? characters may be like real people or imaginary
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Non-Fiction
has facts that can be checked and proven ? the author is an expert on this information ? it IS TRUE! ?
Can you classify the following genres into two categories, namely, fiction and non-fiction?
adventure, biography/autobiography, drama, essay, fable, fairy tale, fantasy, folklore, historical fiction, horror, humor, informational, legend, mystery, mythology, narrative
nonfiction, poetry, realistic fiction, romance, science fiction, short story, speech, tall tale, thriller
Fiction
Adventure Drama Fable Fairy Tale Fantasy Folklore Historical Fiction Horror
泛读阅读技巧-Reading Skill
