In the next exercises you keep a record of your reading by yourself.

1. Find your reading speed. From the table below.

Reading time Speed (w.p.m) Reading time Speed (w.p.m)

(min/secs) (min/secs)
1.00 500 3.10 158
1.10 427 3.20 150
1.20 375 3.30 143
1.30 334 3.40 137
1.40 300 3.50 131
1.50 273 4.00 125
2.00 250 4.10 120
2.10 231 4.20 116
2.20 215 4.30 111
2.30 200 4.40 107
2.40 188 4.50 104
2.50 174 5.00 100
3.00 167

Exercise 1.
1. Read the following passages as fast as possible. Then record the
time and speed by yourself.
2. After reading the text answer the following questions. Your right
answers should not fall below 7 out of 10

3. For example: Text 1 : 250 wpm (2 minutes)

Right : 8

I. Improving Reading Speed and Comprehensions

 1. Faster Effective Reading
The comprehension passage on this course are designed to help
your reading speed. A higher reading rate, with no loss of comprehension,
will help you in other subjects as well as English, and the general
principles apply to any language. Naturally, you will not read every book
at the same speed. You would expect to read a newspaper, for example,
much more rapidly than a physics or economics textbook, but you can
raise you average reading speed over the whole range of material you
wish to cover so that the percentage gain will be the same whatever kind
of reading you are concerned with.
The reading passages which follow are all of an average level of
difficulty for your stage of instruction. They are all approximately 500
word long. They are about topics of general interest which do not require
a great deal of specialized knowledge. Thus they fall between the kind of
reading you might find in your textbook and the much less demanding
kind you will find in a newspaper or light novel. If you read this kind of
English, with understanding, at say 400 words per minute, you might
skim through a newspaper at perhaps 650-700, while with a difficult
textbook you might drop to 200 or 250.
Perhaps you would like to know what reading speed are common
among native English-speaking university studens and how those speeds
can be improved. Tests in Minnesota, USA, for example, have shown that
students without special training can read English of average difficulty,
for example Tolstoy’s War and Peace in translation, at speed of between
240 and 250 w.p.m. It is further claimed that with intensive training over
seventeen weeks speed of over 1000 w.p.m, can be reached, but this
would be quite exceptional.
If you get to the point where you can read books of average
difficulty at between 400 and 500 w.p.m with 70% or more
comprehension, you will be doing quite well, though of course and
further improvement of speed with comprehension will be a good thing.
In this and the following three passages we shall be looking at
some of the obstacles to faster reading and what we can do to overcome
them.

Think of passage as a whole

When you practice reading with passages shorter than book length, like
the passages in this course, do not try to take in each word separately, one
after the other. It is much more difficult the grasp the broad theme of the
passage this way, and you will also get stuck on individual word which
may not be absolutely essential to a general understanding of the passage.
It is a good idea to skim through the passage very quickly first (say 500
word in a minute or so) to get the general idea of each paragraph. Titles,
paragraph headings and emphasized word (underlined or in italics) can be
a great help in getting this skeleton outline of the passage. It is surprising
how many people do not read titles, introductions or paragraph heading.
Can you, without looking back, remember the title of this passage and the
heading of this paragraph?
(From Practical Faster
Reading)

After finish reading, select the answer which is most according to the
information given in the passage

1. A higher reading rate will help in other subjects as well as English

a. provided there is no loss of understanding
b. only if we memorize well
c. but not in any other laguage
d. though not as a general principle

2. You would expect to read a difficult economics textbook

a. as fast as you read a newspaper
b. more slowly than you read a newspaper
c. more quickly than you read these passages
d. only very rarely

3. You can expect to read the passages on this course

a. more quickly than you read your textbooks
b. more quickly than you read a newspaper
c. more slowly than you read your textbooks
d. faster than any other kind of material

4. The average untrained native speaker at the University of Minnesota

a. reads at 600 w.p.m
b. reads at about 300 w.p.m
c. cannot read difficult works in translation
d. reads at about 245 w.p.m
5. The University of Minnesota Claims that in 12 half-hour lessons
a. it can triple a student’s reading speed
b. it can double a student’s reading speed
c. it can increase a student’s reading speed four times
d. no real increase in readi speed can be achieved

6. Intensive training over seventeen weeks can

a. triple an untrained student’s reading speed
b. increase an untrained student’s reading speed four times
c. double an untrained student’s reading speed
d. triple the student’s comprehension scores

7. You will be doing quite well if you can read books of average
difficulty
a. at about 450 w.p.m with 70% comprehension
b. at about 600 w.p.m with 60% comprehension
c. at about 300 w.p.m with 70% comprehension
d. at about 250 w.p.m with 50% comprehension

8. Reading word one at a time is bad because

a. it hurts your eyes
b. all words are equally important
c. it is more difficult to get the general idea of a passage
d. some words are longer than others

9. It is good idea to skim through a passage quickly first

a. at about 350 w.p.m
b. to get the general idea of each paragraph
c. so that you can take in each word separately
d. to make sure you get to the end at least once

10. Titles and paragraph headings

a. are more important than anything else
b. are surprising to many people
c. can easily be remembered without looking back
d. can help us get the outline of a passage

2. Obstacles to Faster Effective Reading

 Perhaps you have seen very young children or very old people
learning to read. They move the index finger along the line of print,
pointing to each word, sometimes even to individual letters, saying the
word or letters to themselves in a low voice. This is called vocalizing.
Sometimes the learner makes no sound though his lips may move to from
the word, sometimes there is not even any perceptible movement of the
mouth at all, but the learner is still activating his throat muscles slightly
to “say” the word to himself. He is still vocalizing.
However slight the extent of vocalizing may be it will still be
impossible for such a reader to reach a speed of more than about 280
w.p.m. The appreciation of written word must be entirely visual and we
must read more than one word at a time.
Look at ‘you’, the second word of this passage. Even if you look
straight at the ‘o’ of that word, without moving your eyes at all you can
clearly see ‘perhaps’ and ‘have’ on either side. So you can read three
words at once. Now look at the word ‘word’ on line 3. With a very slight
movement of the eyes, you can take in the whole phrase ‘....... saying the
word or letters .......’ in the same glance. In the same way, you can
probably take in a complete short sentence on one line, like the one on
line 4, at one glance. None of the lines of print on a page this size should
need more than three eye movements. Take line 6. This would perhaps
break up into three word groups: (1) ......... times there is not even ..........
(2) .......... any perceptible movement ..............(3) ............. of the mouth at
all, but ........ When you are reading well, your eyes will be one or two
word groups ahead of the one your mind is talking in.

Practise on something easy and interesting

Many students trying to increase their effective reading speed
become discouraged when they find that if they try to race through a
passage faster, they fail to take in what they have read. At the end, they
have been so busy ‘reading faster’ that they cannot remember what the
passage was about. The problem here is that the material they are
practising on is either too difficult for then in vocabulary or content, or
not sufficiently interesting. We hope that the passages in this course
material will be both interesting and fairly easy, but you should also
practise as much as you can in your own time. Read things you like
reading. Go to the subject catalogue in the library biography, sport,
domestic science, the cinema......there is bound to be some area which
interst you and in which you can find books of about your level of ability
or just below.
If you want a quick check on how easy a book is, read through
three or four pages at random. It is there are, on average, more then five
or six words on each page that are completely new to you then the book
(though you may persevere with it for interest’s sake) is not suitable for
reading speed improvement. Incidentally, you should try to read three or
four times as much light speed reading material (whatever it is
Newsweek, The Saint or A Tale of Two Cities) as you do close, slow
textbook work. You cannot achieve a permanent improvement in your
reading speed if most of the time you are practising reading slowly.
(From Practical Faster
Reading)

Say whether the following statements are true or false according to

the information given in the passage.

1. Very old people and very young children learn to read in much the
same way TRUE
2. Vocalizing will prevent readers from reading at speeds of over 100
w.p.m FALSE
3. It is sometimes possible to see three word at once without moving
the eyes TRUE
4. To read well your eyes should be one or two word groups a head of
your mind TRUE
5. Some students get discouraged when they first start reading faster
TRUE
6. It is more important to read fast than to understand what is read
FALSE
7. Reading practice material should be interesting and not too hard
TRUE
8. It is impossible to check quickly how difficult a book is FALSE
9. You should never read a book that has five or six new words per
page TRUE
10.Newsweek, The Saint and A Tale of Two Cities are unsuitable for
students TRUE
 3. Hints for Reading Practice (1)

Set aside time each day

Most of us can find 15 minutes or half an hour each day for some
specific regular activity. It is be a free period or a regular wait, say in
the queue for a bus or meal, even while eating break. One famous
surgeon always made it a rule to spend at least 15 minutes on general
reading before he went to sleep each night. Whether he went to bed at
10 p.m or 2.30 a.m, made no difference. Even if you cannot keep to
this kind of discipline, it is a good idea to make sure you always a
general interest book in your pocket. Don’t forget it should be a book
which entertains you the English must not be too difficult for you.

Check your progress through pacing

Nearly all ‘speed reading’ courses have a ‘pacing’ element, some
timing device which let student know how many words a minute he is
reading. You can do this simply by looking at watch every 5 or 10
minutes and noting down the page number you have reached. Check
average number of words per page for the particular book you are
reading. How do you know when 5 minutes have passed on your
watch if you are busy reading the book? Well, this is difficult at first.
A friend can help by timing you over a set period, or you can read
within hearing distance of a public clock which strikes the quarter
hours. Pace yourself every three or four days, always with the same
kind of easy, general interest book. You should soon notice your
habitual w.p.m rate creeping up.

Check comprehension
Obviously there is little point in increasing your w.p.m, rate if you
do not understand what you are reading. When you are consciously
trying to increase your reading speed, stop after every chapter (if you
are reading a novel) or every section or group of ten or twelve pages
(if it is a text and ask yourself a few question about what you have
been reading. If you find you have lost the thread of the story, or you
cannot remember clearly the details of what was said, re-read the
section or chapter.
 ‘Lightning speed’ exercise
Try this from time to time. Take four or five pages of the general
interest book you happen to be reading at the time. Read them as fast
as you possibly can. Do not bother abouth whether you understand or
not. Now go back and read them at what you feel to be your ‘normal’
w.p.m rate, the rate at which you can comfortably understand. After a
‘lightning speed’ read through (probably around 600 w.p.m) you will
usually find that your ‘normal’ speed has increased perhaps by as
much as 50-100 w.p.m. This is the technique athletes use when they
habitually run further in training than they will have to on the day of
the big race.
(From Practical Faster
Reading)

Select the answer which is most accurate according to the

information given in the passage.

1. The passage recommends setting aside for reading practice

a. two hours a day
b. one hour a day
c. 15 minutes or half an hour a day
d. three times a day before meals

2. One famous surgeon always made it a rule to read

a. for 15 minutes at 10 p.m each night
b. at least 15 minutes at bedtime
c. at least 15 minutes at either 10 p.m or 2.30 a.m
d. whenever he had a spare moment

3. It is a good idea always to carry in your pocket

a. a book you will never forget
b. a serious book
c. several books of various kinds
d. an easy and entertaining English book

4. A ‘pacing’ device
a. times a student’s reading speed
b. is not included in most speed reading courses
c. is an aid to vocabulary learning
d. should be used whenever we read alone
5. Looking at your watch every 5 or 10 minutes
a. avoids the need for reading faster
b. is not the same as pacing
c. is not easy at first
d. helps you to remember the page number you were at last time

6. The passage recommends pacing yourself

a. every two days with different kinds of book
b. every three or four days with the same kind of book
c. every week with the same kind of book
d. as often as you read a book

7. When you are reading a novel the passage advises you to pause to
check
the content
a. every chapter
b. every hour
c. every three or four pages
d. after every page

8. The purpose of pausing for thought every so often is to

a. rest the eyes
b. make sure you have not missed any pages
c. make sure you really understand what you have read
d. prevent brain fatigue

9. If you have lost the thread of a story you are reading, the passage
recommends
a. choosing an easier book
b. glancing back over the chapter you have just read
c. asking a friend to help you with the difficult
d. learning the previous chapter by heart

10. The purpose of the lightning speed exercise is to

a. increase your normal speed by practising at a very high rate
b. get through the book in half the time so that you can go on to the
next
c. help you understand more of the content of the book
d. enable you to win reading races against your friends
 4. Hints for Reading Practice (2)

Dictionaries slow you down

If you have chosen the right, fairly easy, sort of book for your
general reading practice, you will not need to use a dictionary for such an
exercise. If you really must know the dictionary meaning of all the words
you meet (a doubtful necessity) job them down on a piece of paper to
look up later. Actually the meanings of many words will be clear from the
sentence around them what we call the ‘context’. Here is an example. Do
you know the word ‘sou’ wester? It has two meanings in English as the
following sentence indicate.

a. In spite of the fact that the fishermen were wearing sou’ westers
the storm was so heavy they were wet through.
b. An east or north east wind brings cold, dry weather to England but
a
sou wester usually brings rain.

You should have guessed very easly that in sentence a) the word
sou’ wester refers to some kind of waterproof clothing, presumably quite
thick and heavy since it is worn by fishermen in storms. In sentence b) is
is clearly a kind of wind, coming from a south-westerly direction.
Incidentally you would have had the greatest difficulty in finding this
word in most dictionaries since it often appears a long way down among
the secondary meaning of south. If you did not know that sou’ meant ‘
south’ in the first place you could only have found the word by the merest
chance.

Pay attention to paragpaph structure

Most paragraphs have a topic sentence which expresses the central
idea. The remaining sentences expand or support that idea. It has been
estimated that between 60 and 90% of all expository, paragraphs in
English have the topic sentence first. Always pay special attention to the
first sentence of a paragraph it is most likely to give you the main idea.
Sometimes, though, the first sentence in the paragraph does not
have the feel of a main idea sentence. It does not seem to give us enough
new information to justify a paragraph. The next most likely place to look
for the topic sentence is the last sentence of the paragraph.
 Take this paragraph for example : Some students prefer a strict
teacher who tells them exactly what to do. Others prefer to be left to work
on their own. Still others like a democratic discussion type of class. No
one teaching method can be devised to satisfy all student at the same
time.
Remember that the opening and closing paragraph of a passage or
chapter are particularly important. The opening paragraph suggests the
general direction and content of the piece, while the closing paragraph
often summarizes the very essence of what has been said.
(From Practical Faster
Reading)

Select the answer which is most accurate according to the

information given in the passage.

1. The use of a dictionary is

a. advisable for speed reading practice
b. unnecessary for speed reading practice
c. essential for speed reading practice
d. of no help in improving general reading ability

2. You can avoid the need for reference books by

a. learning many vocabulary items in advance
b. choosing a fairly easy book
c. asking a friend
d. simply ignoring unknown words

3. If you really want to know what all the words mean

a. make a note and check later
b. use a bigger dictionary
c. ask your instructor
d. read more slowly

4. To understand a general reading book, a knowledge of the meaning of

every single word in that book is
a. doubtfully necessary
b. absolutely unnecessary
c. absolutely necessary
d. most advisable

5. Even if you don’t know a word you can often get the meaning by
a. wild guessing
b. working it out mathematically
 c. working it out from the context
d. comparing it with similar words

6. Word like sou’ wester are often difficult even to find in a dictionary.
They may be
a. spelled wrongly
b. listed under another word
c. only put in by chance
d. taken from another language

7. The topic sentence of an expository paragraph in English

a. usually comes in the middle
b. is most likely to be found at the end
c. is most often at the beginning
d. is usually omitted in expository writing

8. Most expository paragraphs in English have a cleary defined topic

sentence. In such paragraph the topic sentence comes first
a. in about 40% of cases
b. in about 80% of cases
c. in about 20% of cases
d. very rarely

9. Sometimes we know the first sentence is not the topic sentence because
a. it does not seem to give us enough new information
b. it is not long enough
c. it does not come at the beginning
d. it does not make complete sense

10. The closing paragraph of a piece of writing

a. is not really very important
b. is often unnecessary repetition
c. often comes at the end
d. often summarizes the essence of the passage
Exercise 1.
1. Read the following passages as fast as possible. Then record the
time and speed by yourself.
2. After reading the text answer the following questions. Your right
answers should not fall below 7 out of 10

3. For example: Text 1 : 250 wpm (2 minutes)

Right : 8
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