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U7.4: Literacy skills - Reading: Matching information, Table completion

Last updated 4 months ago
9 questions

Speed reading

What is speed reading, and why do we need it?


A

Speed reading is not just about reading fast. It is also about how much information you can remember when you have finished reading. The World Championship Speed-Reading Competition says that its top competitors average between 1,000 and 2,000 words a minute. But they must remember at least 50 percent of this in order to qualify for the competition.

B

Nowadays, speed reading has become an essential skill in any environment where people have to master a large volume of information. Professional workers need reading skills to help them get through many documents every day, while students under pressure to deal with assignments may feel they have to read more and read faster all the time.

C

Although there are various methods to increase reading speed, the trick is deciding what information you want first. For example, if you only want a rough outline of an issue, then you can skim the material quickly and extract the key facts. However, if you need to understand every detail in a document, then you must read it slowly enough to understand this.

D

Even when you know how to ignore irrelevant detail, there are other improvements you can make to your reading style which will increase your speed. For example, most people can read much faster if they read silently. Reading each word aloud takes time for the information to make a complete circuit in your brain before being pronounced. Some researchers believe that as long as the first and last letters are in place, the brain can still understand the arrangement of the other letters in the word because it logically puts each piece into place.

E

Chunking is another important method. Most people learn to read either letter by letter or word by word. As you improve, this changes. You will probably find that you are fixing your eyes on a block of words, then moving your eyes to the next block of words, and so on. You are reading blocks of words at a time, not individual words one by one. You may also notice that you do not always go from one block to the next: sometimes you may move back to a previous block if you are unsure about something.

F

A skilled reader will read a lot of words in each block. He or she will only look at each block for an instant and will then move on. Only rarely will the reader’s eyes skip back to a previous block of words. This reduces the amount of work that the reader’s eyes have to do. It also increases the volume of information that can be taken in over a given period of time.

G

On the other hand, a slow reader will spend a lot of time reading small blocks of words. He or she will skip back often, losing the flow and structure of the text, and muddling their overall understanding of the subject. This irregular eye movement quickly makes the reader tired. Poor readers tend to dislike reading because they feel it is difficult to concentrate and comprehend written information.

H

The best tip anyone can have to improve their reading speed is to practise. In order to do this effectively, a person must be engaged in the material and want to know more. If you find yourself constantly having to re-read the same paragraph, you may want to switch to reading material that grabs your attention. If you enjoy what you are reading, you will make quicker progress.
0

You are going to read a passage about reading techniques. Before you read, work in pairs.
  1. What problems do you have reading in English?
  2. What can you do to improve your reading?

0

Read the title and the subheading of the passage. What do you expect to read about?

0

Read the passage quickly to find three ways you can improve your reading speed.

0

Work in pairs. Read the instructions for Questions 1-6 below.
  1. How many letters should you write for each answer?
  2. Will you use all the letters A–H?
  3. Can you use the same letter twice?

0

Underline the key words in each question.

Exam advice - Matching information

  • Underline the key ideas in each question.
  • Start with Paragraph A and decide if it matches a question. If there is no match, go on to the next paragraph.
Now answer Questions 1-6 by reading each paragraph in the passage separately and deciding whether it contains the information in any of the questions.
6
Questions 1–6 The reading passage has seven paragraphs, A–H. Which paragraph contains the following information? Write the correct letter, A–H. NB You may use any letter more than once.
  1. the types of people who need to read more quickly ______
  2. the fastest reading speeds ______
  3. how a reader can become confused ______
  4. why reading material should be interesting ______
  5. a definition of speed reading ______
  6. what you should consider before you start reading ______
Other Answer Choices:
G
D
E
B
A
C
F
H
3
Read the instructions for Questions 7-13 and the title of the table. Which three paragraphs do you need to read carefully to complete the table?
Paragraph: ______ ______ ______
Other Answer Choices:
D
H
A
B
F
G
C
E

Exam advice - Table completion

  • Use the heading to find the right place in the passage.
  • Read around each gap to predict the missing words.
7
Now answer Questions 7–13. Use the words around each question to help you find the answers.

Complete the table below.
Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer.


7 _______
8 _______
9 _______
10 _______
11 _______
12 _______
13 _______
0

Work in small groups.

  1. Do you think the Reading test is the hardest part of IELTS? Why? / Why not?
  2. What techniques have you practised in this book that will help you with the Reading test?
  3. Which reading questions do you find most difficult/easy? Why?