Reading and Comprehension [antikvár]

PREFACE For many students of English as a foreign language reading English is both the primary means, by which they become acquainted with the content of the subject they are studying, and the most important way to develop their knowledge of the language itself. The emphasis in this book is on how adequately a learner of English understands what he reads. Therefore, the purpose is not simply to provide reading materials, but to teach various skills which are required for successful reading comprehension. This is partially achieved through a number of exercises that the book contains, whose aim is to improve reading and comprehension techniques. Each exercise contains detailed introductory explanations. Three kinds of reading have been chosen to develop the reader's comprehension: 1)Scanning. The readers are asked to find the answers to explicit questions given in advance. 2)Reading for general understanding. The readers are expected to understand the main idea (s) of the text. 3)Reading for full understanding. The readers are supposed to read the texts carefully and comprehend not only the central idea but supporting details as well. The reader's comprehension of each text is testified. Experience shows that adequate comprehension is closely connected with the reader's appreciation of the writer's style and language. The book offers selections of different writers. Those are followed by discussion items designed to give the reader a better understanding of the writer's style. The selections in the book are intended to provide practice in responding rapidly but accurately to increasingly longer texts, hence they are arranged in accordance with their length, except "Scanning Section". The book also contains a diagnostic test to determine the reader's general ability to comprehend, as well as his reading speed. To be able to follow his progress, the reader is asked to time his work and to score the result with the help of the key provided at the end of the book. A learner of English who has developed an ability to fully comprehend whatever he reads will later on find his individual reading a most enriching and rewarding experience. The texts in the book cover a wide range of different types of modern writing and have been spe-