In the learning process of English reading class, candidates should devote themselves to the cultivation of reading ability, which is the key to the success of reading class. And what is the ability? It is generally believed that ability is acquired, and it is a variety of methods that every reader unconsciously uses in the actual reading process. It requires candidates to go through years of hard reading training to get it. Then, when a candidate picks up a reading material or article, how should he read it to get twice the result with half the effort? First, introduce SQ3R method, which was a very popular method for American college entrance examination students in 1960s and 1970s. Although this method is aimed at mother tongue materials, I think this method is also suitable for reading (1) and reading (2). In the process of reading, if candidates can consciously use it to deal with each article, it will be of great benefit to develop their good reading habits. So, what is SQ3R? S(survey) refers to roughly understanding and judging the content of materials and establishing the focus and value of information according to topics, catalogues, indexes and titles. Q (Question) refers to asking questions about the conception and structure of materials in advance from my own point of view, that is, reading with purpose; R 1 (reading) refers to the actual reading; R2 (review) refers to reviewing the materials read frequently according to the laws of long-term memory and short-term memory; R3 (Recitation) refers to reorganizing the read materials according to memory. According to my observation, when reading an article, candidates often ignore S (overall consideration) and Q (questioning), and R2 (reviewing) and R3 (reciting) do not do well. Candidates seldom read after-class catalogs, indexes and notes, especially the part about the author's brief introduction. They think it doesn't matter whether they read it or not, but they don't know that the information conveyed in the introduction text is very useful for understanding the text. For example, before studying decameron, if the examinee can read the notes after class, it will help to understand the position of decameron in the history of European literature, understand the relationship between the selected stories in the textbook and other stories, and greatly increase the understanding of the text. At the same time, the notes also explain some uncommon names and geographical terms, which saves a lot of time for candidates to look up the dictionary. In addition, by reading the Chinese translations of some phrases and sentences by editors, we can also have a general understanding of the story content. In the process of English reading, some candidates do not predict the materials they want to read, and do not predict the ideas and structure of the materials. They often pick up reading materials and go into actual reading. This kind of reading has great blindness and the actual effect is not good. In fact, in the process of reading, sometimes a short pause to predict the following content is of great benefit to improving reading interest and reading quality. In English reading (1), editors have compiled a large number of stories with unexpected endings. If the examinee can occasionally stop to predict the development or final outcome of the story in the usual reading, it will not only improve the reading quality, but also get endless fun from reading. At the same time, the effect of active reading will definitely be one hundred times better than that of passive reading. For example, when reading the novel "Lady in the Dark" (the plot clue of the story is: understanding the jewelry situation-observing the terrain-successful burglary-thief being caught-the reason for being caught), candidates can often pause and guess the future development direction of the story by using syntactic, logical and cultural clues. Then constantly test whether your judgment is correct and feel the happiness brought by reading. R2 (review) and R3 (recitation) are more important. Because reviewing in time after class can not only consolidate what you have learned, but also deepen your understanding of knowledge, so as to achieve the effect of "reviewing the old and learning the new"; At the same time, it also conforms to the law of memory itself. In fact, some candidates, either because they are not interested in English or because they are lazy, can't prepare carefully before class and can't review in time after class. They always find excuses for not finishing their homework or perfunctory teachers, not to mention spending time reciting some colorful chapters. This part of the candidates pinned all their hopes on the teacher's explanation in class. However, English learning, especially the skill training class such as reading class, requires a lot of reading and personal experience of candidates to achieve remarkable results. The passive learning effect can be imagined. In fact, many English experts of the older generation talked about the benefits of reading and reciting a lot when talking about their experience in learning English. Try to extract one or two. Mei Renyi, a professor at Beijing Foreign Studies University, a doctoral supervisor and director of the American Studies Center, wrote in an article: "To learn English well, we must be interested in the language itself and the various cultural information it conveys. You are excited when you read or hear others express profound thoughts in simple English. Remember at once that you are interested in language. Without this interest, language learning is difficult to enter the classroom. Simple reading materials are extremely useful for laying a good foundation. Read more. First, a large number, at least 40 books to read. The second is to repeat reading, choose ten to fifteen books, read them three times, and finish reading many problems in your mind. Imagine that others can write dozens of books 1500 to 2000 words. If we can master these expressions, how much can we express! In the later stage of the basic stage, or in the senior year, you should try to recite famous books, such as 50- 100. This is the essence of language and content. Memorizing it is good for understanding western culture and learning words. " (SeeNo. 1999,No. 12 of English Learning) Su Yaqing, a professor and doctoral supervisor at Foreign Affairs University, once wrote: "A key link in learning English is reading a lot, and you can't learn English well with only a few textbooks. Only when you read the textbook meticulously and thoroughly, read a lot, and don't ask for answers (note: try to reduce your dependence on dictionaries when reading) can you cultivate your sense of language and exercise your English application and thinking ability. I remember when I first started learning English, there were not many books suitable for beginners. Most of the books I read are small and simple books from the former Soviet Union, borrowed from the library, put in my pocket, and take out a few pages when I have time. Most of these simple books are abbreviated versions of world famous works, including Alice in Wonderland, A Tale of Two Cities, Shakespeare's Dramatic Stories and so on. Reading such books requires speed, fast reading, and reading one book after another. When you borrow a book, turn to a few pages first. I feel that there are not many new words. You can read it all at once and then lend it out. Otherwise, you will read too slowly, which will also affect your confidence and mood. I have read dozens of books and found a little feeling of learning English. Later, I began to read some difficult books. Between the simplified version and the original version, I once had a transitional stage of reading excellent translations. At that time, such books were translated from Chinese into English, such as Midnight, Thunderstorm and Lu Xun's short stories, and more were English versions of Russian and French literary masterpieces, including novels by Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, Hugo, Mo Bosang and Balzac. These books, translated by translators and standardized in language, are easier to read than the original books, which are very beneficial to the cultivation of language ability, cultural perception and even humanistic thought. At that time, I spent two hours reading these books in a secluded place every day, which was a great enjoyment. Then I chewed the original. I read a lot about literature and social sciences, and I also read a local book and a local book. Sometimes I will write down good sentences, and sometimes I will translate them paragraph by paragraph and fiddle with them repeatedly to feel the truth of my thoughts and the beauty of my language. The more you read, the deeper you feel. When we can read the original work smoothly, it is imperative to greatly expand the scope of reading. You can't learn English without reading literary masterpieces, and you can't just read literary masterpieces. Reading quantity needs to be measured from two aspects, one is the number of books read in a certain category, and the other is the number of categories. Newspaper articles cover a wide range, apply to reality and learn living language materials. I like international politics. I have been reading Newsweek, Time, The Economist and The New York Times Sunday International Affairs since I was a senior and a graduate student. I am tired of reading professional books, and I also read more relaxed magazines such as People, Fortune and Reader's Digest. All-encompassing content and changeable themes not only strengthen the grasp of language, but also convey the ideas, knowledge and culture behind the language. Looking back on my own experience of learning English, I feel that I have read a lot and gained a lot. Later, I came to the United States to study. For six years, I have read about 65,438+0,000 pages almost every week. If I don't have a lot of reading training, I may suffer a lot. Besides, what you get from reading is not only the improvement of language ability and knowledge, but also the interest and fun in your own language environment. (See "English Learning",No. 12, 200 1) The personal experience gained by these English-speaking seniors from their own experiences can be described as good words for the majority of English learners, and it is worth pondering and putting into practice. In fact, many successful candidates in English learning also affirmed the benefits of reading and reciting a lot when talking about their own learning experiences. Any language learning must be practiced, and English learning is no exception. The majority of candidates learn English in the absence of the necessary language environment, and the difficulty can be imagined. I'm afraid the way to get in touch with authentic English is mainly through reading. Candidates should not just read a textbook over and over again, but should read as many English books and articles as possible, accumulate language knowledge, consolidate grammar, expand vocabulary, improve speed and enhance language sense in a large number of readings. Of course, this also needs perseverance, and it can't be effective just by reading a few articles, and it is easy to give up without obvious results. Persevere, don't "fish for three days and dry the net for two days". If you can study hard for a year and a half, your English reading ability will definitely make a leap. The attitude of dabbling in English learning is very harmful, which is not conducive to deeper English learning. At the same time, I think the experience of English predecessors in learning English also proves the necessity of memorizing a lot in English learning, which is a criticism of those views that emphasize learning English quickly instead of learning English down to earth. Actually, language learning is a habit. As the saying goes, "habit becomes nature". Only by forming habits can we use language freely. To develop good language habits, we have to recite and memorize. An American English teaching expert, analyzing China's traditional methods of learning languages, said that China people think that strict training (embodied in memory) is the first. On the basis of strict training, over time, proficiency will lead to creative use of language. Many scholars in ancient China adopted this ancient traditional learning method, which left us countless wonderful chapters. The American expert also pointed out that the cultural heritage of recitation should be taken seriously in the English teaching reform in China. When talking about the relationship between vocabulary accumulation and language learning, other western linguists also affirmed the role of memory in language learning. This can be said to be a name for the "reciting memory" that has been strongly condemned. Foreign scholars still think so, and we don't need to completely deny recitation. In view of this, it is meaningless to discuss whether recitation should be used in English learning. Candidates should realize that it is very beneficial for them to recite and memorize some model essays on the basis of understanding. Here, the author talks about several reading skills that candidates are required to master in the syllabus of self-taught English reading (1). One: Understand the internal structure of sentences. In reading practice, candidates often encounter some complex sentence structures (such as relative clauses and complex sentences), which greatly affect the reading speed. There is a skill problem here, which is to be good at finding the "core" (subject-predicate structure) of a sentence. For example, the first paragraph of Unit 2 10/lesson begins like this: "I woke up at six o'clock the next morning; Found George awake, too. We all turned around and tried to sleep again, but we couldn't. (:) If there is any special reason, we should not go to sleep, but get up and get dressed. We should sleep while looking at our watches until ten o'clock. (; ) Because we don't need to get up in at least two hours at all, and it's completely absurd for us to get up at that time. Only by conforming to the natural laws of ordinary things should we feel that we will die if we lie down for another five minutes. "(1) and (2) are quite complicated sentences. The sentence (1) is a virtual sentence, with if omitted and the auxiliary verb had placed at the beginning of the sentence. Candidates can first find the core part of the sentence (that is, the main sentence): we should have dropped it and slept until dawn. (where the subject is us and the predicate is that we should have fallen off and been sleepy); The preceding conditional adverbial clause contains an attributive clause caused by why; There is also an adverbial clause of time caused by while after the subject clause. Similarly, when understanding sentence (2), we should first find out its core part. After careful reading, it can be seen that the main sentence of sentence (2) uses an emphasis sentence (it was+ preposition in +that clause leads to the emphasis adverbial part), and the adverbial clause of the cause caused by as comes before it. (1) and (2) literally mean: "If we have any special reason not to sleep, but get up and get dressed at once, our necks will be stiff when we look at our watches, and it will be 10: 00 when we wake up. Since we didn't think it was necessary to get up at least two hours later, and getting up at that time was really ridiculous, then we both felt that lying in bed for another five minutes would kill us, which was completely in line with the law of time. "To put it bluntly, if you don't let him sleep, he will fall asleep and sleep soundly; If you let him sleep carefree, he may be fully awake. If candidates can't grasp the core and understand the internal structure of sentences (1) and (2), it is very difficult to really understand such sentences. For another example, in "The World at War", the author quoted Churchill's famous saying: "Never ... so many people have paid so much for so few people. Although the sentence is short, it is meaningful, expressing the gratitude of the British people to the Royal Air Force for fighting bloody battles to defend Britain at the beginning of World War II. To understand this sentence, candidates might as well change it from passive voice to active voice with their existing sentence knowledge: "So many people have never been so many to so few" (meaning: never before have so many people attributed so many things to so few people). In this way, the structure of this sentence is clear and the meaning is not difficult to understand. Second: learn to read quickly. In the language teaching in 1960s, fast reading training was all the rage. Some people think that the main purpose of foreign language reading class is to cultivate fast reading. In teaching, they divide candidates into fast, medium and slow three according to the number of words they read per minute. They think that reading aloud, pointing and reading back are the main reasons for the slow reading speed. In fact, this kind of teaching that only emphasizes speed not only lacks theoretical basis, but also does not help to improve the reading ability of candidates. The research shows that the reason why candidates read aloud, refer to reading and read back is because they encounter reading difficulties, not the reasons that cause reading difficulties. They are also a manifestation of the examinee's overcoming difficulties, which shows that the examinee is trying to achieve the purpose of reading comprehension by some methods. But in any case, if the reading speed is too slow, it will definitely be troubled by new words and other factors, which will make candidates lose interest in reading and lead candidates to fail to grasp the central idea of the article. Fast reading requires candidates to read the full text quickly, get all the information they need after reading, and answer the questions more accurately according to the content of the article. Of course, fast reading is only a type of reading, and it is one-sided to emphasize that any material should be read quickly. In the example after English reading (1) and last year's exam questions, the questioner really asked the candidates to use skimming, scanning and other reading skills to accurately understand the intention, style, specific chapters and vocabulary of the material. This requires candidates to be good at summing up experience in their usual study, make full use of after-class fast reading exercises, and strive to find a suitable method to improve reading speed. Third: learn to find references. An article is not composed of isolated sentences, but a coherent organic whole, which is a network woven by related topics. In order to keep the coherence of the article, the whole article refers to each other, is related to each other and is ashamed of each other in terms of vocabulary and theme. Therefore, in order to truly understand a reading material, it is necessary to understand the order of words in the material, the affiliation of words, synonyms, and the comparison of their meanings, theirs, its, its, this, that and so on. For example:-When fighting with camels in 19 14, this army managed to arrive in time and saved Paris. This unit here refers to the aforementioned 150000-strong army. During that time, it did a lot of work, taxing the rich and helping the poor, especially the elderly and the unemployed. The country is relieved to see that the royal power can still be used to support its will, and the impression of kingship has been strengthened. When the war ended, Britain had to turn its attention to the internal problems of the empire. -If it had been done without sadness, some countries would be surprised now. (This refers to the procedure mentioned above) Fourth, master the method of guessing the meaning of new words. Whether reading (1) or reading (2), the examinee department must greatly improve its vocabulary by reading a lot. This is also one of the important purposes of offering reading classes. The self-taught English reading syllabus (1) requires candidates to have a vocabulary of 5000-6000 after completing this course; Among them, 2,000-2,500 commonly used words should be used correctly and flexibly in communication activities such as listening, speaking, reading and writing. The accuracy should reach 70%-80%. For candidates with weak foundation, this requirement is undoubtedly high, but it is by no means unattainable. There is a methodological problem here. For the majority of self-learners, more or less new words will inevitably be encountered in reading practice. The outline lists four ways to guess words: 1) word formation; 2) Grammatical structure; 3) Context or context clues; 4) General knowledge of learners. Here are two commonly used methods: 1) and 2): There are three main word-formation methods in English: 1) affixation. That is, add a prefix/suffix to the front/back of the root to form a new word. Such as: re-acquisition, over-acquisition, strength, acceptance, etc. 2) compound words. That is, the method of connecting two or more words or roots with or without hyphens to form new words. Such as: toothbrush, blueprint, investors, sit-in, easy-going, etc. 3) Part-of-speech conversion. That is, new words are formed by changing the part of speech without changing the word form. Such as: pocket → pocket jar → jar, shelter → shelter, skin → shelter, skin → skin; Pass → pass, cover, etc. If candidates can learn some knowledge about word formation, memorize some common affixes and roots (listed in the appendix 1 of the textbook author) and use them consciously in their usual study, it will be very beneficial to improve reading speed and expand vocabulary. For example, suppose unreliable is a new word in the sentence "The equipment is unreliable and it often makes mistakes". "How do candidates guess its meaning through word formation? Of course, candidates know the commonly used word rely, and it is impossible not to know that the prefix "un-" means negative meaning, and the adjective suffix "-able" means "capable". Then add up the meanings of these three parts, which means adjectives are unreliable. In this way, candidates can solve problems without looking up the dictionary at all. There are four ways to guess words from the context: 1) Use the definition, explanation and restatement given in this paper; 2) Use common sense or general information; 3) Use enumerated examples; 4) Use comparison and contrast. If candidates can really master these four guessing methods, they will get rid of their dependence on dictionaries and greatly improve their reading speed. Because the internal ideas of any article or paragraph are closely linked, we can explain and reiterate the exact meaning or reference content of a word, phrase or sentence by studying the ideas expressed in the context, and often give examples. These are clues to judge the meaning of new words, and candidates should be good at using them. In the test questions of 200 1 April, there are not only the fourth part of word formation that simply examines the breadth and depth of candidates' vocabulary reading, but also questions that let candidates guess the meaning of some new words in reading comprehension. For example, in the fourth paragraph of the second part, there is such a question: 40. In this article, the word "neglect" means _ _ _. A. honor B. danger C. pride D. shame appears in "a man can protect the honor of his family B. Y. courage and the interference word honor in ordinary families." A Bedouin woman can't bring honor to her family, but she can bring shame. Even if a woman appears only three times in this paper, it is an important clue. A little analysis of the context shows that honor and disgrace are not synonyms, but antonyms (a Bedouin woman can not bring honor to her family but may bring humiliation to her toes). From the word formation, the prefix "dis-" of shame means "no", so shame means no+grace (grace is a common word, meaning "elegance" and "decency"). Honor and shame in interference are only antonyms. So we can guess that shame here means shame. In a word, reading in a large number according to scientific methods is very beneficial to improving reading skills and learning professional knowledge. However, the cultivation of scientific methods will never happen overnight. The ancients said, "A thousand miles can't be achieved without accumulating silicon, and a river can't be achieved without accumulating small streams." The majority of candidates realize the importance of accumulating bit by bit, combine intensive reading with extensive reading, study hard and practice hard, and finally achieve the goal of improving English reading ability.