Question

Reading is a great way to improve your English. You'll learn new words, revise previously-taught structures and absorb thousands of useful expressions and phrases... without any effort. By reading, you are receiving valuable language input. And this is how you learn! Remember, language learning is a combination of input + practice. As you're reading, you're taking in language naturally, and you're seeing how it all fits together. This is crucial to your learning.

The great thing about reading is that learning takes place subconsciously. There are no exercises to do, no grammar rules to learn, no tasks to complete... it's all natural. The language flows in through your eyes, and gets recorded in your brain. What could be easier?

The key to effective reading is to read things that you want to read. There are millions of books, magazines and websites out there. You couldn't possibly read them all. So, the important thing is to find things that you like reading. Then, you'll be motivated to read. And then the reading won't be difficult. It'll be easy! And then you'll learn. It's simple.

Remember: read what you want to read. What you like reading. What motivates and inspires you. But where can you start? Well, you could read a book that you've already read in your own language. Simply find a translated version of a book that you have read and enjoyed. This will make processing the content in the target language much easier as you’ll already know what the book is about! You could also read the news. This is great as you can read the news in your own language first, then in English. You'll see that it won't be too difficult as you'll be familiar with the topics and stories. Magazines are also great. Find one that covers a topic you're interested in: business, clothing, guns, horses, houses, housekeeping, stocks and shares, sports, computers, electronics, designing, cooking... you name it, they'll have it. If not, look for information on the internet. There are also websites for every topic under the sun! Why not join a forum? They're a great source of English input as the language is often written in a simple, spoken style. Go to Google Groups, which has discussion groups based on common interests. Just type in the topic that interests you and join the chat.

Finally, how you read is also important. The best thing is to read without using a dictionary. Let the words flow over you. Just skip the parts you don't understand. If you make your reading feel too much like work, it'll stop being fun. Of course, you could make a note of any new words and phrases that you like or see repeated frequently, but try not to break your concentration too much. Also, set yourself mini-objectives. For example, if you're reading a novel, read 20 pages a day. Very soon, you'll have been exposed to thousands of useful phrases and words. Have fun reading! You'll learn so much!

1.The underlined word “crucial” in the first paragraph is closest in meaning to ________.

A. easy         B. important        C. difficult        D. suitable

2.The key to effective reading is _______.

A. to read millions of books   B. not to learn grammar rules

C. to be motivated to read     D. to read easy things

3.You can start to read by ____.

A. reading a book that you've already read in English

B. reading the news in English first

C. going to Google Groups to practice spoken English

D. reading magazines containing topics you are interested in

4.From the passage we can learn that ______.

A. when you read you needn’t look up every new word in the dictionary

B. the great thing about reading is that you can read without any effort

C. to read is as much fun as to work

D. you should make notes of every new word and phrase while reading

Answer

1.B

2.C

3.D

4.A

【解析】

试题分析：本文叙述的是如何通过阅读提高我们的英语水平，作者分析了阅读的好处以及如何选择合适的材料进行广泛的英语阅读。

1.B 猜测词义题。根据前句As you're reading, you're taking in language naturally, and you're seeing how it all fits together.当你阅读的时候，你会很自然地吸收语言，你会明白这些语言是如何自然地融合在一起的。因为这就是语言的输入过程，这一过程对你的语言学习是十分重要的。故该词意为important。故B正确。

2.C 推理题。根据文章第三段第一句The key to effective reading is to read things that you want to read.可知

有效阅读的关键是去阅读你想要读的内容。也就是说要有阅读的动力。故C正确。

3.D 细节题。根据第四段11句Magazines are also great. Find one that covers a topic you're interested in: business, clothing, guns, horses, houses, housekeeping, stocks and shares, sports, computers, electronics, designing, cooking... you name it, they'll have it.可知我们可以选择阅读杂志，因为杂志里有我们感兴趣的内容，这样可以激发我们的阅读兴趣。故D正确。

4.

【名师点睛】

猜测词义题的解题技巧中有根据定义或上下文解释进行猜测的方法。有时短文中出现一个需要猜测其意义的词或短语，下面接着出现其定义或解释，这就是判断该词或短语意义的主要依据。例如：

Annealing is a way of making metal softer by heating it and then letting it cool very slowly.

句子给予annealing 以明确的定义，即“退火”。

It will be very hard but also very brittle — that is, it will break easily.

从后面that is(也就是说)的解释中我们可以了解到brittle是“脆”的意思。

The herdsman, who looks after sheep, earns about 650 yuan a year.

定语从句中 looks after sheep 就表明了herdsman的词义为“牧羊人”。

【考例】

（2009福建卷，E篇） The underlined words “tipping points” most probably refer to “_______”.

A. freezing points B. burning points

C. melting points D. boiling points

解析:C。请看原文：In his book, he had challenged readers to make deep cuts in personal emissions to keep the world from reaching extremely important tipping points, such as the melting（融化）of the ice sheets in Greenland or West Antarctica. 根据后一句的such as the melting（融化）of the ice sheets in Greenland or West Antarctica.可知tipping points的意思是“融点”。

The underlined word “crucial” in the first paragraph is closest in meaning to _____.根据文章第一段Remember, language learning is a combination of input + practice. As you're reading, you're taking in language naturally, and you're seeing how it all fits together.语言学习是输入和练习的融合，当我们在阅读的时候，我们在自然地吸收语言，同时我们能够理解语言是如何融合在一起的。这种阅读的过程对语言的学习是很重要的。所以该词等同于important。

考点：考查教育类阅读