Out in the market, there are many courses and books teaching students the best way to read. This is not the purpose of this book because there is simply no “best” way to read and learn English.
I wrote this book because amongst the sea of English reading advice, such information is abstract and difficult for learners to apply. What exactly is extensive reading? Intensive? How about skimming and scanning? Are there concrete steps to take? Typically, only language instructors have the answer to these questions because metacognitive reading strategies -- learning how to learn to read -- is seldom taught in class. It is understandable because there is no set of rules that can meet everyone’s objectives and goals for reading. However, this does not mean there are guidelines that readers can take when faced with specific kinds of text.
This book aims to provide readers with a set of guidelines and concrete steps they can refer to when trying to quickly skim, understand, and analyze information in an English article. The strategies provided range from general to specific, and there are some tips that can apply to both extensive and intensive reading. These approaches and strategies work best when reading a short text between 150 words to 800 words, but may not always apply to fictional articles and novels that do not follow a set structure. All of the reading practice articles in the book are the format of various standardized reading assessments. The materials do not contain specific test-taking strategies. They are written to help students assess their reading comprehension of common types of articles they will encounter in work and academia.
The book teaches students to read actively and not passively accept information when learning English or encountering a new topic. English reading extends far beyond just passively learning vocabulary and breaking down complex grammatical structures. It is a tool that enables learners to understand, analyze, evaluate, and use the information to achieve their own goals.
市面上有各式各樣的課程與參考書，以最好的方法教學生閱讀。但這並非本書的目的，因為所謂「最好」的閱讀與學習英文的方式，並不存在。
我之所以撰寫本書，乃因英語閱讀的建議浩如煙海。對讀者而言，這些資訊既抽象又難以活用。泛讀到底意味著什麼？那精讀呢？何謂略讀與掃讀？是否有可供遵循的具體步驟？通常只有語言老師能回答這些問題，因為課堂上我們鮮少將後設認知閱讀策略（metacognitive reading strategies）——學習如何學習閱讀——傳授給學生。這是可以理解的，因為沒有一套標準可以滿足每個人的閱讀目的與目標。但這並非意味著，在面對特定種類的文本時，沒有一些準則可供讀者參考。
本書旨在提供讀者一套原則與具體步驟，讓他們在試著快速略讀、理解與分析英語文章裡的資訊時，可略作參考。本書提供的策略由淺入深，有些技巧可應用在泛讀與精讀。這些方法與策略在閱讀一百五十字到八百字之間的短文時效果最佳，但可能不適用於沒有既定框架的虛構類文章及小說。本書所有的閱讀練習文章，都是各種制式化的閱讀評量。這些素材本身並不包含特定的應試策略。編寫這些文章是為了協助學生評估，自身能否理解工作場合或學界常見的文章種類。
本書提醒學生，每當學習英語或遇到新的主題時，要主動閱讀而非被動地接受資訊。英語閱讀並非只是被動地學習詞彙，或拆解複雜的語法結構。它是一個讓學習者能夠理解、分析、評鑑並運用資訊來實現個人目標的工具。
Eric Yang
