Words & Phrases

1. thresh: to separate seed from mechnically

    chaff: the seed coverings and other debris separated from the seed in threshing grain

    Kernel: the small, somewhat soft part inside a seed or nut.

2. seductive

   Making someone do or want sth.

3. blurb

   A short description that praises sth so that people will want to buy it.

4. fixation and regression

   Fixation: stereotyped behavior

 Regression: reversion to an earlier mental or behavioral level.

Structure

Main point:

The Second Level of Reading

Definition: You must be able to read an author's text more or less steadily, without having to stop to look up the meaning of many words, and without stumbling over the grammar and syntax. You must be able to make sense of a majority of the sentences and paragraphs, although not necessarily the best sense of all them.

Inspectional reading 1:

Two types reading skills - aspects of a single skill

1. Systematic Skimming or Pre-reading

   6 methods

   * Look at the title page, + preface

   * Study the table of contents

   * Check the index

   * Read the publisher's blurb

   * Look at the pivotal chapters

   * Dip in a paragraph here and there

Inspectional reading 2:

2. Superficial Reading

  The rule:

   In tackling a difficult book for the first time, read it through without ever stopping to look-up or ponder the things you do not understand right away.

On Reading Speeds

 A good speed reading course should therefore teach you to read at many different speeds, not just one speed that is faster than anything you can manage now. It should enable you to vary your rate of reading in accordance with the nature and complexity of the material.

感悟 & Summary

每篇文章的阅读应该采取不同的阅读方法和阅读速度。然而在如何做到这一点上始终疑惑，在读书的门外四处打转，不得其法。胡适先生说过读书分精读和泛读两种。他将阅读的材料分为两种，然而在真正使用的阅读方法上却没有提及。而记得读书的时候老师总是让我们预习课文，先了解大意，本质上同此篇所讲类似，但是实际的指导上没有到位，以至于将其视为套话，没有真正的认真对待。实在是损失惨重。现如今需要自己自学，以此法训练，希望以后能逐渐得起精髓。

The chapter in inspectional reading is quite clear and easily-understanding. Esspecially the last conclusion reviews the important statements the author has made, which proveing  the method in inspectional reading - dip in here and there, a paragraph or the finial several sentences in a passages. I have been using this method to finish the English reading tests and be able to do it well although I can't understand the meaning for most passages. Since then, the habit of skimming reading remains till now. I hurrry to grasp every reading matter while neglecting the differet reading speed for distinct materials.

Reading speed and fixation are the vital knowledge I have learnt in this chapter.