ObjectivesandOutcomesLearntousethefourstrategiesintechnicalandbusinessreading:Skimforanoverviewofadocument.Scanforspecificinformation.Determinemainpointsbytellingthetopicsentencefromsupportingsentences.Drawinferencesfromassumptionsandimplications.

Lead-inQ:Inanageofinformation,howtodealwiththeproblemofreading?

Toreadeffectively,weneedtofollow4steps:SelectwhatyoureallyneedtoreadReadquicklyFindmainpointsaccuratelyUnderstandindirectorimpliedmeaningcorrectly

Tofollowthe4steps,weneedtolearn4strategiesaccordingly:SkimmingScanningIdentifyingstructureandhierarchyDistinguishingmainpointsDrawinginferences

I.SkimmingandScanningBeforegettingdowntoreadadocumentindetail,youshouldaskyourselfthefollowingquestions:DoIreallyneedtoreadthisdocument?IfIdo,shouldIreadthewholedocumentoronlyapartofit?WhichpartofthedocumentshouldIfocuson?WhichpartshouldIreadfairlyquickly?WhichpartshouldIskip?

Toanswerthesequestions,youshouldlearnhowtoskimandhowtoscan.1.Skimming(浏览或略读)Skimmingmeanstogothroughtheentiredocumentquicklytogetanoverallsenseofwhatisinthedocumentandwhereitislocated.

Skimmingstrategies:Forabook:Lookthroughthecovers,thepreface,andthetableofcontentstogetanoverviewofthecontent,thescopeandapproach.Example:EnglishforTechnicalCommunicationThefrontcoverprovidesmajorcontents.Thebackcovergivesapproachesofcompilationandscopesofapplication.Theprefaceprovidesanoverviewofthebook.Thecontentstellswhateachchapterincludes.

Foranarticle:Glancethroughthetitle,headings,topicsentences,andthefirstandthelastparagraphtoidentifymainideas.E.g.WhatisEnergy?(P.16)Skimmingadocumentwillhelpyoudecide:whetheryoushouldreadthedocumentornot;whetheryoushouldreadthewholeoronlyapartofthedocument;whatyouneedtoco