Reading Strategies
By Zhong Meiyun
Questions taken from CEE 2009
71. The purpose of the writing is to _____.
75. Which of the following can best summarize
the main idea of the passage?
76. The passage mainly deals with _____.
Main idea\ Best title
66. How did George feel about Richard after his
disappearance?
68. What happened to George and Richard in
the end?
70. Which of the following is true according to
the passage?
Facts and Details
72. The expression “to give the thief a piece of
their mind” can be understood as
“________________”
Literal Comprehension
79. What can be concluded from the passage?
Text-based Inferential Comprehension
Common question forms in reading
A: Main Idea/Best Title
B: Facts and Details
C: Literal Comprehension
D: Text-based Inferential
Comprehension
Main idea\ Best Title
Question forms:
 What’s the main idea of the passage?
/What’s the best title for the passage?
 Which of the following best
expresses\ summarizes the main idea
of the passage?
 The author’s purpose in writing the
passage is to _____________.
 The passage mainly deals with/
discusses __________________
General strategy: Find the topic
sentence.
（1）Asian countries continue to find better ways to solve their
pollution problems. Singapore introduced a Corrective Work Order
campaign. C.W.O. requires those people who like to throw waste
materials in a public place to do public service. They must clean
beaches, parks and housing developments. As a result, rubbish has
decreased. Thailand uses fear to control throwing away rubbish. A
rich Thai woman designed “magic eyes” to encourage people to
protect the surroundings. The eyes were put up in schools and on
every street corner. Certainly the most expensive plan is Japan’s
large vacuum(吸尘器). This vacuum will operate along Osaka’s
dirtiest road. The vacuum sucks up the air and makes it clean.
The passage mainly discusses______________________________
A. Air pollution in Asia
B. Asian plans for fighting against pollution
C. How to solve the problem of air pollution
D. How to make the air clean
(2) In the film Annie Hall, Diane Keaton and Woody
Allen have just met and they want to impress each
other. While they are talking, their inner thoughts
appear in sub-title on the screen. “Listen to me--what a jerk.” “He probably thinks I’m stupid.”
Thoughts like these kill a conversation. So don’t try
to impress other people. Just relax and be yourself.
The best title for this passage is ______________.
A. An interesting film.
B. Relax and be yourself.
C. Talk with strangers.
D. How to impress other people.
(3) To carry out a successful office move, it’s important to
form a project team as early as possible before the move,
and at least twelve months in advance. It’s also essential
to contact the British Association of Removers and ask
for a list of commercial specialists who will advise on
packing, security and other important topics. Then you’ll
need to appoint a move organizer, or employ a freelance
expert from a firm such as Move Plan. You’ll also need to
pick a time when closing down your IT department will
cause the fewest problems to the business. Finally, make a
list of all the furniture, equipment and paperwork.
Which of the following is the main idea of the passage?
A: The reasons why we should ask experts for help.
B: The importance of making a move plan.
C :The necessity to contact the British Association of
Removers.
D: The advice on how to move an office.
General strategy for Main idea or Best
title: Find the topic sentence
 At
the beginning of the passage.
 At the end of the passage.
 Summarize it according to the
structure of the passage
Facts and Details
Question forms:
 According to the passage, who/ what/ which/
when/ where / why / how/ how many/how
much/ how long/ how soon/ how often……,
etc.? (wh + h questions)
 According to the passage, which of the
following is TRUE/ NOT TRUE?
 According to the passage, which of the
following is NOT MENTIONED?
 All of the following are true EXCEPT
_________________________.
What is the strategy?
At Tim Hortons, we value our customers’ safety
above anything else. So, whether your lid is leaking or
not, in the interest of your safety, we are requesting
that you bring your mug to your nearest Tim Hortons,
where they will exchange the lid for a new lid that fits
safely. The new lids will be available from February1,
2006.
Please do not use your mug until you exchange the lid.
Here’s what you do:
 Please do not use your mug until you have exchanged
the lid for a new one.
 New lids will be available from February1, 2006.
 Return your travel mug to a Tim Hortons store.
 Your lid will be exchanged for a new lid.
If you prefer to return the entire mug, bring it back
at any time for a full repayment.
General strategy:
Find relevant sentences in the
passage and compare them with
the statements in the question.
Literal Comprehension
Question forms:
 The underlined word “…”probably means \
could best be replaced by _________.
 What does the underlined word “…”refer
to\mean?
 The word “…” is closest in meaning to
__________.
General strategy: Make full use of the context
clues
(1) Carbon monoxide (CO) is a noxious gas which can
cause death. Explanation\ Definition
A. nice B. delicious C. beneficial D. poisonous
(2) Andrew is one of the most supercilious men I know. His
brother, in contrast, is quite humble and modest.
A. superior
B. proud
C. modest D. particular
Comparison\ Contrast
(3) Doctors recommended that everyone exercise every day,
particularly those who spend many hours doing sedentary
activities like reading, typing or sewing.
A. secondary B. slow
C. sitting D. busy
Example
(4) Peter was not frugal since he spent money so freely.
A. luxurious B. generous C. economical D. pessimistic
Cause and effect
General strategy: Make full use of the
context clues
Possible clues:
Explanation\ Definition
Comparison\ Contrast
Example
Cause and effect
……
Text-based Inferential Comprehension
Question forms:
 It can be inferred/ learned/ concluded from the passage that
_________.
 The passage implies that _________.
 What can be inferred/ learned /concluded from the passage?
General strategy: ???
Text-based
Inferential
Your inference should be based on the passage.
The information should be inferred, not directly
stated or wrongly stated or not mentioned.
General strategy: Exclude what is stated directly or wrongly
stated or not mentioned and put yourself into the writer’s shoes.
The situation in which grown-up children live far away
from their aged parents has been described as “distant
parent phenomenon”, which is common both in developed
countries and in developing countries. Our society has not
yet been well prepared for “Empty Nest Syndrome”.
From the paragraph, we can infer that ______________
A. the situations in the developed and developing countries
are different Directly stated
B. children will become independent as soon as they go
abroad
Not mentioned
C. the aged parents are not fully prepared for “ Empty Nest
Syndrome”
Wrongly stated
D. “Empty Nest Syndrome” has arrived unexpectedly in the
writer’s society.
Common question forms and reading
strategies
A: Main Idea/Best Title
Find the topic sentence
Find relevant sentences in the
passage and compare them
B: Facts and Details
with the statements in the
question.
Make full use of the
C: Literal Comprehension
context clues
D: Text-based Inferential Comprehension
Exclude what is stated directly or wrongly stated or not
mentioned and put yourself into the writer’s shoes
1. We can infer form the first paragraph
that________________________
In recent years, more and more people have been
paying for things with credit cards. There are now
565 million credit cards worldwide, but it doesn’t
stop there.
A. More and more people are using credit cards to pay for
things.
Directly stated
B. Cards are popular now. Wrongly stated
C. Most cards are made of paper. Not mentioned
D. More credit cards will be produced.
Which of the following statements is NOT
TRUE according to the passage?
Debit cards (借记卡)are being issued by banks, and store cards
are being offered by many department stores and supermarkets.
Bills and coins are gradually being replaced by “plastic money”. In
many countries, phone cards have been introduced for people to
use in paying phones. In addition, cards made of paper are being
replaced by plastic ones by many organizations and clubs. For
example, if you belong to a sports club, your membership card
may well be made of plastic.
How safe is the plastic used to make these cards, though? Until
now, most cards have been made from a plastic called PVC. While
PVC is being produced, harmful chemicals are released onto the
atmosphere. One of the most dangerous chemicals that is released
is dioxin, which is known to cause cancer in humans.
The underlined word “biodegradable” means
___________________________.
A further problem is that, when a PVC card is
thrown away, it is not biodegradable, which
means that it does not “break down” and
cannot be recycled. Obviously, recycling
reduces pollution of the environment.
A. able to be changed back to a harmless
natural state
B. not able to be broken down
C. not able to be produced
D. able to be released
Which of the following best expresses
the main idea?
A. Credit cards: popular and convenient.
B. Plastic: useful but harmful.
C. Plastic cards: popular but harmful.
D. Cards: popular and convenient.
STRUCTURE:
Paragraph 1-2 the popularity of plastic cards
Paragraph 3-4 the harm of plastic in plastic
cards
Paragraph 5
a possible solution
Assignment
1.
2.
Review the strategies learned in class.
Read two passages (exercise book: p96
17\18)and consolidate the strategies.
Requirements:
1. Analyze the question forms in the passages.
2. Try to apply the strategies learned in class.