Ⅰ. Reading Str ategy: Sk imming for Main Ideas
Skimming is one of the useful strategies to improve your reading efficiency. By skimming we mean reading something quickly to get an overview or the main idea of the reading material. When you skim，you just keep your eyes moving and read as fast as possible so long as you can get a general view of the passage. It is usually very important to get the main idea of what you read and skimming is thus employed to achieve the purpose. In order to obtain the main idea of a passage，you should first of all pay special attention to the beginning and the end of each paragraph or a passage because these are the places where topic sentences are often located. An effective way is to read the beginning part of a passage or the first sentence of a paragraph carefully to see whether the subsequent paragraphs or sentences support or center on it. If they do，you can be sure that you have found the topic sentence of the passage or the paragraph. If not，you should proceed quickly to the end of the passage or the paragraph to see whether the sentences there summarize the whole passage or the paragraph. Of course many paragraphs or passages do not have topic sentences. In this case，you have to summarize what you have read or you might get lost in a sea of details.
When you are doing reading exercises or taking a test for reading comprehension,you might often encounter the questions as follows:
What is the major topic of this passage?
What is the main idea of this passage?
What does the author mainly talk about in this passage?
Which of the following best summarizes the passage?
What is the best title for this passage?
All those questions are designed to test your ability to obtain the main idea of the reading materials. Although a“ title”or a“ topic”is not equivalent to the main idea or a topic sentence mentioned above，they are closely related in many ways. Such questions are therefore all meant to test your understanding of the main idea of what you have read. When you answer such questions，you should choose the statement that can best summarize the whole paragraph or the passage in that there might also be a number of less important points discussed in what you have read. In other words,you should be able to distinguish the major points from the minor ones. Be sure to stick to the main argument.
Ⅱ. Applying the Read ing Str ategy
In this part，you are required to use the reading strategy you have just learned.
Read the following paragraphs and answer the questions after them.
( 1)
Sure there are differences in approach as to what is considered polite and appropriate behavior both on and off the job. In some cultures“ yes”means,“ I hear you”more than“ I agree. ”Length of pleasantries ( 诙谐的话) and greetings before getting down to business; level of tolerance for being around someone speaking a foreign ( not-understood ) language; politeness measured in terms of gallantry or etiquette ( e. g. ，standing up for a woman who approaches a table，giving up a seat on the bus to an older person，etc. ) ; and manner of expected dress are all examples of possible cultural differences and traditions.
What is the main idea of the above paragraph?
A. Sure there are differences in approach as to what is considered polite and appropriate behavior both on and off the job.
B. Politeness measured in terms of gallantry or etiquette and manner of expected dress are all examples of possible cultural differences and traditions.
C. In some cultures“ yes”means“ I hear you”more than“I agree. ”
D. Length of pleasantries and greetings before getting down to business and level of tolerance for being around someone speaking a foreign ( not-understood) language are all examples of possible cultural differences and traditions.
( 2)
In México it is customary for the arriving person to greet the others. For instance，someone who walks into a group of persons eating would say provecho( enjoy your meal) . In Chile，women often greet both other women and men with a kiss on the cheek. In Russia women often walk arm in arm with their female friends.
Paying attention to customs and cultural differences can give someone outside that culture a better chance of assimilation or acceptance. Ignoring these can get an unsuspecting person into trouble.
Which of the following statements best summarizes this paragraph?
A. In México it is customary for the arriving person to greet the others.
B. In México it is customary for the arriving person to greet the others; in Chile，women often greet both other women and men with a kiss on the cheek; in Russia women often walk arm in arm with their female friends.
C. Ignoring customs and cultural differences can get an unsuspecting person into trouble.
D. We should pay attention to customs and cultural differences.
Ⅲ. Reading Task
A. Pr e-r eading act ivity
English is more and more widely used all over the world. It is even regarded as an international language by many people. Do you know what are the causes of the prevalence of English? What will the author probably tell you?
B. Reading
