Depending on the following passage answer the following questions.
Reading for Study
Reading is a fundamental aspect of academic work. It is likely to be the major way to gather
information about the discipline you are studying and it is a very valuable skill to enhance and
develop at university or college. One of the routes to develop the ability to think about and describe
the world in terms of a particular approach is through reading. Reading will provide an
understanding of the academic discipline being studied. Ultimately it will be one of the keys that
unlock the door to a career as a business manager, psychologist, engineer, chemist, teacher,
scientist and so on. As well as guiding you through your course, it will be an invaluable learning
tool in the world of employment. Reading opens up the possibility of gaining access to and an
understanding of the thinking of all the people who have developed models and theories or written
about a particular discipline.
One of the principal objectives of reading for study is to gather ideas and information and to
assimilate them into your own view of the world, and then to be able to express that view through
the assessment program or in seminars. Only by doing this can you understand a subject. Duringyour time at university or college you will need to approach your reading very intelligently and
diligently by putting considerable effort into it.
As a student it is important to recognize that reading may be the most demanding work you do at
university or college and that a huge volume of reading will be required to pass a course. Almost
certainly reading strategies need to be developed in order to get through the amount of reading to
be done. For some people it may be a matter of changing perceptions about reading. For example,
on entering a library some students will think ‘Oh no, look at all these books to read!, while others
will think ‘Oh wow, look at all these books to read – where shall I start? Let me get going!’.
Over the years authors have identified, described and analyzed the issues relevant to a particular
area of study, such as business, philosophy, botany, education and psychology. Within each
discipline theorists examine a subject from a number of viewpoints, identifying key themes and
issues and embodying certain assumptions. One of the particular advantages of reading is that in
many instances it is possible, through books, to read the original works of an author. The written
word is still the main way of accessing academic debate in all fields of study. Through reading, it
is possible to discover the fundamentals and essential aspects of a subject, its basic assumptions,
the facts upon which it is built and how these are examined and approached.
There are, of course, different ways of tackling reading, which will vary according to both the
reading material and the particular task and focus. Reading is, after all, one of the basic tools of
work for students. It is crucial that reading skills are developed so that you are able to get the most
out of reading and importantly to make the best use of it. There are many techniques that can be
used to gain a detailed understanding from a textbook or article, to identify the main themes or
issues, or to get a general overview.
The reading skills that you have already developed can be put to good use in academic study. New
students may neglect to use abilities which are at their disposal in the repertoire of skills developed
in their everyday lives, but that are often taken for granted and overlooked. Reading is a skill which
is often taken for granted. It is easy to believe that it no longer requires any thought or effort.
However, the fact is that reading is concerned with understanding the meaning that the author is
trying to communicate; not just a matter of recognizing words on a page. When studying, it is
important to think about why you are reading and to realize your need for a variety of approaches.
It can be only too easy to read without thinking about it, because a reading list has been provided
by the instructor or you think that reading is a necessary requirement of your course.
Most people tend to feel that the way to read a book, an article or information on a personal
computer is to start at the beginning and read through to the end. At first this tends to be the
approach that many students adopt with books, opening the textbook and starting to read from
chapter one until he or she loses interest, finds it too difficult, falls asleep, or in some cases finishes
the book with relief. This method is unlikely to be the approach which brings the most benefit
when studying at university.
5. Guess the meanings of the following words and phrases as used in the reading text. First, work
individually, and in groups of three, tell each other what helped you to arrive at those
meanings.
a. keys (paragraph 1)
f. extract (paragraph 5)
b. access (paragraph 1)
g. vary (paragraph 6)
c. perceptions (paragraph 3)
h. themes (paragraph 6)
d. interpreted (paragraph 4)
i. at their disposal (paragraph 7)
e. glancing through (paragraph 5)
j. recognizing (paragraph 8)
1. keys (paragraph 1) - means something that provides access or understanding
2. access (paragraph 1) - means the ability to obtain or retrieve information
3. perceptions (paragraph 3) - means how someone views or understands something
4. interpreted (paragraph 4) - means to understand or explain the meaning of something
5. glancing through (paragraph 5) - means to quickly look through or skim
6. extract (paragraph 5) - means to take out or obtain
7. vary (paragraph 6) - means to change or differ
8. themes (paragraph 6) - means central ideas or subjects
9. at their disposal (paragraph 7) - means something that is available for use
10. recognizing (paragraph 8) - means to identify or acknowledge