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How to read a passage when you don't know all of the words
ScottsEnglish
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in TOEFL Test
The TOEFL test has a reading section with university reading passages. You many not be familiar with the subject matter, but you still have to understand the passage. Here are some reading strategies:
a. Don't stop.
Sometimes to key to understanding a sentence comes after a difficult word.
"The advent of better refining techniques after the war, coupled with the Eisenhower administration's investment in highways, allowed the US population to become more mobile in particular towards the industrial North and the sunbelt states of California, Arizona and New Mexico."
You may not know the words "advent" and "couple with", but the important information is: "oil plus highways equals a mobile population, moving towards work centers and sunny climates."
b. Try to read the sentence without the difficult words, in particular adjectives and adverbs.
"Humans are eminently capable of outstanding feats of technology and engineering., and yet humans are prone to making mistakes often the same ones repeatedly."
Read the sentence as, Humans are eminently capable of outstanding feats of technology and engineering., and yet humans are prone to making mistakes often the same ones repeatedly."
Which becomes "Humans are capable of technology and engineering, and yet humans make mistakes, often the same ones repeatedly."
During your next reading practice, try these two techniques in order to understand better the reading passage!
a. Don't stop.
Sometimes to key to understanding a sentence comes after a difficult word. "The advent of better refining techniques after the war, coupled with the Eisenhower administration's investment in highways, allowed the US population to become more mobile in particular towards the industrial North and the sunbelt states of California, Arizona and New Mexico."
You may not know the words "advent" and "couple with", but the important information is: "oil plus highways equals a mobile population, moving towards work centers and sunny climates."
b. Try to read the sentence without the difficult words, in particular adjectives and adverbs.
"Humans are eminently capable of outstanding feats of technology and engineering., and yet humans are prone to making mistakes often the same ones repeatedly."
Read the sentence as, Humans are eminently capable of outstanding feats of technology and engineering., and yet humans are prone to making mistakes often the same ones repeatedly."
Which becomes "Humans are capable of technology and engineering, and yet humans make mistakes, often the same ones repeatedly."
During your next reading practice, try these two techniques in order to understand better the reading passage!
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