笔记式题型在中国大学英语快速阅读测试中的应用初探初探.pdfVIP

Chapter 1 Introduction 1.1 Background of the study Nowadays, we have been in a world of information explosion. People from all works of life need to search useful information according to their specific purposes though extensive reading. In particular, a huge amount of accessible information, which is related to people’s professional work, academic study or other aspects of life, is presented in foreign languages (especially in English) and delivered through more diversified media, such as printed books, newspapers, magazines, Internet websites, digital multimedia discs, e-mails, etc. Thus, with the coming of globalization and information age, there is an urgent need for people to have good command of fast reading skills both in their mother tongues and in other languages so as to read in a more efficient and effective way. Carrell (1988: 1) remarked that “effective reading in a second/foreign language is particularly crucial”. Actually, the significance of reading effectively in a second/foreign language has been recognized by the whole world. During the past decade, people all over the world have got their feet in learning to read efficiently in a second/foreign language. In China, reading has also been the skill most emphasized in English teaching and learning. The College English Curriculum Requirements (Trial) (hereinafter referred to as “CECR”) includes reading as its core component, and sets specific requirements on students’ reading competence at both the foundation stage and the tertiary level. Moreover, two reading activities are explicitly stipulated in the CECR, i.e. careful reading and fast reading, and prominence has been given to the cultivation of Chinese college students’ fast reading competence. For instance, before