英语阅读测试testing-reading.docVIP

Chapter Six Testing of Reading I. the nature of the reading skills Extracting the required information from a written text as efficiently as possible. 1. the purpose of reading a) Reading for survival b) Reading for learning c) Reading for pleasure 2. Four kinds of reading activities a) Extensive reading — means reading in quantity and in order to gain a general understanding of what is read. It is intended to develop good reading habits, to build up knowledge of vocabulary and structure, and to encourage a liking for reading. b) Intensive reading — is generally at a lower speed, and requires a higher degree of understanding than extensive reading. c) Skimming — a type of rapid reading which is used when the reader wants to get the main idea or ideas from a passage. For example a reader may skim-read a chapter to find out if the writer approves or disapproves of something. d) Scanning — a type of speed reading technique which is used when the reader wants to locate a particular piece of information without necessarily understanding the rest of a text or passage. For example, the reader may read through a chapter of a book as rapidly as possible in order to find out information about a particular date, such as when someone was born. 3. Types of text These might include: textbook, novel, magazine, newspaper (tabloid or quality), academic journal, letter, timetable, poem, instructions for using appliances and machinery, directory extracts, public notices, etc. They might be further specified, for example newspaper report, newspaper advertisement, newspaper editorial. II Reading ability Some of the specific skills involved in reading which are collected from Heaton (1991): 1. -- recognize words and word groups, associating sounds with their corresponding graphic symbols; 2. --deduce the meaning of words; a) Understanding word formation (roots, affixation, derivation and compounding); b) Contextual clues (e.g. One of the members of the group exposed the plot, and the pol