Part 7 Academic reading

（单词翻译）

Academic ListeningPart 7 - Academic readingThis programme was first broadcast in 2001.
　　This is not an accurate word-for-word transcript¹ of the programme.
　　ANNOUNCER:
　　It’s time for Academic Listening - a series for students at English-speaking universities. Thistime Susan Fearn is focusing on academic reading, but to begin with, let's hear from twopeople, a student and a teacher, as they tell us how they understand the problems of reading for academic（学术） purposes.
　　CLIP²: StudentThe problem of reading is to get used to [it]. It takes time.
　　CLIP: Christine ReevesThe main problem with reading is the actual amount of reading that you're likely to have to doat University - you may be given a book list which has fifteen , twenty or even thirty books onit and you've got a very short time in which to read those books and so what you really have tolearn to do is read effectively and you also have to learn to be selective in what you read.
　　Susan: The reading you have to do as a student is quite different from any reading youdo for pleasure. And there are particular problems associated （相关）with it. The firstof these relates to the sheer³ volume of material that confronts⁴ you when youwalk into the library or when you receive your reading list. There are othermore obvious problems such as having to learn a whole new specialistvocabulary.
　　Well, we’ll start with some tips. If you come across unfamiliar⁵ words whenyou’re reading an academic text, try not to reach immediately for yourdictionary. Practise trying to guess the meaning of the word from the contextor from what you already know about the subject. Another World Service classmember has advice for those of you who find you have so much to read thatyou just don’t know where to start.
　　CLIP: Student[NB: very rough transcript] Select material to read. You can't read everything - it's impossible.
　　You need to be selective and make choices, and then focus on the uncertain aspects within arational scheme. Make choices on where to focus.
　　Susan: In trying to decide what to read, it’s worth remembering that no one expects you to read everything on your reading list. You need to narrow down the choice. Ask your tutor or lecturer what they consider to be the most important books or articles to read, and whether they can recommend（建议） particular chaptersto look at. Other students on your course may have found certain texts to beparticularly useful, so ask them for advice.
　　Once you’ve chosen your reading material, however you make that selection,it’s vital that you should be absolutely clear why you’re reading.
　　CLIP: Simon WilliamsWhen you know the purpose of doing the reading, e.g. to prepare for an essay, you might armyourself with a list of questions.
　　Susan: Simon Williams teaches English in the Language Centre at University CollegeLondon.
　　CLIP: Simon WilliamsHaving found books, look at the contents in the index – academic books normally have anindex – and look for key words. Make a note of those. Read the blurb⁶ - the description on thedust cover of the book. If material looks promising⁷, skim through the first chapter and theconclusion. Like lectures, the middle section will amplify⁸, give examples, explain ideas. So the important parts at this stage are the beginning and the end of the book, or the chapter, or the section.
　　Susan: Based on what you know about the subject already and what you need to know for your assignment or project, Simon Williams suggests you prepare a list of questions. This activity will help you focus more effectively on the ideas contained within the text. Then, you can adjust the speed and depth of your reading to suit your purposes, as Christine Reeves explains. She teachesEnglish at Bell Norwich, a language school in the East of England.
　　CLIP: Christine Reeves What you have to understand as students is that when you read, you don't read everything atthe same speed - you have to learn to adapt or adjust your speed according to the level ofunderstanding that you need from the material that you're reading, and I think that is one of thethings that are very useful on an EAP course - that we actually try to teach you.
　　Susan: Well, that’s the theory. How does it work in practice?
　　CLIP: StudentDescribes her reading techniques (transcript not available)CLIP: Christine ReevesOne technique of reading which will help you to read large quantities of material is for exampleskimming. Skimming isn't really reading - skimming is quickly looking over some material or atext to decide, is this useful for me - is it necessary - do I need to read it? So you're not reallyreading it word for word, you're looking for some key words - you're picking out the keywords to decide, do I need to read it all? And in this way if you decide that it's necessary thenyou can read it but if it's not necessary then this is one way of eliminating a lot of material - andit will save you a lot of time.
　　Susan: Often, a quick glance at the title and any subtitles⁹, at the chapter headings andany information about the author’s special academic interests will soon tell youwhether the book is likely to be useful for your purposes. You might thennarrow down your search even further as you look for specific informationusing another reading technique. Christine Reeves again.
　　CLIP: Christine ReevesAnother technique that is very useful in reading is scanning¹⁰. OK what is scanning and how is itdifferent to skimming? In skimming you're just ... what you're doing is deciding, is thisparticular text useful for me, do I need to read it ? Scanning is different in that you have anidea of what you are looking for - you have a specific question in your mind and you arelooking for the answer to that question. It could be a date, a name, it could be a sentence. But Talk about English ? the thing is, you know what you are looking for - you have an idea of what you're looking forin the text.
　　Susan: It’s a technique that’s familiar to our anthropology¹¹ student.
　　CLIP: StudentDescribes how she uses scanning when looking for dates (transcript not available)Susan: Once you’ve carried out this quick survey of a text, and established its overallcontent and suitability for your requirements, and armed with the list ofquestions you need answered, it’s time for a slower more careful reading. Itwould help you enormously if you were able to read faster. And SimonWilliams believes this is a skill you can develop.
　　CLIP: Simon WilliamsReaders don’t read word by word, they tend to look at the language of the text in chunks¹².
　　That means their eye fixes on a group of words at once. They recognise the meaning of awhole phrase at once – perhaps unconsciously. Every time the reader focuses on a group ofwords, eye stops for a moment – as if they fix on that group – it's a kind of “fixation”. Butthat takes time – so the fewer fixations the reader can manage, the better.
　　Susan: So, that’s something to try after the programme. Find a book or a magazineand think about how you read. Simon Williams suggests you’ll find that your eyes don’t move from one word to the next at a regular pace, but that they tendto stop on groups of words and phrases, which you comprehend¹³ in one go.
　　This momentary¹⁴ rest on a group of words is sometimes called a “fixation” – andaccording to Simon Williams, tnumber of these fixations.
　　CLIP: Simon WilliamsIn order to reduce the number of fixations, it helps if you can train yourself to read down thecentre of the page instead of moving the eye from left to right so much. That way there arefewer fixations and your understanding is quicker. But don’t try this with academic books, atleast not at first, you’ll miss so much important information. What you can do is look at lightmaterial, like magazines, newspapers, journals, and practise pushing yourself faster with material like that.
　　Susan: Of course, that may be easier said than done. Whenever I try this myself, I findI use so much mental energy concentrating on the reading process that I fail totake in what it is I’m reading. But stick with it - and eventually, you’ll find thatyou’re able to vary your reading speed to suit the material you’re reading andyour aim.
　　ANNOUNCER:
　　And that brings us to the end of this programme, in which Susan Fearn focused on readingacademic texts and some useful reading techniques.(本文由在线英语听力室整理编辑)