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There is no doubt that adults, and even highly educated adults, vary greatly in the speed and efficiency of their reading. Some proceed very slowly throughout; others dash along too quickly and then have to regress.

Poor readers in particular may lack the ability to vary their manner of reading according to the type of reading matter and to their intentions in reading it. A good reader can move at great speed through the text of a novel or similar light reading matter. He may be able to skim a page, picking up a word or two here and there, and gain a general idea of what the text is about without really reading it. In reading more difficult material, with the intention of taking in the whole of it, he will proceed more slowly, but even then he will vary his pace, concentrating on the key words and passages, perhaps re-reading them several times, and pass more quickly over the remainder. A less efficient reader tends to maintain the same speed whatever material he reads. Consequently, even light reading matter gives him little pleasure because he reads so slowly. But this pace may be too fast for really difficult material which requires special concentration at difficult points.

A type of reading which necessitates careful attention to detail is proofreading, in which the reader, in order to detect misprints in a sample print, has to notice not so much the meaning of what he reads as the exact shape and order of letters and words in the text. This is extremely difficult for most people since they are accustomed to overlooking such details. In fact, considerable practice is required to practise this task efficiently and it can be done only by reading very slowly, and by paying comparatively little attention to the general meaning of the text. (316 words)

1. The author claims that there is a difference in reading speed

  [A] among all readers.

  [B] among different highly educated only.

  [C] among different poorly educated adults only.

  [D] between the poorly educated and the highly educated.

2. A good reader is a reader who

  [A] always reads slowly but carefully.

  [B] concentrates on the key words only.

  [C] changes his speed according to the kind of text.

  [D] changes his speed according to his liking for the book.

3. The author says that when reading a novel, a good reader can quickly read

  [A] every part of the book.

  [B] the minor part of the book.

  [C] the major part of the book.

  [D] the significant passages in the book.

4. The last two sentences of the second paragraph mean that a reading speed

  [A] too slow for a difficult book is just right for a non-serious one.

  [B] too slow for a non-serious book may be too fast for a difficult one.

  [C] too slow for a non-serious book is also too slow for a difficult one.

  [D] too fast for difficult material is just right for a non-serious book.

5. In order to detect misprints in a sample print, a proofreader has to

  [A] understand the text fully.                                              

[B] have practice in efficiency.

[C] pay little attention to the general meaning of the text.     

[D] grasp the shape and order of letters and words as he reads.