College English Graded Timed Reading (Level 1)

Author: Li Pengfei, Editor-in-Chief
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2005-06-01
Features: The content is widely sourced and appropriately challenging; language phenomena progress from simple to complex, and vocabulary range expands from narrow to broad; the difficulty of the texts gradually increases, with both depth and breadth expanding. The "College English Graded Timed Reading" series consists of six volumes and is a supplementary textbook for fast reading, designed for undergraduate college students and readers with equivalent academic qualifications. It can be used in English classes alongside intensive reading textbooks or for self-timed reading by students after class. As you will see while using this series: its content is widely sourced, appropriately challenging, and structured in steps according to the objective differences in English proficiency and comprehensive knowledge among undergraduate students at levels 1-6. Language phenomena progress from simple to complex, vocabulary range expands from narrow to broad, text difficulty gradually increases, and both depth and breadth expand. The writing aims for standardization, diverse interests, and strong knowledge, offering philosophical insights to readers.
I. The Structure of This Series
This series consists of six volumes, each corresponding to one level of English teaching in undergraduate colleges (levels 1-6), with one volume per level. The length and difficulty of the texts gradually increase in each volume, aligning with the corresponding level differences. The number of new words in each text does not exceed 3% of the core syllabus requirements—e.g., for a 500-word text, the number of new words should not exceed 15. Regarding grammar, since high school students have essentially completed grammar study, there are no strict restrictions on grammatical phenomena in each lesson. However, the length and complexity of sentence structures are strictly controlled. Each volume of this series contains 50 texts, with lengths ranging from approximately 300-400 words in the first and second volumes to 600-700 words in the fifth and sixth volumes. Every 10 texts are grouped into a unit, with answers to the exercises provided after each unit. To facilitate learning and deeper comprehension of the texts, each lesson includes 10 multiple-choice questions on reading comprehension and 5 multiple-choice questions on vocabulary usage. Each text is accompanied by a translation that closely matches its content. The purpose of these exercises is twofold: to help readers assess their actual reading comprehension progress and accuracy, and to evaluate their understanding of key word usage in the text. If readers feel uncertain or make mistakes, they can refer to the explanations provided at the end of each unit, reread the text, or consult reference materials for clearer understanding. The annotations after each text in this series follow the principle of simplicity and appropriateness, offering explanations on the author's intent and relevant language phenomena (grammatical difficulties and vocabulary usage) tailored to the reader's level, thereby paving the way for improving reading skills and passing corresponding proficiency exams.
II. Controlling Reading Speed and Depth of Comprehension
III. How to Fully Utilize the Potential of This Textbook to Develop Multiple Reading Skills
IV. Three Rules for Using This Textbook
V. The Syllabus Requirements for Reading Comprehension and the Reading Speed Requirements for This Level
VI. How to Control Training Speed When Using This Textbook for Timed Reading Practice
This is the volume, equivalent to the English proficiency level of first-year undergraduate students in general universities. Its goal is to prepare students for the Level 1 exam of the CET-4 and CET-6. To meet the fast-reading training needs of students at this level, the texts selected in this volume are slightly less challenging than those in the official College English textbooks. The "College English Graded Timed Reading" series consists of six volumes and is a supplementary textbook for fast reading, designed for undergraduate college students and readers with equivalent academic qualifications. It can be used in English classes alongside intensive reading textbooks or for self-timed reading by students after class. As you will see while using this series: its content is widely sourced, appropriately challenging, and structured in steps according to the objective differences in English proficiency and comprehensive knowledge among undergraduate students at levels 1-6. Language phenomena progress from simple to complex, vocabulary range expands from narrow to broad, text difficulty gradually increases, and both depth and breadth expand. The writing aims for standardization, diverse interests, and strong knowledge, offering philosophical insights to readers.
I. The Structure of This Series
This series consists of six volumes, each corresponding to one level of English teaching in undergraduate colleges (levels 1-6), with one volume per level. The length and difficulty of the texts gradually increase in each volume, aligning with the corresponding level differences. The number of new words in each text does not exceed 3% of the core syllabus requirements—e.g., for a 500-word text, the number of new words should not exceed 15. Regarding grammar, since high school students have essentially completed grammar study, there are no strict restrictions on grammatical phenomena in each lesson. However, the length and complexity of sentence structures are strictly controlled. Each volume of this series contains 50 texts, with lengths ranging from approximately 300-400 words in the first and second volumes to 600-700 words in the fifth and sixth volumes. Every 10 texts are grouped into a unit, with answers to the exercises provided after each unit. To facilitate learning and deeper comprehension of the texts, each lesson includes 10 multiple-choice questions on reading comprehension and 5 multiple-choice questions on vocabulary usage. Each text is accompanied by a translation that closely matches its content. The purpose of these exercises is twofold: to help readers assess their actual reading comprehension progress and accuracy, and to evaluate their understanding of key word usage in the text. If readers feel uncertain or make mistakes, they can refer to the explanations provided at the end of each unit, reread the text, or consult reference materials for clearer understanding. The annotations after each text in this series follow the principle of simplicity and appropriateness, offering explanations on the author's intent and relevant language phenomena (grammatical difficulties and vocabulary usage) tailored to the reader's level, thereby paving the way for improving reading skills and passing corresponding proficiency exams.
II. Controlling Reading Speed and Depth of Comprehension
III. How to Fully Utilize the Potential of This Textbook to Develop Multiple Reading Skills
IV. Three Rules for Using This Textbook
V. The Syllabus Requirements for Reading Comprehension and the Reading Speed Requirements for This Level
VI. How to Control Training Speed When Using This Textbook for Timed Reading Practice
This is the volume, equivalent to the English proficiency level of first-year undergraduate students in general universities. Its goal is to prepare students for the Level 1 exam of the CET-4 and CET-6. To meet the fast-reading training needs of students at this level, the texts selected in this volume are slightly less challenging than those in the official College English textbooks.