TOEFL Practical Guide - Reading Section

Author: Wang Yifeng (Editor)
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-07-01
Features: Walking together through. Accompanying the days and nights we've spent is an unforgettable youth commemoration in our lives! The reading topics in TOEFL, roughly speaking, can be divided into 10 types, almost encompassing everything. Each article is 350–400 words long, with an average of 10 questions per article. Completing 5 articles within 55 minutes is required. This places high demands on students' vocabulary, common knowledge, and reading speed. From the perspective of TOEFL preparation, the main issues that trouble candidates are:
1. Limited vocabulary volume Undoubtedly, a limited vocabulary is the greatest obstacle to reading proficiency. If one in five words in a sentence, especially in the first paragraph of an article, is unfamiliar, even if these words do not significantly affect the understanding of the article, they can greatly impact the candidate's mindset, leading to fear and boredom, and thus hindering their ability to focus and continue reading.
2. Slow reading speed Many candidates lack sufficient reading practice, and during the exam, they become anxious due to the fear of losing points. They hesitate to miss any information, which easily slows down their already slow reading speed. In fact, reading English articles follows certain techniques and patterns. It is crucial to learn how to discard irrelevant information or identify relevant information related to the questions being asked.
3. Lack of common knowledge TOEFL reading topics cover a wide range of subjects, and typically, 5 articles will touch on history, science, biology, humanities, and other content. During the 55-minute reading and answering process, candidates often feel overwhelmed and may struggle to understand the last article.
For the above three weak points, corresponding strategies can still be found during preparation.