Primary School Fast Reading: Grade 6 (Extended Version)

Author: Zhu Weiqiong, Wu Guanghui (editors)
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-06-01
Features: Fast reading refers to absorbing a large amount of information in the shortest possible time. This type of reading must be trained from a young age to achieve the goal of fast reading. Fast reading has two characteristics: one is that the reading speed must be "fast." If it's slow, it won't be obtaining a large amount of information in a short time, and it won't qualify as fast reading. The other characteristic is that the reading form must be silent reading. If it's not silent reading, it won't be fast. To meet these two characteristics, training should focus on:
1. Highly concentrated attention training: During training, you can set a slow time for reading an article, which can be gradually shortened as training progresses. The "speed" of fast reading should be moderate—it's important not to pursue speed at the expense of understanding and memorizing the content. It should align with the reader's reading ability. If you push too hard beyond your ability, the meaning of the article will become disjointed, and the content will be difficult to comprehend. Going back to reread it will undoubtedly waste time and defeat the purpose of being "fast." If the set time is too long, it's easy for attention to be distracted by unrelated thoughts, making it hard to concentrate. During training, it's also important not to skip parts arbitrarily just to chase speed.
2. Reading while thinking: To understand and memorize the content while reading, you can consider it serious reading, achieving the effect of "less time spent, more gained." This also involves recalling the article's content after finishing reading to see if you've grasped the main idea or key points. If some parts are still unclear, you can reread those sections quickly, which will help you remember them better. During fast reading, you shouldn't skip words, phrases, or sentences without understanding them, but you should focus on key areas. Focusing on key areas can start with reviewing the title. The title is the window to the article, especially for explicit titles, which reveal the main content and the genre.
The Story of the Green Comb recounts how the author, tempted by a small gain, took an extra comb from an elderly comb seller. After returning home, her mother's guidance helped her realize her mistake. When she tried to return the comb, she couldn't find the seller and kept it as a reminder to be sincere in her actions. In this article, it's important to understand how the comb sparked a story and what significance it holds for the author. Reading with this question in mind helps you focus, not only speeding up your reading but also remembering the content.
For This Experience narrates how Warren Buffett, the CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, initially refused to take over his father's company but instead sought his own path. After enduring hardships and setbacks, his father eventually handed the company to him, who turned it into a globally renowned business. After reading the title, you can think about what this experience was like and how the author changed as a result. These questions are the focus of the reading. With these in mind, the reading becomes more targeted.
Magnetic Levitation Trains could be a narrative about a person or event, or an expository piece about the trains. For such articles, the genre can usually be determined by reading the beginning. When reading this article, the focus should be on the appearance, structure, and advantages of the magnetic levitation train.
Fables convey profound truths through simple stories. The key is to remember the story and understand the lesson it embodies. Some fables state the lesson at the end, while others don't, so recalling the lesson after reading is necessary. During fast reading, to grasp the key content, the speed control isn't uniform. Key sections can be read more slowly, while other parts can be skimmed. In terms of genre, poetry often carries deeper meanings, and expository texts cover a wide range of topics, so the speed can be slightly slower.
The articles selected in this book are short, with the longest not exceeding 1,500 words and the shortest around 500 words. Generally, the time for fast reading an article does not exceed one minute, making it less likely to cause attention fatigue, and it can usually be completed in one go.