Comprehending is important in reading

IN both the CET-4 and CET-6, reading comprehension accounts for 40 points out of a total of 100. And, 35 minutes out of a total of 120 is spent on it. Clearly, it is an important part of the College English Test (CET). Therefore, it should receive particular emphasis in study.

What are the basic requirements of CET reading comprehension?

Understanding is especially important for test-takers.

According to the College English Syllabus (revised), a student should be able to easily read texts on general topics at an intermediate level. A student should be able to understand the main ideas, recognize facts and details, analyze, and make sound judgments and accurate guesses. For lengthy, but less difficult texts, new vocabulary should not account for more than 3 per cent of the total number of words. The reading speed should be no less than 70 wpm (words per minute). A good reading speed should be around 100 wpm. The reading comprehension test is designed to have about 1,000 words for CET-4 and 1,500 words for CET-6. The paper is divided into several passages, each followed by multiple-choice questions. Both accuracy and speed are necessary in the reading process. Success requires a combination of fast reading and slow reading. Since there is a time limit on the test, most students hope they can finish their reading as fast as possible. But remember, speed means nothing if you don't understand the text. Your goal is to understand what the writer is trying to say. The reader is actively involved and will very often have to work to get the message. To understand the text, most students are involved in a somewhat uphill struggle. Your awareness of the fact that you do not understand something is important if you hope to be a competent reader. You must take your time and stop and think. My advice is that you should not go too fast with your reading until you have a thorough understanding of each paragraph.

The accompanying box has a passage from the January 2000 CET-test. Please read it and try to choose the correct answers to the questions.

Coming up: Answers to the questions and further explanation

By Zhang Yanqiu
　 Unless we spend money to spot and prevent asteroids (小行星) now, one might crash into Earth and destroy life as we know it, say some scientists.
　 Asteroids are bigger versions of the meteoroids (流星) that race across the night sky. Most orbit the sun far from Earth and don't threaten us. But there are also thousands of asteroids whose orbits put them on a collision course with Earth.
　 Buy US$50 million worth of new telescopes right now. Then spend US$10 million a year for the next 25 years to locate most of the space rocks. By the time we spot a fatal one, the scientists say, we'll have a way to change its course.
　 Some scientists favour pushing asteroids off course with nuclear weapons. But the cost wouldn't be cheap.
　 Is it worth it? Two things experts consider when judging any risk are: 1) How likely the event is; and 2) How bad the consequences if the event occurs. Experts think an asteroid big enough to destroy lots of life might strike Earth once every 500,000 years.
　 Sounds pretty rare — but if one did fall, it would be the end of the world. "If we don't take care of these big asteroids, they'll take care of us," says one scientist. "It's that simple."
　 The cure, though, might be worse than the disease. Do we really want fleets of nuclear weapons sitting around on Earth? "The world has less to fear from doomsday (毁灭性的) rocks than from a great nuclear fleet set against them," said a New York Times article.
l. What does the passage say about asteroids and meteoroids?
A) They are heavenly bodies different in composition.
B) They are heavenly bodies similar in nature.
C) There are more asteroids than meteoroids.
D) Asteroids are more mysterious than meteoroids.
2. What do scientists say about the collision of an asteroid with Earth?
A) It is very unlikely but the danger exists.
B) Such a collision might occur once every 25 years.
C) Collisions of smaller asteroids with Earth occur more often than expected.
D) It's still too early to say whether such a collision might occur.
3. What do people think of the suggestion of using nuclear weapons to alter the course of asteroids?
A) It sounds practical but it may not solve the problem.
B) It may create more problems than it might solve.
C) It is a waste of money because a collision of asteroids with Earth is very unlikely.
D) Further research should be done before it is proved applicable.
4. We can conclude from the passage that ________.
A) while pushing asteroids off course nuclear weapons would destroy the world
B) asteroids racing across the night sky are likely to hit Earth in the near future
C) the worry about asteroids can be left to future generations since it is unlikely to happen in our lifetime
D) workable solutions still have to be found to prevent a collision of asteroids with Earth
5. Which of the following best describes the author's tone in this passage?
A) Optimistic. C) Objective.
B) Critical. D) Arbitrary.