Do you get lots of reading assignments as part of your homework? You might wish that you could read faster.

【小题1】 But experts have dismissed this claim.

“【小题2】” said Elizabeth Schotter, a scientist at the University of South Florida, US. Schotter pointed out that people who claim that they can teach others how to speed read are usually doing it to make money by selling courses and books.

In fact, speed reading has been advertised since 1959, when US educator Evelyn Wood introduced a speed reading program. Several US presidents have even asked their staff to take speed reading courses. 【小题3】

Schotter explained that reading is a complicated task. It involves four stages: seeing a word, retrieving its meaning from your memory, relating it to other words in the same sentence, and then moving on to the next word. 【小题4】 It can’t be sped up.

Some people who claim to be able to speed read are simply skimming. Skimming involves reading a passage quickly and only looking for certain words or sentences. Skimmers can figure out the main idea of a passage—especially if it’s a topic they’re familiar with—but they will not be able to recall all of the details.

【小题5】 Research suggests that you should try to improve your vocabulary and simply read more.