In （1)_____ a job or advancing in one, the ability to read and comprehend （2)_____ can

In (1)_____ a job or advancing in one, the ability to read and comprehend (2)_____ can mean the difference between success and failure. Yet the unfortunate fact is that most of us are (3)_____ readers. Most of us develop poor reading (4)_____ at an early age, and never get over them. The main deficiency (5)_____ in the actual stuff of language itself—words. Taken individually, words have (6)_____ meaning until they are strung together into phrases, sentences and paragraphs. (7)_____, however, the untrained reader does not read groups of words. He laboriously reads one word at a time, often regressing to (8)_____ words or passages. Regression, the tendency to look back over (9)_____ you have just read, is a common bad habit in reading. Another habit which (10)_____ down the speed of reading is vocalization—sounding each word either orally or mentally as (11)_____ reads. To overcome these bad habits, some reading clinics use a device called an (12)_____, which moves a bar (or curtain) down the page at a predetermined speed. The bar is set at a slightly faster rate (13)_____ the reader finds comfortable, in order to “stretch” him. The accelerator forces the reader to read fast, (14)_____ word-by-word reading, regression and sub-vocalization, practically impossible. At first (15)_____ is sacrificed for speed. But when you learn to read ideas and concepts, you will not only read faster, (16)_____ your comprehension will improve. Many people have found (17)_____ reading skill drastically improved after some training. (18)_____ Charles Au, a business manager, for instance, his reading rate was a reasonably good 172 words a minute (19)_____ the training, now it is an excellent 1,378 words a minute. He is delighted that how he can (20)_____ a lot more reading material in a short period of time.

1. A) applying B) doing C) offering D) getting

2. A) quickly B) easily C) roughly D) decidedly

3. A) good B) curious C) poor D) urgent

4. A) training B) habits C) situations D) custom

5. A) lies B) combines C) touches D) involves

6. A) some B) a lot C) little D) dull

7. A) Fortunately B) In fact C) Logically D) Unfortunately

8. A) reuse B) reread C) rewrite D) recite

9. A) what B) which C) that D) if

10. A) scales B) cuts C) slows D) measures

11. A) some one B) one C) he D) reader

12. A) accelerator B) actor C) amplifier D) observer

13. A) then B) as C) beyond D) than

14. A) enabling B) leading C) making D) indicating

15. A) meaning B) comprehension C) gist D) regression

16. A) but B) nor C) or D) for

17. A) our B) your C) their D) such

18. A) Look at B) Take C) Make D) Consider

19. A) for B) in C) after D) before

20. A) master B) go over C) present D) get through