Reading is the key to school success and, like any skill, it takes practice. A child learns to walk by practicing until he no longer has to think about how to put one foot in front of the other. An excellent sportsman practices until he can play quickly, correctly and without thinking. Educators call it "automaticity (自动性)".
A child learns to read by sounding out the letters and finding the meaning of the words. With automaticity, he doesn't have to think about the meaning of the words, so he can give all his attention to the meaning of the text.
It can begin as early as the first grade. In a recent study of children in Illinois schools, Alan Rossman of Northwestern University found that automatic readers in the first grade not only read almost three times as fast as the others, but also got better results in exams.
According to Rossman, the key to automaticity is the amount (数量) of time a child spends on reading, not his IQ. Any child who spends at least 3.5 to 4 hours a week reading books, magazines or newspapers will probably reach automaticity. It can not happen if a child turns off TV just one night for reading at home.
You can test yourself by reading something new that is suitable (适合) for your level. If you read aloud with expression, with a sense of the meaning of the sentences, you are probably an automatic reader. If you read brokenly, one word at a time, without expression or meaning, you need more practice.
