Are you a good reader ? Good readers know that reading isn’t just about knowing words — it’s a way of thinking. Here are some tips that may be of some help. Think before you read. Before you read the text, ask yourself the questions that why you are reading it and what you want to get from it. These will help you choose what words you need to know and what words you can skip or scan. Think while you are reading. Can you get the meaning of the text without looking up new words in a dictionary ? A text will often give examples that may help you understand some words. For example: Many large Russian cities, such as Chelyabinsk and Irkutsk, have taken steps to protect their culture . The words “ Chelyabinsk ” and “ Irkutsk ” may be new to us, but the sentences before and after it tell us what they are. Think after you read. What is the main idea of the text ? Is the text too easy or too hard for you ? If you practice reading and thinking in this way, you will become a better reader and you will learn better and faster.