Reading: Reading Fluency & Strategies (Strategic Reading): B2 Lesson 1: Reading Longer Texts with Good Speed and Comprehension

Reading: Reading Fluency & Strategies

B2 Lesson 1: Reading Longer Texts with Good Speed and Comprehension

What you will learn: By the end of this lesson, you will be able to read longer texts faster and with better understanding by using strategic reading skills like skimming, scanning, and identifying topic sentences.

Before You Read 🧠

Key Reading Vocabulary (Click 🔊)

Let's learn the strategies we will use today.

Skimming ( skimming )

| ការអានរំលង

Reading very quickly to find the main idea of a text.

Scanning ( scanning )

| ការអានរកព័ត៌មាន

Looking quickly for a specific word, name, or number.

Topic Sentence

| ប្រយោគសំខាន់

The sentence in a paragraph that contains the main idea of that paragraph.

Comprehension

| ភាពយល់ដឹង

The ability to understand what you are reading.

The B2 Reading Toolkit 🛠️

Stop reading word-by-word. Start reading like a strategist. Use these three techniques in order.

Step 1: Skim (30 seconds)

Goal: Find the main idea of the whole article.
How: Read the Title, the first paragraph, and the last paragraph very quickly. Ignore everything else.

Step 2: Scan (15 seconds)

Goal: Find key names, dates, or concepts.
How: Let your eyes "float" over the text looking only for words like "health", "economy", or "environment". Don't read sentences.

Step 3: Read Intensively

Goal: Understand the argument.
How: Now, read the full text. For each paragraph, find the single Topic Sentence that summarizes its main point. This is usually the first or second sentence.

Reading Passage

Listen to the audio while you read, or read on your own.

The Power of Green: Why Cities Need More Parks

Urban green spaces, such as parks, public gardens, and green rooftops, are no longer just decorations but are becoming essential components of modern, healthy cities. As urban populations grow, the 'concrete jungle' can increase stress and pollution. Integrating nature provides a critical solution to these challenges.

The primary benefit of these green spaces is for public health. Studies consistently show that access to nature can significantly alleviate stress, anxiety, and depression. Parks encourage physical activity like walking and sports, which helps combat obesity and chronic diseases. Even just having a view of trees from an office window can improve concentration and productivity.

Beyond health, these spaces also provide significant environmental and economic advantages. Trees and plants improve air quality by filtering pollutants. They also help mitigate the 'heat island' effect, where cities are much hotter than rural areas. Economically, properties near parks often have higher value, and green spaces attract tourists and new businesses.

Therefore, integrating green spaces into city design is not a luxury, but a necessity for sustainable urban development. City planners and policymakers must prioritize the creation and maintenance of these 'green lungs' to ensure their cities remain liveable, healthy, and resilient for the future.

Practice Your Comprehension 🎯

Based on the text above, answer the following questions. Click "Check All Answers" when you are finished.

Quiz 1: Skimming for Gist

What is the main idea of the entire article?

• A) Parks are very expensive to build and maintain.
• B) Urban green spaces are essential for a city's health, environment, and economy.
• C) Trees and plants are good at filtering air pollution.

Quiz 2: Matching Paragraphs to Topic Sentences

Match the paragraph number to its main idea (Topic Sentence).

Paragraph 1: -- Select Main Idea -- A) They offer environmental and economic advantages. B) They are an essential part of modern cities. C) They must be a necessity for city planning. D) Their main benefit is improving public health.

Paragraph 2: -- Select Main Idea -- A) They offer environmental and economic advantages. B) They are an essential part of modern cities. C) They must be a necessity for city planning. D) Their main benefit is improving public health.

Paragraph 3: -- Select Main Idea -- A) They offer environmental and economic advantages. B) They are an essential part of modern cities. C) They must be a necessity for city planning. D) Their main benefit is improving public health.

Paragraph 4: -- Select Main Idea -- A) They offer environmental and economic advantages. B) They are an essential part of modern cities. C) They must be a necessity for city planning. D) Their main benefit is improving public health.

Quiz 3: Guessing Vocabulary from Context

In Paragraph 2, what does the word "alleviate" mean?

"...access to nature can significantly alleviate stress, anxiety, and depression."

• A) increase
• B) reduce
• C) ignore

Key Vocabulary Reference (Click 🔊)

• Urban | ទីក្រុង
  Relating to a city.
• Component | ធាតុផ្សំ
  A part or element of a larger whole.
• Alleviate | បន្ធូរបន្ថយ
  To make (suffering or a problem) less severe.
• Mitigate | កាត់បន្ថយ
  To make less severe, serious, or painful.
• Heat Island Effect | បែបផែនកោះកម្ដៅ
  The effect of cities being much warmer than nearby rural areas.
• Sustainable | ប្រកបដោយនិរន្តរភាព
  Able to be maintained or continued for a long time.
• Resilient | ធន់
  Able to withstand or recover quickly from difficult conditions.

Your Reading Mission ⭐

Practice the 3 Steps

1. Find an English news article (e.g., from *BBC*, *VOA*, or *The Phnom Penh Post*).
2. Step 1 (Skim): Time yourself. Take 30 seconds to read only the title, first paragraph, and last paragraph. Write down what you think the main idea is.
3. Step 3 (Intensive Read): Now, read the whole article. As you read each paragraph, write down the Topic Sentence for it.

This will train your brain to stop reading word-by-word and start reading for ideas, which is the secret to B2-level reading speed.