Reading: More than just a section of the woeful TOEFL.

　　"阅读就像是一场学习上的马拉松，我们不能一味地追求速度与快感，而是要静下心来思考与反思。"海外升学顾问Ashton从小喜欢读书并且对阅读有着独到的见解，大学期间Ashton还将英语与哲学作为自己的主攻专业，可谓是对阅读有着深厚的感情。本文中我们的Ashton老师为我们讲述了自己与书的故事并且支招如何高效快速阅读进而征服TOEFL考试！

　　Ten years ago, summer, midnight. In the corner of our small apartment in Kansas hid an almost-empty little room.

　　It had no furniture and little heat, but it was the only room in the house that no one slept in. Before that night, this little room played no part in my life; after my father introduced me to the small stack of books piled on its floor; it became my temple, my classroom, my launching pad. Lying on the floor for hours, twisted into the strangest postures while my father and brother slept, I explored a universe of imagination, wittling the nights and weeks away with word after word, page after page, book after book.

　　When I was a boy, reading lit a fire in me. Reading at night became my ritual; feeding this fire became my religion. In high school I excelled in grammar, vocabulary, creative writing, all because I had an unstoppable appetite for books. By the time I reached college, reading and writing were not academic subjects to me; they were life-shaping hobbies.

　　The practical effects of reading should not be discounted. In learning a language, reading is essential. Whether you're trying to master English or you want a smoother transition to life and study abroad, reading may just become the most powerful weapon in your language arsenal.

　　Before and during my study-abroad in central Italy, reading a novel in a foreign language terrified me. At first, it was considerably difficult, but with discipline (and online dictionaries) I began to learn more outside of class than I did in class. Italian novels and poetry were my gateway to learning the language.

　　Reading is no idle subject. It can be the foundation for your mastery of English, it can sharpen your cultural awareness, it can improve you as a person. Most of our library may at first seem intimidating: don't worry! All new things are.

　　Don't be afraid to ask for help or guidance. Write words and phrases you don't understand in a journal and spend time defining them, studying them, reviewing them: you may find this is a much more useful and less torturous way to prepare your vocabulary and grammar for the TOEFL and the SAT than memorizing thousand-word vocabulary lists. The most important lesson: be patient, try to understand and enjoy the vocabulary and the plot before you move on. Spending a lot of time on a book, a page, or even a sentence, is a good sign that you can learn something from what you're reading. The things we struggle with most feel the best when we overcome them.

　　A practical note: Having long marathons of reading like I used to are not necessarily the best way to read, especially not for busy students who must balance many academic responsibilities and very little free time. Start with a sentence; find time for a paragraph; read a page at a time when you have a few moments. When you somehow find a free hour, spend the first half of it diving into a new book. You never know which page will inspire you; you never know which words will light the fire in you.

　　The Short List:

　　Ask for help! Reading in a second language is tough. You will have trouble at first. This is natural. Don't ever forget: you are not alone.

　　Read everything you see: Newspapers, T-shirts, cookie recipes.

　　Discover the joys of English movies and radio (believe it or not, there is something better than The Vampire Diaries).

　　Carry a little dictionary with you (although an English phrasebook is even more recommended), always! A journal for difficult vocabulary and phrases is essential, too.

　　You don't have to read twenty pages at a time. Start with one.

　　With patience and resolve, you will discover the absolute treat of the written word. It may transform your studies; it may transform your interests; it may transform your life.