For most of the time this “conversation” goes on below the level of consciousness. At times, however, we become aware of it. This is usually when we are running into difficulties, when mismatch is occurring between expectations and meaning. When successful matching is being experienced, our questioning of the text continues at the unconscious level.

　　Different people converse with the text differently. Some stay very close to the words on the page; others take off imaginatively from the words, interpreting, criticizing, analyzing and examining. The former represents a kind of comprehension which is written in the text. The latter represents higher levels of comprehension. The balance between these is important, especially for advanced readers.

　　There is another conversation which from our point of view is equally important, and that is to do not with what is read but with how it is read. We call this a “process” conversation as opposed to a “content” conversation. It is concerned not with meaning but with the strategies (策略) we employ in reading. If we are an advanced reader our ability to hold a process conversation with a text is usually pretty well developed. Not so our ability to hold a content conversation. It is precisely this kind of conversation that is of importance when we are seeking to develop our reading to meet the new demands being placed upon us by studying at a higher level.

　　1. Reading as a kind of conversation between the reader and the text becomes conscious only when ________.

　　A. the reader′s expectations agree with what is said in the text

　　B. the reader has trouble understanding what the author says

　　C. the reader asks questions and gets answers

　　D. the reader understands a text very well

　　2. At a lower level of comprehension, readers tend to ________.

　　A. read a text slowly

　　B. read without thinking hard

　　C. interpret a text in their own way

　　D. concentrate on the meaning of words only

　　3. A “process” conversation has to do with ________.

　　A. the application of reading strategies

　　B. matching our expectations with the meaning of a text

　　C. the development of our ability to check the details

　　D. determining the main idea of a text

　　4. According to the passage, it is of great importance for readers at a higher level to maintain a balance between ________.

　　A. conscious and unconscious levels of comprehension

　　B. the reader′s expectations and the meaning of a text

　　C. lower and higher levels of comprehension

　　D. interpreting and criticizing a text

　　5. If we want to develop our reading ability at an advanced level, we should ________.

　　A. learn to use different approaches in reading different texts

　　B. make our reading process more conscious

　　C. pay more attention to the content of a text

　　D. take a critical attitude towards the author′s idea