Scanning
We have introduced the reading skill scanning in Unit 8, Book One. Broadly defined, to scan is to read quickly in order to locate or find the place in a piece of writing where a particular item of information is given and to take in that item of information. This kind of reading involves no reading in any detail of large sections of the piece of writing. Perhaps it is particularly useful in reading newspapers or some magazines. The steps involved in scanning are the following:
1. Decide exactly what information you are looking for, and think about the form it may take. For example, if you want to know when something happened, you would look for a date. If you want to find out who did something, you would look for a name.
2. Next, decide where you need to look to find the information you want. You probably would not look for sports scores on the front page of the newspaper, nor would you look under the letter S for the telephone number of Sam Potter.
3. Move your eyes as quickly as possible down the page until you find the information you need. Read it carefully.
4. When you find what you need, do not read further.
Here are three examples from Text A in this unit that may illustrate how we probably scan for some particular information in the text.
Example 1
Obviously, the whole text is from a newspaper. It is a report in fact about a certain person who is not honest. Having a glance at the title, the reader may want to know: Who is he? Where did the story take place?
With these questions in mind, the reader moves his/her eyes quickly down the first paragraph:
Tomintoul, Scotland — On Saturday night at The Grouse’s Nest, they’re still willing to raise a glass or two to “Lord Williams”, though now his title prompts laughter. And now they just call him “Tony”. (Para. 1, Reading Passage A, Unit 1)
Then the reader finds out the place “Tomintoul, Scotland” and stops at the word “Tony”. By now he/she has got the answer or the information he/she wants.
Example 2
Having satisfied himself/herself by finding the answers to the first questions, the reader may have others out of curiosity: What is he? How many years did the court sentence him for his crime?
To answer these questions the reader keeps his/her eyes moving quickly until he/she reaches the following sentence in Paragraph 5.
About two weeks ago, a regretful Mr. Williams, who had worked for the London police since 1959 and had risen to a £65,000 a year position as deputy director of finance, was brought into court and sentenced to seven and a half years in prison. (Para. 5, Reading Passage A, Unit 1)
Sure enough, the reader can find out the answers that Mr. Williams had worked for the London police as deputy director of finance and that he was sentenced to seven and a half years in prison by the court.
Example 3
Now the reader may be curious enough to know: What is his crime?
The reader moves his/her eyes as quickly as possible down again until he/she reaches Paragraph 9, which provides the answer.
According to the court, Mr. Williams stole more than £8 million over eight years. Most of it came from a secret fund that had been placed under his sole authority and that was supposed to be used to pay spies and conduct secret activities against the Irish Republican Army.
Instead, it went to create one more British lord. (Paras. 9-10, Reading Passage A, Unit 1)
Answer: He stole £8 million over eight years and used the money to create one more British lord.
