Books can fit almost every need, temper, or interest. Bookscan be read when you are in the mood; you don’t need to do it all the time. Books are both more personal and more impersonalthan professors. Books have an inner confidence which individualsseldom show; they rarely have to be on the defensive.
Books canafford to be bold, and courageous, and explanatory; they don’thave to be so careful of boards of trustees, colleagues, andcommunity opinion. Books are infinitely diverse; they run thegamut of all human activities. Books can express every point of view;if you need a different point of view, you can read a differentbook. Reading is probably the most important skill you needfor successful studies. You will have to read lengthyassignments in different subjects with varying degrees of detailand difficulty.
If you you read inaccuratley, you will fail tounderstand some of the information and ideas you read. If youread slowly, you will have to spent too much time reading yourassignments and the rest of your work may suffer.
Poor reading may be a problem for you, but it can be solved. Like other skills, your abilty to read Englishfast and accurately demands careful instruction andpurposeful practice. You must keep practising on your own toimprove your reading skills.