Đọc một Đoạn văn Học thuật — lướt nhanh, quét, và chỉ vào dòng

Two paper bridges do not establish a rule for every bridge

• A comparison can support a limited design claim without proving it for every material. Keep measured results and broader interpretations separate.

• A short academic text of the kind you might read at university, with questions about its meaning. It is written for a general reader, not a specialist. You are never expected to know the subject.

• The information needed to answer is in the passage. For an inference, show which words make your conclusion reasonable.

Outside knowledge may be brilliant; it still needs a ticket from the passage.

Skim, then scan

• Skim briefly: what is this about, how many parts are there, and where does the argument turn? Then scan to locate relevant details and re-read the connected sentences needed for the question. An inference may need evidence from more than one part.
• A paragraph's opening can signal its main point. Check the rest, especially if a contrast word changes direction.

Words in context, and word parts

• A vocabulary question asks what a word means in this passage, not in general. Use word parts as clues: prefixes such as un- or re- and suffixes such as -tion or -able can narrow the possibilities. The sentence still decides the meaning.
• The passage will say the same thing in different words on purpose. A synonym is the normal case, not a trick.

Inference is still evidence

• An inference question asks what the passage lets you conclude, not what it states. The best answer is supported by the passage, sometimes by several connected sentences. Other options may contradict it or go beyond its evidence.
• Test each option with: which evidence makes this the best supported conclusion? Do not import an explanation the passage does not give.

How to practise

• Read one academic page a day without a dictionary, then look up only the words that blocked you.
• Practise taking meaning directly from the English sentence. Translating every sentence adds an extra step and leaves less time for checking evidence. Task description and approximate section timing checked on 23 September 2026: ETS Reading section, ETS test content.

A supported inference stays within the experiment

• Apply these distinctions to complete academic passages, with guided reading, fresh independent sets and a private evidence repair.