Skimming denotes quick reading to get the drift of a passage. It is not only a valid initial technique for accessing a text, a preliminary to subsequent, more detailed work on the text, but also a method for training the reader to be less dependent on word-by-word processing, to reduce eye movements and take in larger chunks of text at a time. The latter needs a great deal of practice on non-complex texts, ideally with no new vocabulary in them. It can be promoted through such exercises as:

• identifying which of a list of topics is discussed in the text;
• letting one's eyes catch only the adjectives or adverbs or nouns (especially effective in German) in three different texts and deciding which text deals with topic 'x';
• choosing a suitable title for the text from a given selection.

An example of a skimming exercise is the following task relating to Text 10 ('Film Guide'):