The Reading section measures test takers’ ability to understand university-level academic texts and passages. In English-speaking academic environments students are expected to read and understand information from textbooks and other types of academic material. Below are three possible purposes for academic reading.

Reading purposes include 阅读目的

1. Reading to find information, which involves 寻找信息
· effectively scanning text for key facts and important information 有效浏览重要信息
· increasing reading fluency and rate 提高阅读速度

2. Basic comprehension, which requires the reader to 基本理解
· understand the general topic or main idea, major points, important facts and details, vocabulary in context, and pronoun references. 理解大意和重点
· make inferences about what is implied in a passage 理解文章言下之意

3. Reading to learn, which depends on the ability to 学习
· recognize the organization and purpose of a passage 理解文章目的和组织结构
·understand relationships between ideas (for example, compare-and-contrast, cause-and-effect, agree-disagree, or steps in a process) 理解观点之间的联系
· organize information into a category chart or a summary in order to recall major points and important details 总结信息，回顾重点
· infer how ideas throughout the passage connect 文章观点如何联系起来的

The TOEFL iBT test includes three basic categories of academic texts. The categories are based on the author’s objectives:
· Exposition 说明
· Argumentation 论证
· Historical biographical/event narrative  陈述

Test takers do not need any special background knowledge to correctly answer the questions in the Reading section; all the information needed to answer the questions is contained in the passages.

Test takers must read through or scroll to the end of each passage before receiving questions on that passage. Once the questions appear, the passage is located on the right side of the computer screen, and the questions are on the left.