Reading: Understanding a Short News Report

News reports answer six questions early: who, what, where, when, why and how. The first paragraph usually contains four of them.

Read the sample report below. The city council announced on Monday that the central library will open on Sundays from next month. The decision follows a survey in which more than two thousand residents asked for longer weekend hours. Staff numbers will increase by six, and the extra cost will be covered by the council's culture budget.

• Skim first: read the opening sentence and the last sentence.
• Scan second: look only for the number, name or date you need.
• Do not translate every word — meaning comes from the sentence.

Unknown word? Decide first whether it is a noun, verb or adjective. That alone often gives you the meaning.