Critical reading applies to non-fiction writing in which the author puts forth a position or seeks to make a statement. Critical reading is active reading. It involves more than just understanding what an author is saying. Critical reading involves questioning and evaluateing what the author is saying, and forming your own opinions about what the author is saying. Here are the things you should do to be a critical reader.
Consider the context of what is written. You may be reading something that was written by an author from a different cultural context than yours. Or, you may be reading something written some time ago in a different time context than yours. In either case, you must recognize and take into account any differences between your values and attitudes and those represented by the author.
Question assertions made by the author. Don't accept what is written at face value what is written. Before accepting what is written, be certain that the author provides sufficient support for any assertions made. Look for facts, examples, and statistics that provide support. Also, look to see if the author has integrated the work of authorityies.
Compare what is written with other written work on the subject. Look to see that what is written is consistent with what others have written about the subject. If there are inconsistencyies, carefully evaluate the support the author provides for the inconsistencies.
Analyze assumptions made by the author. Assumptions are whatever the author must believe is true in order to make assertions. In many cases, the author's assumptions are not directly stated. This means you must read carefully in order to identify any assumptions. Once you identify an assumption, you must decide whether or not the assumption is valid.
Evaluate the sources the author uses. In doing this, be certain that the sources are credible. For example, Einstein is a credible source if the author is writing about landmark achievements in physics. Also be certain that the sources are relevant. Einstein is not a relevant source when the subject is poetry. Finally if the author is writing about a subject in its current state, be sure that the sources are current. For example, studies done by Einstein in the early 20th century may not be appropriate if the writer is discussing the current state of knowledge in physics.
Identify any possible author bias. A written discussion of American politics will likely look considerably different depending on whether the writer is a Democrat or a Republican. What is written may very well reflect a biased position. You need to take this possible bias into account when reading what the author has written with a grain of salt.
By being a critical reader, you will become better informed and may change your views as appropriate.
批判性(critical)阅读适用(apply to)于纪实文学(non-fiction)，在这类作品中，作者常常会提出(put forth)某种观点(position)或是寻求作者的态度。批评性的阅读方法是一种主动性很强的阅读方法。它涉及到的不仅仅是理解作者所说的话。质疑(question)和评估(evaluate)作者所说的话，涉及到对于作者所说的话要形成你自己的观点。如果你想要成为一名有批评性思维的读者，在这里我列出一些你应该做到的。
仔细思考作者的写作背景(context)。你可能正在读一篇与你的文化背景截然不同的作者所写的文章。或者，你可能正在读一篇写于不同于你所处的时代的文章。不论哪种情况(case)，你必须能搞清楚同时好好考虑(take into account)你的价值观(value)和态度与作者的不同之处(represent)。
合理质疑(question)作者所做出的论断(assertion)。对于作者写出来的不要全盘接受(accept at face value)。你在接受作者的观点之前，要确保作者提供了足够多的(sufficient)论据来支持其论点。你要仔细查看支持论断的事实、举例和统计数据(statistic)。同时，你要查看作者是否参考了权威专家(authority)的著作。
把(compare)作者所写的内容和该题材(subject)其他著作做对比。看看作者所写的内容与该题材领域其他人所写的是否一致(consistent)。如果有不一致之处(inconsistency)，要仔细评估该处作者提供的论据。
认真分析作者所做的假设(assumption)。假设指的是作者为了提出其论断所必须相信是正确的那些观点。在许多情况下，作者的假设都不是直接陈述(directly)出来的。这就意味着你必须通过仔细地阅读来找到(identify)作者的所做的那些假定。一旦你找到一个假设，你必须判断一下这个假设是否是合理的(valid)。
评估作者的引用来源。评估时，要确定这些来源是可靠的(credible)。举例来说，如果作者写的是关于物理学上里程碑式的(landmark)成就，那么爱因斯坦就是一个可靠的引用。第二,要确定这些引用是相关的(relevant)。如果文章主题是诗歌，那么爱因斯坦这个例子就是不相关的。最后，如果作者所写的主题是当今(current)局势，那就一定要确保引用来源也是当前的。例如，如果作者讨论的是物理学当今的学科知识情况，那么20世纪早期爱因斯坦的研究可能就不太适合(appropriate)了。
识别作者可能带有的偏见(bias)。有关美国政治的书面论述可能因作者是共和党人或是民主党人迥然(considerably)不同。写出来的文章可能会很好地反映出(reflect)作者的偏见态度和立场。你需要在阅读作者的文章的过程中考虑到其可能带有的偏见。这也就是说，要有持保留态度(with a grain of salt)看待作者所写的文章。
通过做一个有批判性的读者，你会成为一个更加有见识的(informed)人，并可能适当的改变你自己的观念。