skim
Etymology: Middle English skymmen, skemen, probably from Anglo-French escumer, from escume foam, scum, of Germanic origin; akin to Middle Dutch schum scum — more at scum
1a. To remove floating matter from (a liquid).
b. To remove (floating matter) from a liquid.
c. To take away the choicest or most readily attainable contents or parts from.
2. To coat or cover with or as if with a thin layer, as of scum.
3a. To throw so as to bounce or slide: skimming stones on the pond.
b. To glide or pass quickly and lightly over or along (a surface). See synonyms at brush1.
4. To read or glance through (a book, for example) quickly or superficially.
skim = to read inattentively; yes, but not in a negative sense. It simply means "to gather the main idea(s) of a text by reading it quickly."
Skimming is when you "browse" online, or glance randomly through a book. It has great importance in learning and is emphasized as a strategy in speed reading particularly for exam taking. The purpose of skimming is to get an "overview" not the specific details of the material. We use it to decide if the book, article or report is worth our time, and has anything new and worthwhile to tell us. Why waste time if it is a rehash of stuff we already know?
Don't build on words to comprehend ideas, skim through words and sentences and let the meanings coalesce.
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scan
Etymology: Middle English scannen, from Late Latin scandere, from Latin, to climb; akin to Middle Irish sceinnid he springs, Sanskrit skandati he leaps
1. To examine closely.
2. To look over quickly and systematically:
scanning the horizon for signs of land.
3. To look over or leaf through hastily:
scanned the newspaper while eating breakfast.
2: to examine by point-by-point observation or checking: a: to investigate thoroughly by checking point by point and often repeatedly <a fire lookout scanning the hills with binoculars> b: to glance from point to point of often hastily, casually, or in search of a particular item <scan the want ads looking for a job>
3 a: to examine systematically (as by passing a beam of radiation over or through) in order to obtain data especially for display or storage <scanned the patient's heart> <radar scans the horizon> <scan the photos into the computer> b: to pass over in the formation of an image <the electron beam scans the picture tube>
Scanning originally meant to read in a cursory or hasty way - to glance at. Its origins are Latin, meaning to climb. Today scanning means to see and reproduce every thing it sees: an optical scanner is fast but it does not miss anything. An MRI produces an exact version of what it examines. When we "scan" in speed reading we read each and every word, punctuation mark and symbol on the page.
scan = to read with attention; this word can overlap with "to skim" at times, but you're right that it usually means "to read more diligently," in the sense that the reader attends to every part of the text.
scan = if done by a person, rather than by a machine, often done with the intent of finding some specific thing ("he scanned the paper for any reference to the murder").
[ 此贴被enineera在2008-05-23 11:53重新编辑 ]
