Book excerpt: Practical Faster Reading provides the basis for a reading improvement course lasting a total of 30 class hours and has proved popular with students and teachers in a variety of settings. Thirty passages covering a wide range of topics of general interest and accompanying exercises give practice in the reading skills needed at upper-intermediate and more advanced levels. Substantial increases in reading speed are usually attained with improvements in comprehension and vocabulary. The full answer key for self-checking also makes this useful for the student working alone.