It's all in the details
Remember those questions you wrote down before? Now it's time to find the answers. Read the text again, but this time, read it slowly and carefully. Look for any words or phrases that relate to your questions. This is called scanning. If you come across anything else that's interesting and important, underline that too. Once you're finished, you should have a fuller understanding of the text.
Words, words, words!
You don't have to understand every single word to understand the text. Pick out key words or phrases you don't know and write them down. But don't reach for the dictionary just yet! Try to guess the word's meaning from context - the words or phrases around it. After you've taken a guess, go ahead and use the dictionary to see how close you were. You might be pleasantly surprised!
Final reading
By this time, you should be familiar with the text. Read it one more time. You can now focus on any unusual grammar structures or sentence styles. When you've finished, sit back and think about everything you've just learned. That wasn't so difficult, was it?
