阅读技巧反刍：skimming和scanning的区别到底在哪里？

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&#39;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&#39;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\").

汉语中有没有类似的区分呢？疑惑中……

tonyjzit

我的理解：
skimming是指跳读，为了在短时间内掌握文章的大概内容。（无特殊目的）
scanning字面理解为“扫描”，比如要在文章中寻找相关内容，用极快的眼光扫描文章，寻找到相关关键词后，停下来阅读前后的内容。（有目的的）

yjlingo

忘了《新视野大学英语》第二还是第三册上有详细说明。

cicerocicero

引用第2楼tonyjzit于2008-05-24 15:02发表的 :
我的理解：
skimming是指跳读，为了在短时间内掌握文章的大概内容。（无特殊目的）
scanning字面理解为“扫描”，比如要在文章中寻找相关内容，用极快的眼光扫描文章，寻找到相关关键词后，停下来阅读前后的内容。（有目的的）

愚不敢苟同，以有无目的区分之的思路其实把自己括号前的解说否定了；同时，两者追求的，也是一般应试型语言教育中所标榜的，都是快而准，因此“短时间”、“极快”之说无法充当区别要素！
skimming可以理解为“撇开浮沫，求其内核”（照顾楼主的词源考证，故作此解，呵呵），即以主题为指向的，是建立在一种主体操作(integrity)思路之上的思考。其快的原理是通过忽略细节达成的。
scanning是“扫描”所面对的全部信息元，企图甄别出吻合给定预设（如，对从题目入手之“反其道行之”的阅读者而言，题干中的关键词或选项中的关键点）的对象，可以理解为面对语境中之（embedded in a context）特定对象（如字、句）的一种思考或理路。其快的原理是通过直奔目标达成的。
两者之间，以小学语文教学的方式类比，skimming有点“中心思想”的意味，而scanning有点“词句解释注音”的意味；以写论文的方式类比，skimming有点abstract的意味，而scanning有点key words的意味。
必须要说的题外话：究其实，两者的区别并不如我们想像的那么大，许多老师，不论在大学课堂上还是走穴在培训学校的课堂上，都会说这两个词，但真正会用结合与交融的方式操作的，少之又少。
与兄共勉！

hydra

如楼上所说，这两个词之间的区别不大，甚至就没什么区别。试看OALD（牛津高阶）上的例句：

skim
~ (through / over) sth to read sth quickly in order to find a particular point or the main points:
[V] He skimmed through the article trying to find his name.
[VN] I always skim the financial section of the newspaper.


scan
~ (through) sth (for sth) to look quickly but not very carefully at a document, etc:
[VN] I scanned the list quickly for my name.
[V] She scanned through the newspaper over breakfast.

两词例句都是找名字和看报纸，这可能不是巧合。

wdscxsj

小弟斗胆另开一帖大放厥词，尚祈移步
http://www.readfree.net/bbs/read.php?tid=4624457
一观。