Effects of Graded Texts on EFL College Students' Incidental ...

The Sinorama magazine is dedicated to introducing Taiwan to the world.
Articles in Sinorama are authentic materials in English, written for the purpose <strong>of</strong>
presenting a true picture <strong>of</strong> Taiwan on the international scene. Through special
in-depth reportage on Taiwan <strong>of</strong> all aspects, readers are hoped to gain a better
knowledge and understanding <strong>of</strong> Taiwan. Its articles include major developments
and issues in Taiwan over recent years in such areas as politics, economics, arts,
society, culture, ecology and the environment. For readers in this study, Sinorama
articles possess the advantage <strong>of</strong> first, <strong>of</strong>fering background-familiar reading texts and
second, providing chances <strong>of</strong> learning from authentic materials related to home
culture, which is rare since most reading materials <strong>of</strong>ten are imported, aim at
introducing foreign culture <strong>of</strong> English-speaking countries. In other words,
instruction or aid for further culture knowledge is not an additional demand with texts
from Sinorama and that reading difficulties generated from unfamiliarity <strong>of</strong>
background knowledge will be minimized. Moreover, for learners to read
extensively, selecting materials that interest readers is also another major factor. A
wide variety <strong>of</strong> texts providing various topics and themes would more likely enhance
readers’ motivation for English learning. With topics ranging from politics,
economics, arts, society, culture, ecology, sports, entertainment and environment,
texts in Sinorama possess this motivating feature. As a result, 5008 reading texts
from issues <strong>of</strong> the Sinorama magazine in 1989 to 2001 were selected for analyses and
sequencing.
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