This sutdy intends to shed light on the nature of L2 reading for providing instructors in this field fuzfundamental and essential information to examine their unconscious assumptions about L2 reading, and therefore to evaluate teaching approaches efflclently. As L2 reading is basically one kind of reading behavior, any attempts to trace the development of L2 reading must begin with a solid understanding of the nature of reading. Following the recognition of the nature of reading,the rich complexity of L2 reading is explored through portraying both the brief recent history of theories of L2 reading and tb the recent research arguments concerning the L2 reading process. It is hoped that when neither L2 reading is treated merely y as "reading" nor L2 readers are regarafded merely as "readers," instructors may not only pay more attention on predicting the kinds of diffi-culty their students may encounter in learrearning to read another language, but also may try to meet their students' special needs in selecting material, designing tests, and applying instructional approaches. 許多台灣與中國大陸的外語教師已嘗試研究多種有效的教學法使其學生受惠。其中，有很多是探討藉由錄影帶以增進學生學習外語的成功範例。由電影所拍成的錄影帶運用於教學較易令學生精神集中，乃由於其提供了一個專注點，使人有身歷其境之感，無形中助長了聽力。最重要是，許多研究顯示，電影字幕對於在校學生以及中低程度者，能增進字彙和閱讀能力。電視上的字幕也可將電視巧妙地變成活動的故事書，藉以提高學習的動機。影片上的動畫，配合對話與字幕確實在外語的學習上是一強而有力的工具。
