Noting the drastic, sudden increase in enrollment in the post-Sputnik period in Russian language courses and the resultant difficulty of finding qualified instructors, the author describes a rapid-reading methodology which concentrates on forms and expressions prevalent in technical writing. Description of suggested teaching techniques concentrates on: (1) the Cyrillic alphabet, (2) cognates, (3) oral practice, (4) word classes and drill work, (5) verb tenses, and (6) gerunds. Commentary on the eventual transition from reading to translating concludes the article. (RL)