Chinese students' reading strategies are shaped by their cultural assumptions and by the background information, or lack of it, that they bring to the material. Most important, their reading strategies are influenced by (1) traditional methods of reading that have led to investigating each word without always understanding the general concepts of the work, and (2) an attitude toward literature that assumes a philosophical meaning of depth and significance, slowing the reading process and possibly causing the student to use concrete strategies when they are not needed. Once these issues are consciously manipulated by Chinese students, they will learn to develop reading strategies that are appropriate for the reading task at hand. (MSE)