Critical Reading
AdvancedFacts versus opinions.
- Facts can be checked (price, ingredients, dates); opinions are judgements (best, fastest).
- Superlatives and wild promises are opinions until data proves them.
- 'Doctors recommend' and 'thousands of users agree' mean little without names or sources.
文體小知識：Question the text.
§Text Passage
1Our cream is the best on the market — and your skin deserves nothing less. For only HK$299, our new Miracle Glow cream can make you look ten years younger. No other product works as fast as ours; just apply it twice a day and wait one week. Thanks to its special formula, wrinkles fade and your skin becomes soft and shiny. We use rare ingredients imported from Switzerland, together with vitamins and fresh plant extracts. It works while you sleep, so your skin recovers without any effort. Say goodbye to tired skin and hello to a fresh new you.
2Doctors in Europe recommend our cream, and hospitals use it widely. Thousands of happy customers agree. “I look in the mirror and smile again,” says Mrs Chan. Another satisfied user, a famous actress, claims the cream changed her life. Our scientists worked for ten years to develop this special formula. Their photos speak for themselves — just look at our website. Everyone is buying it, so do not be the only one left without it.
3Do not miss this once-in-a-lifetime offer! Order today and receive a free gift worth HK$500, but only while stocks last. Call our hotline before midnight and we will double the discount. Pick up your phone now; tomorrow the price may return to HK$599. One bottle lasts three months, and we deliver to your door for free. Remember: beautiful skin is not a dream — it is just one click away. Our friendly staff are ready to answer your calls seven days a week. Supplies are running out fast, so act now.
§Sentence-by-sentence translation Sentence-by-sentence translation
Our cream is the best on the market — and your skin deserves nothing less.
我們的面霜是市場上最好的——你的皮膚值得擁有。
For only HK$299, our new Miracle Glow cream can make you look ten years younger.
只需港幣 299 元，我們全新的 Miracle Glow 面霜就可以令你看起來年輕十年。
No other product works as fast as ours; just apply it twice a day and wait one week.
沒有其他產品比我們更快見效；每日塗兩次，等一個星期就見效。
Thanks to its special formula, wrinkles fade and your skin becomes soft and shiny.
多虧它的特別配方，皺紋會變淡，皮膚會變得又滑又有光澤。
We use rare ingredients imported from Switzerland, together with vitamins and fresh plant extracts.
我們用來自瑞士的稀有成分，加上維他命和新鮮植物精華。
It works while you sleep, so your skin recovers without any effort.
它在你睡覺時發揮功效，皮膚不必做任何護理就能修復。
Say goodbye to tired skin and hello to a fresh new you.
向疲倦的皮膚說再見，迎接煥然一新的自己。
Doctors in Europe recommend our cream, and hospitals use it widely.
歐洲的醫生都推薦我們的面霜，醫院都廣泛使用。
Thousands of happy customers agree.
幾千個滿意的顧客都認同。
“I look in the mirror and smile again,” says Mrs Chan.
陳太說：「我照鏡，終於再次笑了。」
Another satisfied user, a famous actress, claims the cream changed her life.
另一位滿意用家——一位著名女演員——聲稱這款面霜改變了她一生。
Our scientists worked for ten years to develop this special formula.
我們的科學家用了十年才研發出這個特別配方。
Their photos speak for themselves — just look at our website.
他們的照片自己會說話——上我們網站看看就知道。
Everyone is buying it, so do not be the only one left without it.
人人都買了，不要做唯一一個還沒有的人。
Do not miss this once-in-a-lifetime offer!
千載難逢的優惠，不要錯過！
Order today and receive a free gift worth HK$500, but only while stocks last.
今日訂購即送價值港幣 500 元的禮品，數量有限，送完即止。
Call our hotline before midnight and we will double the discount.
午夜前打我們熱線，折扣即時加倍。
Pick up your phone now; tomorrow the price may return to HK$599.
現在就拿起電話；明天價格可能回復到 599 元。
One bottle lasts three months, and we deliver to your door for free.
一瓶可以用三個月，我們還免費送貨上門。
Remember: beautiful skin is not a dream — it is just one click away.
記住：漂亮的皮膚不是夢——只差你按一下。
Our friendly staff are ready to answer your calls seven days a week.
我們友善的職員一星期七日都準備好接聽你的電話。
Supplies are running out fast, so act now.
貨源愈來愈少，行動要快。
1Summary 重點摘要
Facts versus opinions.
2Vocabulary cards Vocabulary
Questioning.
Truth.
View.
Prejudice.
Proof.
Where from.
Reliable.
Doubt.
3Step by step Steps
- AskCritical reading starts with questions: who says this? Why? What do they want me to do? This text is a cream advertisement — the writer wants to sell Miracle Glow, so question every promise: is it exaggerated?
- SplitSplit facts from opinions: facts can be checked — HK$299, twice a day, free delivery; opinions are judgements — “best on the market”, “look ten years younger”. Superlatives and big promises come with no data, so treat them as opinions.
- FindHunt for evidence: “Doctors in Europe recommend our cream” names no doctor and no hospital; “Thousands of happy customers” cites no survey. Unnamed, unnumbered evidence cannot be trusted.
- JudgeJudge reliability: the source is the advertiser itself and the motive is profit; add the pressure tactics — before midnight, while stocks last, double the discount — that create panic, and the trust level drops at once.
- Spot the tricksSpot the persuasion tricks: deadlines and limits create fear, a famous actress lends borrowed credibility, and the photos “speak for themselves” only on the seller's own website — all push you to pay faster; none of it is evidence.
- Three questionsAsk the three critical questions: who says it? Where is the evidence? What do they want me to do? Here: the advertiser; nothing solid; call the hotline and order now. Answer them and the advert is already half dismantled.
- Daily useUse it on social media and online reviews too: when you see “No.1”, ask for the survey source; when you see “limited edition”, ask whether it truly sold out — never accept everything at face value.
5Worked example Example
This is an advertisement for a skin cream. Separate facts from opinions and identify the persuasive techniques a critical reader should question.
- Step 1: Facts (checkable): the price is HK$299, it is applied twice a day, ingredients are imported from Switzerland, delivery is free.
- Step 2: Opinions (unproven): 'the best on the market', 'look ten years younger', 'No other product works as fast' — superlatives with no data.
- Step 3: Question the evidence: 'Doctors in Europe recommend' names no doctor or hospital; 'thousands of happy customers' cites no survey; the photos live on a website you cannot check here.
- Step 4: Spot pressure tactics: a midnight deadline, 'while stocks last', a doubled discount — urgency designed to stop you thinking.
- Step 5: A critical reader keeps asking: who says this, where is the evidence, and what do they want me to do?
- Answer: Critical reading exposes the advertisement's structure. The checkable facts are few: the price of HK$299, twice-a-day use, Swiss ingredients and free delivery. Everything that sells the product is opinion dressed as fact: 'the best on the market' and 'ten years younger' are superlatives backed by no clinical data. The evidence fails under questioning — no doctor or hospital is named, 'thousands of happy customers' comes from no traceable survey, and Mrs Chan or an actress may well be paid. The deadline tactics ('before midnight', 'while stocks last', tomorrow's higher price) create panic rather than proof. A critical reader responds with three questions: who is speaking, what evidence exists, and what action are they pushing me towards?
6Common mistakes Mistakes
7Quick check Quick check
Q1What is critical reading?
Q2Fact or opinion?
Q3Bias?
Q4Evidence?
Q5Source?
Q6Trustworthy?
Q7Is this fact or opinion?
Q8Is it trustworthy?
Q9What should you ask?
8Recap Recap
- Facts can be checked (price, ingredients, dates); opinions are judgements (best, fastest).
- Superlatives and wild promises are opinions until data proves them.
- 'Doctors recommend' and 'thousands of users agree' mean little without names or sources.
- Deadlines, limited stock and doubled discounts manufacture panic, not proof.
- Ask three questions always: who says it, where is the evidence, what do they want?