This field study concentrates on how to improve the reading efficiency of Chinese tertiary students of English as a foreign language (henceforth EFL) with particular reference to Bejing Second Foreign Language Institute (henceforth Erwai). The study covers the following aspects in five chapters. Chapter 1 reports and analyses the findings of the research done to identify inefficient reading problems in the Chinese EFL reading situation. Based on the analysis of the existing problems, the chapter comes to a tentative conclusion that teaching reading skills could be one possible solution to the problems. To prove the relevance of the conclusion, the second chapter turns to a critical review of literature about the nature of the reading process. The emphasis in this chapter is on the psycholinguistic perspective of the reading process and its relevance to EFL teaching in China. Related to the psycholinguistic perspective of the reading process, Chapter 3 moves to some more specific issues concerning reading efficiency. The discussion deals with various factors which can influence reading efficiency and points out implications for teaching in the Chinese EFL reading situation. Having considered reading efficiency theoretically in Chapter 2 and 3, the study turns to the practical teaching of reading skills in Chapter 4 and 5. In these two chapters, efficient reading skills are analysed and suggestions are made about practical classroom teaching. It is hoped that these analyses and suggestions will give some impetus to improving the teaching of reading in the Chinese EFL field.