Expression "scan a reading"

[sitifan]

You can scan a reading to find information quickly

What does the word reading mean in the above sentence?

Thank you very much for your reply.

[Alan]

Hi,

'Scan' has the idea of looking at quite quickly but from top to bottom or from side to side. If you scan a page of text, you are not looking at every single word in detail. You can also scan the sky or the horizon when you are looking for a plane or a bird. 'Scan' is of course used in a technical sense whereby you copy a piece of text or a photograph with a 'scanner', which will then be transferred to a computer.

Alan
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[Torsten]

Hi Sitifan,

In addition to Alan's excellent explanation I'd like to say that the word 'reading' doesn't make much sense in the given context. Maybe it's a typo and the word should read 'reader'. A reader is a book that contains a collection of passages or excerpts of other books.
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