Reading comprehension must involve an interaction between the reader's world knowledge and the incoming linguistic message. After examining the measurement of reading comprehension from this perspective, we conclude that existing tests are likely to be unsatisfactory for the purposes of assessing educational gain and diagnosing reading difficulty.…

Discusses whether high levels of skill in one's second language (L2) leads to loss of performance in one's first language (L1). Data are reviewed indicating that a high level of reading skill in L2 may indeed be associated with slower reading in L1. (21 references) (Author/VWL)