In recent years, the degree of the attention to English extracurricular reading has been promoted to a new stage. Those researches focus on the necessity of motivation in English extracurricular reading; the time students spent on the English extracurricular reading; the habit of English extracurricular reading; the teacher's role in English extracurricular reading. In these studies, most of the studies are about the choice of reading materials. The most representative empirical research is from Ying Huilan and Xu Huifang (2001). They arranged their research in June 1999. Their participants are students of parallel classes of Zhejiang University. 58,4% of the students acknowledged that their interest in reading materials was the most important factor.

The domestic research on the second classroom is relatively late. It began in 1980s, and the domestic research has gone through three major stages.

The first stage is from the beginning of the 80's to the end of it, during this period, the scholars mainly study the second classroom around its conception, method to practice, impact of development and other aspects of it. It has been put forward by Xu Tian (1984) that through the learning in second classroom, students can enhance their practical knowledge. Sun Lijun (1987) discussed the educational significance of carrying out the second classroom to students’ knowledge growth from three aspects which include English learning content, means and environment. Many scholars believe that attention should be paid to the status of second classroom, as the first class are equally important as the second classroom which can freely set the topic and make full use of a variety of conditions, to achieve the purpose of developing students. Bao Qichang(1984) and Song Wanbang (1986) believe that the second classroom should be independently formed as a parallel system to the first class. They think the school should carry out the second classroom activities by dealing with the relationship between the first class and the second classroom. Wang Chao (1988) pointed out that we are supposed to instruct students to conduct a number of healthy, educational activities in second classroom, for the sake of meeting the inner demands of students’ pursuit for truth and knowledge as a matter of interest. Thus, students should be guided to enrich their inner world, as well as improve the ability of beauty appreciation.He Yunwei (1991) was convinced that the second classroom is very important, for it enables students to acquire both perceptions of sensibility and knowledge. Gong Xinyuan (1992) deemed it necessary to develop the second classroom, because the second classroom is a complement to the first class as well as the stretching of it. 

2.3 Researches Abroad

Krashen once said, reading is the only method, the only method we became good readers, develop a fine style of writing , abundant vocabulary, perfect grammar, and the only method we become good spellers. The former Soviet Union educator Sue Home Linsky was a well-known researcher on extracurricular reading. He investigated the relevance between reading and development. More than one thousand cards had been collected by him, and he summarize that human with a sense of morality are usually grow up in a family that always show a profound homage for literature. He thinks that extracurricular reading is a great help to the development of students’ intelligence, sense of morality and aesthetic. Therefore, I hold that Sue Home Linsky had a incisive and integrated understanding of extracurricular reading.

    During the eighties or nineties of the 20th century, the Whole Language Approach gained its popularity in some English speaking countries such as the United States, Australia, Canada, UK and Singapore. It believes that the process of reading is the communication between reader's previous experience and the text of the previous experience. So, while choosing reading materials, teachers usually do not use the textbook written specifically for students, but complete articles and formal publications which are associated with students’ life to arouse the students' interest, such as signs, posters, brochures, phone books, TV programs, travel guide, novels, essays, dictionaries, and the encyclopedia, etc.文献综述 初中英语阅读教学第二课堂实证研究(4):http://www.youerw.com/yingyu/lunwen_81276.html