All forms of communication are social and political acts, which can be used to influence people's lives and opinions and, moreover, lead to social change. In reading activities, readers actively participate in the reading process (Freire, 1972a). In order to fully participate in the reading process, readers must consider both their own context as well as that of the writers and their ways of valuing things. A very good example is Bauer's remarks about stray animals, which we discussed in class. If we look only at the comments of stray animals, we can think more about the origin and social condition of the grandmother, in order to find out the reasons for her attitude towards stray animals. Once we learn the context of the remarks and the social status of the speaker, we can go further and understand Bauer's true purpose. As lieutenant governor of South Carolina, Bauer has his own preferred policies. He compared the poor to stray animals and believes that extensive social protection that benefits the poor should not be encouraged. If the reader cannot understand the context of the writer and his ways of valuing, it is very difficult to understand the exact meaning of the text. In Chinese EFL literacy classes, students have many opportunities to read texts that are unrelated to their own social lives. How to understand and evaluate such texts? Jones (1990) offers us a pattern to follow. In the diagram, the writer's context leads to their ways of writing, and their writing process results in the text. On the reader's side, the reader's context determines his or her ways of reading, and this reading process also targets the text. In order to fully understand the text, writers and readers must think about each other's context. If...... middle of paper ...... other classmates. In 2000, Mellor and Patterson suggested an alternative strategy of practice, they assumed that the text is not a simple reflection of our lives, but rather is written in particular places, at particular times and on the basis of particular beliefs of the writer. In 2003, Mclaughlin and Devoogd suggested the alternative strategy of the text. The goal of this strategy is to give students more opportunities to perceive the text in different ways and understand the complexity of social issues. All of these theories can be used to help students find their own answers about the text and have a better experience between the text and the world. In Chinese EFL classrooms, teachers are not yet accustomed to critical literacy, however, students have the right to acquire such training and practice, and we can combine critical thinking with different courses and have the chance to see a different world..