Mastery of English in China has gathered increased prominence due to the need to foster cultural, political, and economic connections worldwide. Reading is an obvious skill of vital importance for advancing efforts as a player in the world economy. The present article examines research published in academic journals in Chinese and English to specifically explore the variables investigated and underscore the directions of future research. Through the detailed summary, the authors assert that more research should examine the effects of passage content, topic familiarity, and metacognition and offer corresponding implications for reading material developers and test constructors in China.