This study was an attempt to compare the readingrncomprehension level of Ethiopian Junior Secondary Schoolrnstudents with the levels expected of them in their contentrnareas. To achieve this, the readability level of the seventhrngrade textbooks for Geography and Science, which are taught inrnEnglish, was assessed using the Fog Index. What is more, inrnorder to identify the comprehension level of the students, sixrncloze tests were administered to a randomly selected sample.rnA student questionnaire and interviews were also used torninvestigate the problems the students face in reading theirrntextbooks. In addition to the above tools a readabilityrnchecklist was used to assess the views of Geography andrnScience teachers about the readability of the texts. Based onrnthe opinion expressed by the teachers and the students, arnsample unit from the Geography textbook was prepared to seernthe effect of text simplification on the students' reading andrnunderstanding. Finally, the attitude of subject teachersrntowards the teaching of reading in the content areas wasrnassessed.rnThe findings from the study indicated that the Geographyrntextbook is appropriate to the seventh grade students as farrnas the F00 Index is concerned. But the Science Textbook isrniiirnslightly above their level. The result of the cloze testsrnshowed that the comprehension level of the students is at arnfrustration level. The questionnaire and the interviewrnresults revealed that many students cannot read and understandrntheir textbooks because of vocabulary and sentence complexity.rnFindings from the checklist showed that content area teachersrnfeel that the two textbooks are adequate. The results of thernreadability Fog Index and the cloze test of the simplifiedrnunit indicated that the readability level of the simplifiedrnunit is appropriate to the seventh grade. But the students'rnperformance on the cloze test was found to be very low.rnFinally, the findings from the attitude measurement scalernindicated that content area teachers feel that they are notrnprepared to teach reading in the content classroom.rnBased on the findings, it is recommended that studentsrnmust be prepared in elementary English classes to developrntheir vocabulary and independent reading. In the JuniorrnSecondary level, students should be helped in their contentrnreading through the use of familiar vocabulary and simplernsentences, and questions of various kinds at the pre-readingrnand post-reading stages leading to discussions and activities.rnWhat is more, new concepts should be introduced in relation tornwhat is familiar to the students and a step by step approachrnshould be used to develop these concepts with various examplesrnand illustrations. In order to raise the teachers' awarenessrnof the problem of reading and positively influence theirrnattitude to the teaching of readingl seminars, workshops andrnivrnin-service training should be organized in a continuous basis.rnIn addition, courses on the reading skills should be offeredrnto the teacher trainees. Finally, it is recommended that thernreadability of content texts should be carefully assessed andrnthere should be a working relation between the English panelrnand other panels of the Ministry of Education CurriculumrnDivision in material preparation.