The purpose of this study is primarily to find out the gap betweenrnthe actual reading ability and what is expected of the Bahir Dar Teachers7rnCollege freshman students in their subject area text books. Itsrnsecondary purpose is to investigate whether a significant differencernexists between and among the groups of the sample population due to somernvariables.rnIn order to accomplish this goal, eleven degree and seventeenrndiploma English students, sixteen degree and thirty-four diplomarnGeography students totalling seventy-eight were taken as a samplernpopulation representing the social science freshman students.rnSix passages from English for New Ethiopia series were taken forrnboth department students and three passages related to their fieldrnof studies for each department students were cposen based on therninstructions recommended by Fry;s (1968) formula (graph). C10ze andrncomprehension tests were set and administered to the sample populationrnand the necessary statistical data were obtained using a computer.rnBesides, c10ze and comprehension error analyses of the student~lrnresponses were done. ~~i1e the result of the cloze analysis indicatesrnthat the students lack an adequate knowledge of the English grammarrnand sufficent vocabulary stock, the analysis of the comprehensionrnquestion responses show that they are deficient in the higherrncomprehension skills.rnApart from the c10ze and comprehension tests, a questionnairernwas administered to see whether differences exist between the groupsrndue to the variables stated in the questionnaire. The result,rnhowever, indicates no sirnificant difference amonp the prouns except forrntwo cases.rnIn general, the result of the study reveals that the 8ctual readingrnability of the two dep~rtment students enables them to read text booksrnof grade four djfficulty levels with the help o~ a teacher. Thisrnimplies that the students' readinp ability is ~ar below the expectedrnstandard and the problem is acute.rnThe researcher hopes that the concâ‚¬rned autho,ities should dornsomething in order to solve the nroblcm.