Get the language -- Some words are crucial to the understanding of the article. Others you may not know, but can guess from the context. If necessary, make a list of the words that seem important to the author's point, but that you don't understand. You may want to use a dictionary and write down definitions, making sure you choose the definition that seems to fit the context of the article. (If you are a non-native speaker, don't write in your native language in the margins of the article, because you will never learn the English words that way. Instead, you will always read the translation in your own language. Also write down idioms and phrases that you don't understand. Ask your tutor or other students about words and idioms you don't understand.)