Read with pencil and paper in hand, making up little examples for yourself
as you go on.
Some of the difficulty in reading mathematics is notational. A pianist who
has to stop and think whether a given note on the staff is A or F will not be
able to sight-read a Bach prelude or Schubert sonata. The temptation, when
faced with a long, involved equation, may be to give up. You need to take the
time to identify the "notes."
Learn the names of Greek letters-not just the obvious ones like alpha, beta,
and pi, but the more obscure psi, xi, tau, omega. The authors know a mathematician who calls all Greek letters "xi", except for omega, which he calls "w." This leads to confusion. Learn not just to recognize these letters, but how to pronounce them. Even if you are not reading mathematics out loud, it is hard to think about formulas if are all "squiggles" to you