Currently in China, systematic EAP (English for Academic Purposes) instruction practically does not exist in most of the tertiary educational institutes. However, the number of research articles in English first-authored by Chinese graduate students has been steadily increasing, indicating that many Chinese graduate students have acquired adequate academic English proficiency in the absence of systematic EAP instruction. This article investigates the academic English acquisition process of four master degree candidates from a research institute at Wuhan University of Science and Technology by semi-structured interviews. The results demonstrate that as long as those students with limited English proficiency in China are appropriately motivated, it is completely possible for them to acquire sound academic English literacy, particularly in reading and writing, by reading disciplinary-specific literature in English both extensively and intensively with the guidance of their tutors.