How do I avoid reading the first article when a group is selected?
    1. Use RET to select the group instead of SPC.
    2. (setq gnus-auto-select-first nil)
    3. elf@mailhost.ee.ryerson.ca (Luis Fernandes) writes:
This is what I use...customize as necessary...

;;; Don't auto-select first article if reading sources, or archives or
;;; jobs postings, etc. and just display the summary buffer
(add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook
          (function
           (lambda ()
             (cond ((string-match "sources" gnus-newsgroup-name)
                    (setq gnus-auto-select-first nil))
                   ((string-match "jobs" gnus-newsgroup-name)
                    (setq gnus-auto-select-first nil))
                   ((string-match "comp\\.archives" gnus-newsgroup-name)
                    (setq gnus-auto-select-first nil))
                   ((string-match "reviews" gnus-newsgroup-name)
                    (setq gnus-auto-select-first nil))
                   ((string-match "announce" gnus-newsgroup-name)
                    (setq gnus-auto-select-first nil))
                   ((string-match "binaries" gnus-newsgroup-name)
                    (setq gnus-auto-select-first nil))
                   (t
                    (setq gnus-auto-select-first t))))))
    4. abraham@dina.kvl.dk (Per Abrahamsen) writes:
       Another possibility is to create an `all.binaries.all.SCORE' file
       like this:
((local
  (gnus-auto-select-first nil)))

and insert

        (setq gnus-auto-select-first t)
       in your .gnus.