Best way to call out important content to screen readers?

1. What content do screen readers read?
2. Can screen readers read highlighted text?

What content do screen readers read?

A screen reader is a software application that enables people with severe visual impairments to use a computer. Screen readers work closely with the computer's Operating System (OS) to provide information about icons, menus, dialogue boxes, files and folders.

Can screen readers read highlighted text?

A screen reader will detail every line as highlighted, which is distracting. While highlighting can be cleared using the “Clear Authorship Colors,” it is challenging to navigate to this button with a screen reader because there are so many buttons before it.