What is a meniscus? How is it used for marking volumetric measurements?

There are two tipes of meniscus (see the picture).

When you put water (for example) in a beaker or test tube, you see a curved surface. With most liquids, the attractive force between the liquid and the container is greater than the attraction between the individual liquid molecules. So we can conclude that the liquid "sticks" to the side of the container.

How you read the level of water?