本书的编写宗旨即在于最大程度上为学生提供听说模仿的素材和更多练习的机会，激发学生学习的兴趣，引导学生养成正确学习英语和用英语进行交际的习惯。

本教材的内容全部取材于日常生活、工作和一些热门话题，具有涉及面广、内容新颖、有启示意义以及篇章短小、生词量小等特点。而且，本教材中的语言点复现率比较高，这就更加便于学生模仿和记忆。此外，本教材的五种练习项目均以提高学生的英语听说写译能力为目标，每一项都要求学生通过动口、动笔、动脑，并在课外查找和阅读相关资料来完成。

         Book One

Lesson 1 A University Town

Lesson 2 A Lucky Customer

Lesson 3 Save the Library

Lesson 4 A Market Place for Toronto

Lesson 5 The Cost of Food

Lesson 6 Population

Lesson 7 The Neighborhood Luncheonette

Lesson 8 Farming in the City

Lesson 9 Mr. and Mrs. Trucker

Lesson 10 Women's Liberation. a Long Way to Go

Lesson 11 Chicago Unblocks Traffic

Lesson 12 Life in a New Country

Lesson 13 In a Bookshop

Lesson 14 Public Transport

Lesson 15 A Short Autobiography

Lesson 16 People and Oceans

Lesson 17 Changing Eating Habits

Lesson 18 Robots

Lesson 19 Air Pollution

Lesson 20 Categories of Education in the United States

Lesson 21 Cars That People Throw Away

Lesson 22 Aquaculture.. New Hope for Food

Lesson 23 Carry on a Proud Tradition

Lesson 24 Alternative Medicine -- Acupuncture.

Lesson 25 Cheaper and Better than Drugs

         Book Two

Lesson 1 Background Music

Lesson 2 Rubbish Need Not Be Wasted

Lesson 3 The Only Thing People Are Interested in Today Is Earning More Money

Lesson 4 Millions of Oliver Twists Live in Streets

Lesson 5 How New York Became America's Largest City

Lesson 6 Americans Rediscover Fitness in Their Feet

Lesson 7 Family -- For and Against

Lesson 8 The Language of Advertising

Lesson 9 The Motor Car-- a Boom or a Menace 

Lesson 10 Does Tobacco Make Economic Sense? 

Lesson 11 The Sale of Council Houses

Lesson 12 Self-Medication

Lesson 13 What do Parents Owe Their Children?

Lesson 14 Japan's Education System

Lesson 15 How to Handle Criticism

Lesson 16 Students Urged to Play Their Part

Lesson 17 Village Thinks Small and Shines

Lesson 18 You Can Speak in Public

Lesson 19 The Importance of Economics

Lesson 20 Why Japanese Cars Still Sell

Lesson 21 Putting an End to Putting Things Off