陈庆荣、杨蓓蕾编著的《科学知识小故事》共收录了45篇小故事，大多改编自近年英美国家的科普杂志，内容新颖，生动有趣，知识涉及面广，包括8个专题：气候及其影响、动物、历史与文明、环境保护、宇宙知识、医学与健康、电脑知识与运用、一些科学原理的运用。

本书旨在通过各种有趣的阅读材料和精心编写的理解题目，帮助中学生增加对科普知识和文化背景知识的了解，巩固和拓宽词汇量，逐步提高阅读技能，同时也满足各种标准化考试中阅读应试能力的要求。

1.Climate and Life on Earth

2.Penguins in Antarctica

3.Extinction of Big Ice Age Mammals

4.Calculating the Threat of Tsunami

5.Tornado

6.Relationship among Chimpanzees

7.Save Endangered Animals by Cloning

8.Estivators

9.Seahorse Fathers Take Reins in Childbirth

10.Elephants May“Talk”via Vibration

11.Life IS Confusing{or Two-headed Snakes

12.Studying Tree Rings Helps to Understand the History

13.Who Were the Inca?

14.Early Humans' Tolerance of Various Climate Conditions

15.Maya Civilization

16.Qomolangma Melting?

17.Raw Human Waste Killing Off Coral Reefs?

18.Frog Deformities

19.Bright Side of Wildfires

20.Noise P000ution

21.The Production of the Sun's Light and Heat

22.Eclipse

23.Is a Large Asteroid Headed for Impact with Earth in 2880?

24.Inner Earth May Hold More Water than the Seas

25.Are Volcanic Eruptions Tied to Lunar Cycle?

26.Time Travel

27.Sea Water

28.Change in Oceanic Salinity

29.Slaughter——the Most Efficient Way to Control Epidemic

30.What Causes Heart Diseases

31.What Causes Cancer

32.Hydatids——When a Dog Is Not Man's Best Friend

33.Drugs in Sport

34.Road Rage

35.Bacteria

36.Scientists“Drive”Rats by Remote Control

37.Computer Viruses

38.CubicEye

39.Clothes Going Digital

40.The Make of Pottery

41.Natural and Man-made Retroreflection

42.Working Principle of a Refrigerator

43.The Development of Refrigeration

44.An Experiment in Genetic Engineering Modify

45.The Development of the Mathematical Ability in Children

Answer Key

yocabulary