本书的编写指导思想是通过该教材的教学使研究生掌握各项较高的阅读技能，并通过阅读实践运用这些技能，使学生真正具有熟练的英语阅读能力，为以英语为工具进行本专业的学习和研究打下坚实的基础。本书在第一版的基础上对阅读技巧的顺序进行了重新安排，使之更加合理；更换了部分课文，使文章更具有时代性。

本书共5个单元，每单元3课，共15课。每课有阅读技巧介绍、A和B两篇课文、课文中的生词、注释、作者及文章背景介绍，以及针对阅读技巧和课文的实用练习。本书以最新版《研究生英语教学大纲》中要求研究生掌握和能够运用的各项阅读技能为主线，在每课课文前系统地讲述阅读技巧。

Unit One Efficient Reading

 Lesson 1 Developing Your Reading Efficiency

Reading Selection A：World English：A Blessing or a Curse?

Reading Selection B：Jumble of Conflicting Language Taboos

 Lesson 2 Developing Your Reading Flexibility

Reading Selection A：The New School Choice

Reading Selection B：We're Raising Children，Not Flowers

 Lesson 3 Reading Rate

Reading Selection A：Whupping Fat Albert

Reading Selection B：Paging Dr．Carson

Unit Two Techniques for Efficient Reading

 Lesson 4 Skimming：Reading for Main Ideas

Reading Selection A：The TranskIrmation of Marriage

Reading Selection B：Grant and Lee：A Study in Contrast

 Lesson 5 Scanning：Rapidly Locating Information

Reading Selection A：Science and Technology

Reading Selection B：Should We Improve Our Genome?

 Lesson 6 Techniques for Reading Faster

Reading Selection A：Thank God It's Monday

Reading Selection B：Success

Unit Three Active Reading

 Lesson 7 What Is Active Reading?

Reading Selection A：A Whole Nation and a People

Reading Selection B：The Ideal of Service

 Lesson 8 Prereading

Reading Selection A：The Functions and Effects of Music

Reading Selection B：Whose Lead I Should Follow?

 Lesson 9 Connections

Reading Selection A：The Weird World of Tobacco

Reading Selection B：Drunk Driver's Ed

Unit Four Techniques for Remembering What You Read

 Lesson 10 Improving Your Concentration

Reading Selection A：American Values at the Crossroads

Reading Selection B：Sports and American Values

 Lesson 11 Increasing Your Attention Span

Reading Selection A：A Case for Male Dishwashing

Reading Selection B：My Wife Belongs in the House

 Lesson 12 Remembering What You Read

Reading Selection A：Does Economic Growth Improve Human Morale?

Reading Selection B：How to Pursue Happiness

Unit Five Developing Your Word Power

 Lesson 13 Expanding Your Vocabulary(1)

Reading Selection A：Laws of Lasting Love

Reading Selection B：Why We Love Who We Love

 Lesson 14 Expanding Your Vocabulary(2)

Reading Selection A：Why Smaller Refrigerators Can Preserve the Human Race

Reading Selection B：Calculating Machine

 Lesson 15 Aids to Vocabulary Development

Reading Selection A：True Height

Reading Selection B：Harry Potter

READING COMPREHENSION TEST Ⅰ

READING COMPREHENSION TEST Ⅱ