本书寓语言于素养教育之中，把枯燥的英语阅读变成百科知识的涉猎，使英语阅读不再枯燥。本书具有多种使用价值，既可以提高英语阅读能力，又可以提高个人文化素养，扩大知识面，同时还可以作为阅读备考训练教材，是一本集多种功能于一身的知识性阅读参考书。

第一部分 技巧导航

一、提高阅读理解水平的途径

1．明确阅读的重要性，养成良好的阅读习惯

2．加强语言基本功的训练

1)扩大词汇量

2)长短句的理解与分析

3)提高阅读的基本技能

4)影响阅读技能的因素

二、文化背景对阅读理解的影响

三、相关资料

1．多层次因素理论

2．情绪型阅读理论

3．篇章层次上分析阅读过程的理论

4．双重代码理论

第二部分 篇章阅读

UNIT 1

Text A English Class System

Text B Distance Edtlcation

Text C Our Changing Language

UNlT 2

Text A Sports of Balls

Text B Baseball

Text C Women’s Basketball 

UNlT 3

Text A The Buddha in Thai Sculpture

Text B Religions in America

Text C The Car Culture  

UNIT 4

Text A The Mid-Autumn Feast

Text B Outstanding Human Achievements

Text C Traditional Medicine

UNIT 5

Text A The Automobile Syndrome

Text B Perspective Is Everything

Text C Beer Throughout History

UNIT 6

Text A One Realtor Wearing Many Hats

Text B The Joy of SOHO: Making a Life While Making a Living

Text C We Do Trust Each Other  Take My Word for It

UNIT 7

Text A Say No to Be a Manager?

Text B Who Brings the Beauty to You?

Text C Cricket the National Sport of Time Wasters

UNIT 8

Text A Bill Clinton

Text B How to Publish a Paper in a Jimmy Eat World?

Text C War Correspondent's Family. A Dispatch from the Home Front

UNIT 9

Text A American Business

Text B In India's Travel Tinsel Town of Bollywood

Text C "Eighty Percent of Success Is Showing Up" 

UNIT 10

Text A How Should One Read a Book?

Text B Dinner Theater

Text C Families

UNIT 11

Text A Round Midnight

Text B Body Talk

Text C The Virtue of Aging

UNIT 12

Text A Wake up Your Life

Text B Choose Optimism

Text C Culture and Human Nature

UNIT 13

Text A Beautiful Life

Text B My Early Home

Text C Competitive Sports Build Character

UNIT 14

Text A Pride and Prejudice

Text B We're Raising Children, Not Flowers!

Text C Thoughts on the Passing of a Princess

UNIT 15

Text A The "In" Crowd and Social Cruelty

Text B I'm a Chinese-American

Text C A Bad Principal Taught Me a Good Lesson

UNIT 16

Text A The Mask Forever -- Jim Carrey

Text B Remembrance of Lilacs

Text C A Trek to Wellness

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