与国内现有其他优秀教材相比，本教材依据目标学生实际情况，不求教材大而全，突出其简约而实用的特点。同时，本教材编写融听、说、读、写、译多种语言技能培养为一体，各册既各有侧重，又有机相连，从而达到全面培养学生综合运用英语能力的目标。

本教材专门为全国各高校艺术、体育类学生，民族地区学生和其他一些大学入学时英语基础相对薄弱的非英语专业大学生编写，编写体例、课文选材、练习设计等均体现了较强的针对性。

与国内其他优秀教材相比，本教材依据目标学生实际情况，教材编写不求大而全，突出其简约而实用的特点，各册既各有侧重，又有机相连。

本教材以《大学英语课程教学要求》为依据，重点培养学生英语综合应用能力，使学生通过本教材的学习，做到学有所用，学以致用，以用促学，学用统一。

本教材不仅注重激发学生学习兴趣，培养学生外语技能，更加注重学生综合人文素养的提升和积极人生观与价值观的培养，在潜移默化中，启迪思想，陶冶情操。

Unit One Speeches about Olympics

 Text A Opening Speeches on Olympic Games

 Text B Speeches for the XlII Paralympic Games

 Writing in Focus

Unit Two Sports Skill or Technology

 Text A Swimming Records Fall: Is There Something in the Water?

 Text B High-tech Devices at the Olympic Games

 Writing in Focus

Unit Three Iconic Sportsmen

 Text A Great Olympic Moments: Daley Thompson and the Decathlon

 Text B Tales of Life After the Olympics

 Writing in Focus

Test One

Unit Four Learning Revolution

 Text A A Do-it-yourself Guide

 Text B Relearn How to Read--Faster, Better, More Easily

 Writing in Focus

Unit Five Memory

 Text A Visual Memory

 Text B Memory Aids

 Writing in Focus

Unit Six Film: Past and Future

 Text A A Brief History of AMPAS

 Text B The Future of Movies

 Writing in Focus

Test Two

Unit Seven Effective Learning Strategy

 Text A Holistic Learning Strategy

 Text B Master Chinese to Excel in English

 Writing in Focus

Unit Eight Power of Music

 Text A Coldplay--Brit-Pop' s New Force

 Text B The Power of Mozart

 Writing in Focus

Unit Nine One Picture Is Worth Ten Thousand Words

 Text A The Intriguing Mona Lisa

 Text B Cartoons in America from Donald

 Duck to New Yorker Cartoons

 Writing in Focus

 Test Three

Unit Ten Leadership in a New and Challenging Era

 Text A The Complex Challenges in the New Era

 Text B On Military Leadership

 Writing in Focus

Unit Eleven Wings of Success--Attitude

 Text A Aptitude+Attitude=Altitude

 Text B Positive Attitude for Unlimited Success

 Writing in Focus

Unit Twelve Public Speeches

 Text A President-Elect Barack Obama's

 Victory Speech

 Text B 2008 Stanford Graduates Commencement

 Address

 Writing in Focus

 Test Four