《英美报刊选读》（第2版）继承了版两个方面的特点：一是选材丰富多彩，具有时代性，信息量丰富；二是从英语新闻学的角度介绍了阅读英语报刊的一些基本知识，而不是简单谈论阅读理解的方法。《英美报刊选读》（第2版）重新遴选了54篇新闻，按内容分成18个单元，每篇新闻的长度在700～900个词之间。每篇新闻后面都附有两大类内容。帮助学生理解文章，如生词、重要的专有名词、内容要点和句子翻译，用中文写出。第二类属于“考”学生的，也就是“练习”，练习紧扣选文，从词语和全文理解两个方面设计练习，同时布置一些自主学习的思考题，供学生自己上网搜索和阅读。此外，还有报刊英语常识介绍。

Unit 1 Regional Focuses： Domestic Turmoil and War1
1.After Benghazi attacks， Islamist extremists akin to alQaeda stir fear in eastern Libya1
2.Syrian unrest spills into Lebanon5
3.North Korea moves missile to coast， but limited threat seen9
Unit 2 Conflicts in the Middle East15
1.“Terrorist” explosion on Tel Aviv bus jeopardises Hamas truce deal15
2.Hizbollah debates dropping support for the regime of President Bashar alAssad 19
3.The IsraelPalestine conflict won’t go away24
Unit 3 The African Scene30
1.Boko Haram： Borno residents want permanent military presence30
2.What are Western and African powers up against in Mali， Algeria?34
3.CAR： how Bozizé lost his piece of Africa39
Unit 4 Violence and Terrorist Attacks in the U.S.46
1.Terrorists hijack 4 airliners， destroy World Trade Center， hit Pentagon; hundreds dead46
2.“I Saw Bodies Falling Out— Oh， God， Jumping， Falling”52
3.2nd bombing suspect caught after frenzied hunt paralyzes Boston56
Unit 5 American Election 201262
1.With debates over， candidates race to clinch vital states62
2.Heated fight for presidency goes to voters67
3.Will we be better off in 2016?72
Unit 6 So News—the U.S.78
1.Storm barrels through region， leaving destructive path78
2.Nation reels after gunman massacres 20 children at school in Connecticut83
3.Some give up their guns as others rally against tighter laws87
Unit 7 National News—the UK93
1.David Cameron’s critics are wrong.He’s on the verge of something great 93
2.MPs to escape expenses investigations after paperwork destroyed by Parliament 98
3.Thatcher’s death has Britain peering back through time102
Unit 8 So News—South Africa109
1.Bloody gunfight109
2.Marikana： 900 bullets112
3.Nelson Mandela’s condition “unchanged”， offis say117
Unit 9 So News—Life and Lawsuits123
1.Victim’s friend tells of brutal gang attack123
2.Family sues over Hout Bay tragedy127
3.Oscar Pistorius charged with Reeva Steenkamp murder131
Unit 10 Environmental Protection—Saving Wild Lives138
1.Rangers in isolated Central Africa uncover grim cost of protecting wildlife
138
2.Saving twoton giraffe a tall order143
3.Cape’s abalone is well on the way to extinction148
Unit 11 Computer Technology and the Internet155
1.The web is the most conservative force on Earth155
2.Google pledge to downgrade piracy sites under review160
3.Simultaneous translation by computer is getting closer164
Unit 12 Science and Technology172
1.Grandma’s curse172
2.It’s snowing， and it really feels like the start of a mini ice age176
3.Climate change alters ecosystems from Walden Pond to “The Shack”181
Unit 13 World Economy186
1.The economy is holding up surprisingly well in a year of austerity186
2.IMF calls on UK to do more to boost economy191
3.EU， South Korea to ally on faster mobile access195
Unit 14 Business News201
1.Chinese trade with Africa keeps growing; fears of neocolonialism are overdone 201
2.“We’re happy” — Frenzy drives traffic to retailers205
3.EU duties on Chinese solar panels losing member state support210
Unit 15 The London 2012 Olympics216
1.London Olympics opening ceremony quirky， fun， loud， British216
2.Licence to thrill! London welcomes the world with spectacular threehour Olympic Opening Ceremony celebrating Great Britain220
3.Don’t Deny the Joy of Usain Bolt225
Unit 16 Culture News231
1.Eid AlAdha， the story and traditions231
2.Coming to bad ends： stories that refuse closure235
3.The Box and the Keyhole240
Unit 17 The British Pub and Drinking Culture247
1.A Pub Crawl through the Centuries247
2.Still the Moon under Water252
3.Booze buses and drunk tanks to tackle Britain’s drinking culture256
Unit 18 Entertainment News261
1.Scarlett Johansson in Broadway’s Cat on a Hot Tin Roof： What did critics think?261
2.Story of Young Woman’s Awakening Is Top Winner265
3.Jennifer Lawrence， interview： ‘I do worry that I’m too in your face’268
Keys to Understanding Ideas in the News274