《英语阅读教程·散文》主要选取了英美两国传统的经典美文，以及现当代散文、杂文、政论文等，选材围绕“友谊”“家庭”“婚姻”“教育”“自然”“城市与乡村”等经典话题，以及“美与美容业”“语言的政治”“男性与女性气质”“规训与惩罚”等现当代热门话题展开。
《英语阅读教程·散文》共十八个单元，每个单元主题下都有三篇观点相似或者视角接近不同的散文，目的是呈现同一个话题的不同层面，有助于打开学习者视野，培养思辨能力。
《英语阅读教程·散文》练习编写理念新颖，强调学习者的深度参与，有助于全面提高学习者的语言能力，以及阅读、欣赏、分析、审美和判断能力。

Unit 1 University Life & Education
Your College Years
Universities and Their Function（Excerpt）
Education and Discipline
Unit 2 Manners
Of Ceremonies & Respects
A Treatise on Good Manners and Good Breeding
On Being a Bore
Unit 3 The Art of Conversation
Conversation
Why Don't We Complain?
The Art of a Lively Conversation
Unit 4 Family and Friendship
The Art of Pleasing-A Letter to His Son
Treatise on Parents and Children（Excerpt）
On a Faithful Friend
Unit 5 Love and Marriage
Of Marriage and Single Life
The Cons of Marriage
Love Letters to Nora
Unit 6 Soization
The Vice of Punctuality
On the Art of Living with Others
Seeing People Off
Unit 7 Nature
Nature
The Death of the Moth
Once More to the Lake
Unit 8 Portrait of People
Sunday in the Country
Dream Children： A Reverie Delight
Unit 9 City and Countryside
Rural Life in England
On the Cries of London
A Passion for Cities
Unit 10 Politics and Life
The Apology of Socrates
A Modest Proposal
Insouciance
Unit 11 Life Philosophy
The Ephemera： An Emblem of Human Life
The Pleasure of Ignorance
On Being Modern-Minded
……
Unit 12 Books and Reading
Unit 13 Beauty and the Beauty Industry
Unit 14 The Politics of Language
Unit 15 Femininity and Masculinity
Unit I6 Psychology and Health
Unit 17 Discipline and Punishment
Unit 18 Elitism and Egalitarianism