本书属于教育部立项的“普通高等教育‘九五’国家级重点教材”，同时还被列为“中国科学院研究生教学丛书”。
书中所选60篇短文大多引自当代英文原版书刊，题材广泛，可读性强。每篇短文后均配阅读理解题，书后附阅读速度测定表、阅读理解准确率测定表、阅读速度变化进度表及一份活页练习答案。
本书适用于非英语专业硕士研究生学位英语教学，也可作为高等院校各专业本科生提高英语技能的参考用书。

1. THE HEALING POWER OF SLEEP
2. RISK
3. FRIENDSHIP
4. LARRY KING
5. REPORTERS AS STUNTMEN
6. EDUCATION
7. ARE HUMANS FURLESS TO THWART PARASITES?
8. JUMBO SQUID
9. BYSTANDERS
10. TAN OR BURN
11. PLATYPUSES
12. LAPTOP SECURITY
13. THE VANISHING BIRDS
14. SUCCESS
15. HISTORIC CLIMB
16. QUALITY OF LIFE IS MUCH MORE THAN A JOB
17. FREEDOM AND CENSORSHIP
18. VIRGINIA WOOLF
19. WORKING TIME AND A HALF
20. A FABLE FOR TOMORROW
21. PERRIER VERSUS BRITISH BEEF
22. GUMPERSON'S LAW
23. INSOMNIA
24. JEALOUSY
25. DECEPTION
26. WE FISH
27. BALDNESS
28. URBAN AND SUBURBAN
29. SLIGHT DIFFERENCE, MAJOR CONFLICTS
30. OLDER CAREGIVERS
31. THE WIRELESS WEB
32. LANGUAGE LEARNING
33. NEGOTIATIONS
34. ELECTION RESEARCH
35. COMMON SENSE
36. INTELLECTUAL
37. SKINNY ENVELOPES
38. THE PROBLEM OF DISCIPLINE
39. ETIQUETTE
40. A LETTER FROM TEXAS
41. THE CASE FOR THE JASONS
42. INVISIBLE TERRORISM
43. SHOALS OF TIME
44. BLOOD SUPPLY BESIEGED
45. BROADBAND
46. THE VIOLENT PAST OF A WICKED WEED
47. THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION
48. DETERMINISTS
49. RIGHTS, WRONGS AND IGNORANCE
50. CHEATING
51. BAD SCIENCE AND FALSE FACTS
52. OBSESSIVE-COMPULSIVE DISORDER
53. TOP FORMS
54. DIVISIONS IN EUROLAND
55. THE ADVANTAGES OF STUPIDITY
56. DANGERS OF GOING UNDERGROUND
57. (RE) BUILDING BLOCKS
58. A SUSPENSION OF DEATH PENALTY
59. IN DEFENSE OF THE BOOK
60. A BOOK REVIEW
附表一：阅读速度测定表(WPM)
附表二：阅读理解准确率测定表(％)
附表三：阅读速度变化进度表