本书具有如下几个特点：从短小对话到篇章练习，听力训练循序渐进，形式丰富多样；从交通、饮食到政界逸事，内容紧贴时代脉搏；每课一首流行歌曲，寓英语学习于轻松、快乐中；听力和口语训练相辅相成，培养扎实的英语听说能力；经过精心修订，更加有利于英语实用能力的培养。

本书适用于研究生人才培养。

Lesson One Resources and Energy

  PART A Getting Started: Short Conversations

  PART B Intensive Listening: Resources and Energy

         Passage I  Population and Resources

         Passage II The Middle East's Water Resource Crisis

         Passage III Water Resources

  PART C Speaking

  PART D Extensive Listening: William Faulkner's Nobel Prize Speech

  PART E Listening for Pleasure: Pop Songs

                         Nothing to Lose

Lesson Two Crime and Punishment

  PART A Getting Started: Short Conversations

  PART B Intensive Listening: Crime and Punishment

         Passage I  Purse Snatching

         Passage II How Do Handwriting Experts Catch Criminals?

         Passage III Death Penalty

  PART C Speaking

  PART D Extensive Listening: Bush's Speech at Qinghua University

  PART E Listening for Pleasure: Pop Songs

                         Angels

Lesson Three Computers and the lnternet

  PART A Getting Started: Short Conversations

  PART B Intensive Listening: Computers and,the Internet

         Passage I  The Application of Computers in Education

         Passage II E-Commerce

         Passage III Computerized Systems

  PART C Speaking

  PART D Extensive Listening: Life Imitates Farce

  PART E Listening for Pleasure: Pop Songs

                         Don't Let Me Be the Last to Know

Lesson Four Finance

  PART A Getting Started: Short Conversations

  PART B Intensive Listening: Finance

         Passage I  The Gold Rush

         Passage II Functions of Money

         Passage III Credit Cards

  PART C Speaking 

  PART D Extensive Listening: John Kennedy's Inaugural Address

  PART E Listening for Pleasure: Pop Songs

                         Big Big World 

Lesson Five Places to See

  PART A Getting Started: Short Conversations

  PART B Intensive Listening: Places to See

         Passage I  The Highlands

         Passage II Wales

         Passage III New York City

  PART C Speaking

  PART D Extensive Listening: Youth

  PART E Listening for Pleasure: Pop Songs

                         I Need You Tonight

Lesson Six Edueation

  PART A Getting Started: Short Conversations

  PART B Intensive Listening: Education

         Passage I  SAT Examination

         Passage II Medical Education

         Passage III Graduate Students

  PART C Speaking

  PART D Extensive Listening: The Sound of Music

  PART E Listening for Pleasure: Pop Songs

                         The Perfect Fan 

Lesson Seven Business

  PART A Getting Started: Short Conversations

  PART B Intensive Listening: Business

         Passage I  How to Increase Business Profits

          Passage II Advertising

          Passage III The Dual Function of Advertising

  PART C Speaking

  PART D Extensive Listening: Gone with the Wind

  PART E Listening for Pleasure: Pop Songs

                         As Long As You Love Me

Lesson Eight Aspects of Life

  PART A Getting Started: Short Conversations

  PART B Intensive Listening: Aspects of Life

        Passage I  Tax

        Passage II Religion

        Passage III Health Insurance

  PART C Speaking

  PART D Extensive Listening: Halloween Again

  PART E Listening for Pleasure: Pop Songs

                      Don't Wanna Lose You Now

Lesson Nine College Life

  PART A Getting Started: Short Conversations

  PART B Intensive Listening: College Life

        Passage I  College Search

        Passage II How to Get a Master's Degree

        Passage III Financial Aid for Graduate Students

  PART C Speaking 

  PART D Extensive Listening: Poetry

  PART E Listening for Pleasure: Pop Songs

                      From This Moment On

Lesson Ten Women 

  PART A Getting Started: Short Conversations

  PART B Intensive Listening: Women

        Passage I  Women in Southern Europe

        Passage II American Women 

        Passage III Professional Women

  PART C Speaking

  PART D Extensive Listening: Elaine Chao: The Most Powerful Chinese-American

                     Woman in the U.S

  PART E Listening for Pleasure: Pop Songs

                       Viva Forever

Lesson Eleven Famous People 

  PART A Getting Started: Short Conversations

  PART B Intensive Listening: Famous People

         Passage I  William Jefferson Clinton 

         Passage II William Shakespeare

         Passage III Michael Jordan

  PART C Speaking

  PART D Extensive Listening: Pioneering into the Future

  PART E Listening for Pleasure: Pop Songs

                       Where Are You Now

Lesson Twelve Culture

  PART A Getting Started: Short Conversations

  PART B Intensive Listening: Culture

        Passage I  Beijing's Hutongs

        Passage II The White Wedding Dress

        Passage III Customary Behavior for Guests

  PART C Speaking 

  PART D Extensive Listening: My American Journey

  PART E Listening for Pleasure: Pop Songs

                      Girl in the Mirror

Lesson Thirteen Science and Technology

  PART A Getting Started: Short Conversations

  PART B Intensive Listening: Science and Technology

        Passage I  Cloning Mount Vernon's Trees

        Passage II Dinosaur Noses

        Passage III Disappearance of Large Animals

  PART C Speaking

  PART D Extensive Listening: The Seventy-Fourth Annual Academy Awards

  PART E Listening for Pleasure: Pop Songs

                      Turn Back Time

Lesson Fourteen Sports

  PART A Getting Started: Short Conversations

  PART B Intensive Listening: Sports 

        Passage I  The Famous Bicycle Racer

        Passage II The Williams Sisters

        Passage III American Sports

  PART C Speaking

  PART D Extensive Listening: Beijing -- an Olympic Dream Comes True

  PART E Listening for Pleasure: Pop Songs

                      I'll Be There for You

Lesson Fifteen Reform and Development

  PART A Getting Started: Short Conversations

  PART B Intensive Listening: Reform and Development

        Passage I  Reform of the FBI

        Passage II Yucca Mountain

        Passage III The Development of the Internet

  PART C Speaking

  PART D Extensive Listening: Definiteness of Purpose

  PART E Listening for Pleasure: Pop Songs

                      Lucky