本书由25个单元，每单元4个ReadingPassages，共计100篇篇幅约为400—500字的短文构成。在每个Reading Passage的后面都设有词汇表、注释和句子翻译或阅读理解练习。这些文章的内容包括西方的价值观念、议事方式、精神追求、知识背景、风土人情、技术和艺术等方面的情况和成就以及一些综合知识等。选材以欧美文化为主干，并侧重美国文化，因为美国是一个由世界人口组合而成的国家，世界各地人口的到来促成了这个国家诞生、进步和发展，它的文化在很大程度上代表着世界文化。这些选文都是一些适合教学的高质量的文章，对培养学生的语言修养和文学素质、塑造完美人格、增强跨文化交际意识和文化鉴赏能力都有促进作用。

本书具有可读性、知识性、系统性、科学性、时代性、趣味性、新颖性等，便于教学、思考和掌握。

文化是人类智慧与文明发展的结晶。她向我们倾诉着先人的经历、民族的历史和人们的传统、风俗习惯以及劳动者的成就，了解、领悟、传承、弘扬文化精神会促进现代文明和积极影响社会的进步。本书内容丰富多彩，选材广泛、质量高，涉及西方的价值观念、精神追求、风土人情、科技与艺术等，具有很强的知识性、趣味性和可读性。本书便于教与学，是一本适用于全国各大高等院校英语选修课的教材。

Unit 0ne

Part 1 Reading Passage I Harvard's Founding／1

Reading Passage II Okies l A

Part 2 ReadingPassageI WhattoDowithSolidWaste／7

Reading Passage II Coins in Our Lives／10

Unit Two

Part 1 Reading Passage I The Queen As She Was／12

Reading Passage II Italy's Finest Resource--Its People／16

Part 2 Reading Passage I Conservation the Future Is Now／19

Reading Passage II The Early Navigator's Best Friends／21

Unit Three

Part 1 ReadingPassageI AFuelwithFlavor／24

ReadingPassageII What'sWrongwithUsingtheVWord?／28

Part 2 Reading Passage I Keeping It Clear／3l

Reading Passage II The Lion's Share／33

Unit Four

Part 1 ReadingPassage I ThanksgivingDay／36

ReadingPassagell ThanksgivingDay(Continued)／39

Part 2 ReadingPassageI HelpfortheElderly／42

ReadingPassageII PlayingItSafeAbroad／45

Unit Five

Part 1 ReadingPassageI Life Style／48

Reading Passage II Life Style fContinued)／5 1

Part 2 ReadingPassageI FollowingtheRules／55

Reading Passage II Unsafe at Warm Temperature／57

Unit Six

Part 1 Reading Passage I Our Changing Lifestyle：Trends and Fads／60

Reading Passage II Philanthropy／63

Part 2 Reading Passage I Three Masters／65

Reading Passage II Liquids Granules and Powders／68

Unit Seven

Part 1 ReadingPassageI St.Patrick'sDay／70

Reading Passage II Music--Lighting Up the Brain／73

Part 2 ReadingPassage I AWinningMatch／77

Reading Passage 11Remember You Are a Guest／79

Unit Eight

Part 1 ReadingPassageI NSGVPinQuebec／82

Reading Passage II Danish Culture／85

Part 2 Reading Passage I London--A Good Place to Start Your Tour／88

Reading Passage II Counting theⅥrorld's Population／90

Unit Nine

Part 1 Reading Passage I Free Sport—the Wheel Deal／93

Reading Passage II Germany--a Land ofCulture／96

Part 2 ReadingPassageI ReadtheLabel／100

Reading Passage II Crossroads ofthe WOrld／102

Unit Ten

Part 1 ReadingPassageI VincentvanOogh／105

Reading Passage II Fingerprints／ 108

Part 2 Reading Passage I A Place for All Seasons／112

Reading Passage II Using Energy Efficiently／114

Unit Eleven

Part 1 ReadingPassageI NewZealand／117

Reading Passage II Dangers to the Environment／ 120

Part 2 Reading Passage I Problems ofOlder American／124

Reading Passage II Louis Pasteur／ 126

Unit Twelve

Part 1 ReadingPassageI HeartyBreakfasts／129

Reading Passage H Big Ben／132

Part 2 ReadingPassageI IncomeTax／135

ReadingPassageH Curds andWhey／137

Unit Thirteen

Part 1 Reading Passage I Greenwich Mean Time／140

Reading Passage H The Peoples ofBdtain／ 143

Part 2 ReadingPassageI LifeAroundOlympus／145

Reading Passage II Liberty and Peace／ 148

Unit Fourteen

Part 1 ReadingPassageI Queen'sDayinHolland／150

Reading Passage H Rome／153

Part 2 ReadingPassageI Money／156

Reading Passage II The Cost ofCivilization／ 158

Unit FIfteen

Part 1 ReadingPassageI TableManners／161

ReadingPassage H Paris／165

Part 2 Reading Passage I Chocolate：Everyone's Favorite Sweet／168

Reading Passage H Fifteen Tons a Minute／ 170

Unit Sixteen

Part 1 ReadingPassageI Women'sStatusHigherinNorthEuropethanSouth／173

ReadingPassageH ToSaltorN0ttoSalt?／176

Part 2 Reading Passage MagicPotionNotion／179

Reading Passage H Rub，Pour，Sprinkle，and Spray／182

Unit Seventeen

Part 1 Reading Passage I 111e Television Camera／185

Reading Passage II Geneva--Capital ofPeace／ 188

Part 2 ReadingPassageI TheBigCheese／191

ReadingPassageII AHumble‘Leader／1,93

Unit Eighteen

Part 1 Reading Passage I Tchaikovsky／197

ReadingPassageII AnExperion~0fWatching aBullfightinSF}ain／201

Part 2 Reading Passage I Refuse or Resource?／204

Reading Passage II Construction Queries?／206

Unit Nineteen

Part 1 Reading Passage I Bridges／210

Reading Passage II Samaranch~the Olympic Patriarch／2 13

Part 2 Reading Passage I Paying for Protection／215

ReadingPassageII TheChristmasTreeandtheWedding／218

Unit Twenty

Part 1 Reading Passage I Some Rituals ofAmerican Marriage／22 1

Reading Passage II Ladies First,／223、，

Part 2 Reading Passage I Food Additives／226

ReadingPassageII Idaho'sFinest／229。

i，Unit Twenty-One

Part l Reading Passage I Living a Long Life／232

ReadingPassage II Birthday Parties aadPotluckParties}234

Part 2 Reading Passage I America's Architect／237

ReadingPassageII ANewRespectforDrags／240

Unit Twenty-Two

Part 1 Reading Passage I Forty Miners／243

Reading Passage II Disneyland／246

Part 2 Reading Passage I Starting a Small Business／249

Reading Passage II Rose Hips and Dandelions／25 1

Unit Twenty-Three

Part 1 Reading Passage I Christmas Songs／254

Reading Passage II“Die”or“Pass Away”／256

Part 2 ReadingPassageI LifeInsurance／259

Reading Passage II Handiwork of the Gods／261

Unit Twenty-Four

Part 1 ReadingPassageI TheNationalTrustinBntain 264

Reading Passage II Blue Monday and“Thank God It's Friday”／266

Part 2 ReadingPassageI Cat'sEyes／269

Reading Passage II A Symbol ofthe Free Spirit／271

Unit Twenty-Five

Part 1 ReadingPassage I Ballet／274

Reading Passage II Olympic Games／277

Part 2 ReadingPassageI Bears／279

Reading Passage II Artificial Reefs／281

Key／284