本教程的编写以《大学英语课程教学要求（试行）》为依据。

本教程含18个单元，可供大学英语教学第三学期使用。每单元分Text A和Text B（一篇用于课堂，另一篇供课后练习）。配有“Introduction to Important ReadingStrategies and Skills”。本教程的编写采取“主题与技能”相结合的模式，即单元设置围绕内容主题，练习设计针对阅读技能与文章内容。本书练习包括多项选择与简短问答两种题型。书后附有全书练习的参考答案。

Introduction to Important Reading Strategies and Skills

Unit One Man and Nature

　Text A The Nuclear Age

　Text B Tornadoes

Unit Two Recreational Activities

　Text A Cards

　Text B Bowling

Unit Three Management

　Text A Management of European Style

　Text B Managing Diversity at the North West Company

Unit Four Health and Attractiveness

　Text A Eating with the Seasons

　Text B Attractiveness Pays Off, But It Pays Off Better for Men

Unit Five Job Hunting

　Text A How to "Market" Yourself

　Text B Four Easy Tips to Find a New Job Faster

Unit Six Life and Culture

　Text A Lifestyle Matters

　Text B Gift Giving in Saudi Arabia

Unit Seven Parenting and Nursing

　Text A Doctor's Orders

　Text B The Crying Game

Unit Eight Health and Living Habits

　Text A Another Reason to Lose Weight

　Text B English Food

Unit Nine Growth

　Text A Raising Children

Text B Growing Old

Unit Ten Communication

　Text A The Speed of Sound

　Text B Delicious Phrases

Unit Eleven Technology

　Text A The Fax Machine

　Text B How Technology Made Civilization Possible

Unit Twelve Man's Maturity and Social Responsibilities

　Text A The Concept of Adolescence

　Text B The Men's Movements

Unit Thirteen Working Overtime and Holiday Stress

　Text A Overtime Demands

　Text B How to Beat Holiday Stress

Unit Fourteen Tracing History

　Text A Oxford University

　Text B April Fool's Day

Unit Fifteen The Pride of a City

　Text A Manhattan, the City of All Cities

　Text B The Eiffel Tower: the Best-Known Face of Paris

Unit Sixteen Natural Disasters

　Text A Droughts

　Text B The Day London Flooded

Unit Seventeen Technological Applications and Innovations

　Text A What Recreational Divers Can Learn from Technical Divers

　Text B DNA and Ancestry

Unit Eighteen Education

　Text A Advantages of Online Education

　Text B Will Work for Education

Answer Key