大学英语泛读教程

Skills

Introduction

UNIT 1： LIVING IN SOCIETY

Chapter I The Paradox of Happiness

by Diane Swanbrow， in Psychology Today New research reveals a surprising truth： the tendency to feel unhappy may be inherited， but happiness is something that we can create for ourselves.

Chapter 2 Close to Home： Technological Advances

Erode Barrier Between Work and Home

by Veronica James， in The Los Angeles Times As technological advances such as cell phones， pagers， and other electronic devices take over our lives， it becomes harder for people to separate their work lives from their home lives.

Chapter 3 The Birth-Order Myth

by Alfie Kohn， in Health Although many people think that being the first， second， or third child in a family affects our personalities， such beliefs are really untrue.

UNIT 2： SAFETY AND HEALTH

Chapter 4 Why So Many More Americans Die in Fires

by Donald G. McNeil， Jr.， in The New York Times Even though it has some of the fastest fire departments in the world， the United States has more fire deaths than nearly any other industrialized country.

Chapter 5 Acupuncture： The New Old Medicine

Edited by William G. Flanagan， in Forbes Many people today are discovering that acupuncture can cure illnesses that conventional medical treatment cannot cure. Its also inexpensive and almost painless.

Chapter 6 Highs and Lows in Self-Esteem

by Kim Lamb Gregory， Scripps Howard News Service During our lives， we experience periods of high self-esteem and low self-esteem because we are affected by biological， social， and situational factors.

UNIT 3： GOVERNMENT AND EDUCATION

Chapter 7 The Federal System of Government

by Patricia C. Acheson， from Our Federal Government： How It Works The U.S. Government was designed over 200 years ago. It has a complex but effective system of checks and balances to ensure that no one has too much power.

Chapter 8 Too Soon Old， Too Late Wise

by Evan Thomas with Adam Wolfberg， in Newsweek He may be 90 years old， but Prof. Paul Weiss still teaches philosophy to university students and challenges them to think.

Chapter 9 The Pursuit of Excellence

by Jill Smolowe， in Time Every year， thousands of foreign students come to the United States to study in American universities and colleges in search of an education.

UNIT 4： SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Chapter 10 Antarctica： Whose Continent Is It Anyway?

by Daniel and Sally Grotta， in Popular Science Although an international treaty helps protect the continent of Antarctica， countries still argue over who has the right to live and work there.

Chapter 11 A Messenger from the Past

by James Shreeve， in Discover When the frozen body of a man was discovered in a melting glacier at the border between Austria and Italy， scientists began to learn about life in Europe 5，000 years ago.

Chapter 12 Is Time Travel Possible?

by Mark Davidson， in USA Today Some scientific experiments have shown that time travel may be possible. Scientists discuss the possible consequences of traveling to the past or to the future.

Word List

家庭、语言与文化、锻炼与健康、发明家、历史、科学技术等，与学生的生活联系紧密。此外，学生还可通过形式多样的练习，以口头和书面的方式讨论自身经历、本国风俗文化及与美国和其他国家的差异等。