本书为《英语阅读教程》第四册,包括10单元,40篇课文。课文内容多为人物传记、历史故事、文艺小说、各地风情、科普知识等。课文长度为1100～1400词之间,词汇难度在5000基本词之内。
本书的编排体例与前三册基本相同。在“学习阅读技能”部分中,本书着重介绍了略读和跳读并配有各种形式的阅读材料,以期学生能通过本套泛读课本的学习,综合运用多种阅读技巧,最终达到快速阅读、充分理解、获得信息的目的。书后附有参考答案。
本书配有学习辅导书,辅导书内容包括:阅读文章难点注释及参考译文。
- Unit I Texts 1—4
- IA Reading for Comprehension and Speed
- 1. In Search of Silence
- 2. Robert Baden-Powell, Secret Agent
- 3. Safeguarding Life
- 4. Along the Mighty Thames
- IB Learning about Reading Skills
- IC Testing Your Reading Comprehension and Speed
- Unit II Texts 5—8
- IIA Reading for Comprehension and Speed
- 5. The House That Hippo Built
- 6. Religions of the East
- 7. Manners Here, Manners There
- 8. The House of Alphonse
- IIB Learning about Reading Skills
- IIC Testing Your Reading Comprehension and Speed
- Unit III Texts 9—12
- IIIA Reading for Comprehension and Speed
- 9. Weather Catastrophe—Then and Now?
- 10. The Chimp-O-Mat
- 11. The Noisy World of the Skindiver
- 12. The Wisdom of Socrates
- IIIB Learning about Reading Skills
- IIIC Testing Your Reading Comprehension and Speed
- Unit IV Texts 13—16
- IVA Reading for Comprehension and Speed
- 13. Telltale Trees
- 14. Six Months in Another World
- 15. The Strange Saga of Ivan the Terrible
- 16. Our Greatest Possession
- IVB Learning about Reading Skills
- IVC Testing Your Reading Comprehension and Speed
- Unit V Texts 17—20
- VA Reading for Comprehension and Speed
- 17. Sweet Jubilee
- 18. On Being Translated into English
- 19. Organized Crime
- 20. Lady of the Wasteland
- VB Learning about Reading Skills
- VC Testing Your Reading Comprehension and Speed
- Unit VI Texts 21—24
- VIA Reading for Comprehension and Speed
- 21. The Man Who Made Mickey Mouse
- 22. Ive Thumbed My Last Ride
- 23. The “ Upstart Crow”
- 24. The People Will Live on
- VIB Learning about Reading Skills
- VIC Testing Your Reading Comprehension and Speed
- Unit VII Texts 25—28
- VIIA Reading for Comprehension and Speed
- 25. Needed: An International Language
- 26. Jet-Age Smugglers
- 27. Is a Race of Robots Possible?
- 28. The Sun Also Rises
- VIIB Learning about Reading Skills
- VIIC Testing Your Reading Comprehension and Speed
- Unit VIII Texts 29—32
- VIIIA Reading for Comprehension and Speed
- 29. Anatomy of a Martian
- 30. The Piece of String
- 31. Eskimos in Japan
- 32. Pygmalion
- VIIIB Learning about Reading Skills
- VIIIC Testing Your Reading Comprehension and Speed
- Unit IX Texts 33—36
- IXA Reading for Comprehension and Speed
- 33. Conversation with a Chimpanzee
- 34. The Real Sherlock Holmes
- 35. Fact Catches up with Fiction
- 36. How to Mark a Book
- IXB Learning about Reading Skills
- IXC Testing Your Reading Comprehension and Speed
- Unit X Texts 37—40
- XA Reading for Comprehension and Speed
- 37. Village Inventors
- 38. Killer Reef
- 39. For All Women
- 40. Samuel Johnson and His Works
- XB Learning about Reading Skills
- XC Testing Your Reading Comprehension and Speed
- Key to Exercises
