ContentsUnit 1 Holidays and Festivals 1
Passage 1 The Lantern Festival 1
Passage 2 Mother's Day and Father's Day 4
Passage 3 Christmas Day 7
Unit 2 Learning and Development 11
Passage 1 Learning Disabilities 11
Passage 2 Rock Solid Readers 14
Passage 3 Do You Expect Too Much of Your Kids 17
Unit 3 College Education 21
Passage 1 Graduation 21
Passage 2 Educational Equality in America 24
Passage 3 Colleges Encourage Students to Stay on Four-Year Track 28
Unit 4 Sports and Recreation 32
Passage 1 Women in Sports 32
Passage 2 Parachuting — a Popular Sport 35
Passage 3 Why Women Can't Play Games? 39
Passage 1 Talk in' Trash 43
Unit 5 Environment and Human Life 43
Passage 2 Cleaner Cooking Fuels Cut Greenhouse Gases, Save Lives 47
Passage 3 Air Pollution 50
Unit 6 Biography 54
Passage 1 Mary Kay 54
Passage 2 The Diana Decades 57
Passage 3 Gwendolyn Brooks 60
Unit 7 Marriage 65
Passage 1 Marriage in Medieval Times 65
Passage 2 The Story of an Hour 68
Passage 3 God Changed My Perspective 71
Unit 8 EntertainmentPassage 1 Titanic 75
Passage 2 The Open Window 78
Passage 3 What Makes a Great Film? 81
Unit 9 Media and Communication 85
Passage 1 History of Communication 85
Passage 2 American Media 88
Passage 3 Tears Without Darkness 91
Passage 1 Heat and Health 95
Unit 10 Health 95
Passage 2 How to Live to Be 200? 98
Passage 3 Want to Live to Be 100? 101
Unit 11 Mental Health 106
Passage 1 Depression 106
Passage 2 Stress and Illness 109
Passage 3 Why Exercise Is Wise? 113
Unit 12 Economy 117
Passage 1 RMB Is Not Cause of US Trade Deficit 117
Passage 2 Company Services to Employees 120
Passage 3 Travel Smart Dollars and Sense 123
Unit 13 Family 127
Passage 1 Survey: Generation Gap Closing 127
Passage 2 Children of Mixed Parentage 130
Passage 3 American Grandparents 134
Unit 14 Friendship 138
Passage 1 Friends, Good Friends — and Such Good Friends 138
Passage 2 A Separate Peace — Friendship 141
Passage 3 Here It Comes, There It Goes 144
Passage 1 The Deadliest Tsunami in History 148
Unit 15 Nature 148
Passage 2 How the Earth Makes Diamonds 151
Passage 3 Biltmore Estate 155
Unit 16 Energy and Resources 159
Passage 1 Surplus Corn Fuels Vehicles 159
Passage 2 Wind Energy 162
Passage 3 Renewable Energy FAQs 165
Passage 1 Nanotechnology—A Future Technology with Visions 169
Unit 17 New Technology 169
Passage 2 China Uses Nanotechnology for Clothing 172
Passage 3 Myths about Human Cloning 174
Unit 18 Miscellaneous 179
Passage 1 Christmas Around the World 179
Passage 2 Gawaine and the Green Knight 182
Passage 3 Asia's New Health Threat 185
Key to Exercises 189