Chapter 1 Customs and Traditions 1
Passage 1 Keeping a Grip on Culture 1
Passage 2 Connecting the World 6
Passage 3 Turning a New Leaf 11
Passage 4 The Charm of Cave Art 15
Passage 5 The Year of the Rat 20
Chapter 2 Social Problems 26
Passage 1 In the Shadow of Drugs 26
Passage 2 Plastic Is Not So Fantastic 31
Passage 3 More Complaints about Baby Milk 35
Passage 4 Graduates Enlist for Reboot Camp 38
Passage 5 Toxic Water Scare Leaves a Sour Taste 44
Chapter 3 House and Home 50
Passage 1 13 Things Your Housecleaner Won't Tell You 50
Passage 2 Clean up：Tidy up Your Home in 30 Minutes or Less 54
Passage 3 Bust the Grime：ShopSmart Mag's Tips for Spring Cleaning Success 59
Passage 4 Asian Buyers Buoy Demand for New Homes in California 63
Passage 5 Mother's Day Gifts："GMA"Puts Robotic Housecleaning Products to the Test 67
Chapter 4 Crime or Not? 71
Passage 1 Feds to Investigate Fatal Shooting of Fla.Teen 71
Passage 2 Trayvon Martin Shooter"Couldn't Stop Crying"after Shooting 76
Passage 3 Trayvon Martin Shooter Told Cops Teenager Went for His Gun 81
Passage 4 Trayvon Martin Shooter's Friend：George Zimmerman Has "Virtually Lost His Life,Too" 85
Passage 5 Trayvon Martin Case：Timeline of Events 89
Chapter 5 Environmental Protection 95
Passage 1 Steam Car Washing Brings Hope 95
Passage 2 Use of Eco-Friendly Bamboo Products on the Rise 99
Passage 3 How to Stay Positive in Battery Recycling 103
Passage 4 Incandescent Light Bulbs Set for Switch off 107
Passage 5 Green Rooftops Help Clean up Beijing's Air 111
Chapter 6 Self-Improvement 116
Passage 1 Public Speaking Tips 116
Passage 2 Only the Rich Get Opportunities? 120
Passage 3 One Simple Step to Getting Better Results 123
Passage 4 What Is Self-Confidence and How to Improve It 127
Passage 5 The Importance of Eye Contact 131
Chapter 7 Finance and Business 135
Passage 1 A Guide to Stable Personal Finance 135
Passage 2 Stock Market Investing 139
Passage 3 Update Your Business Skills 143
Passage 4 Credit Cards and You 147
Passage 5 What Is Soft Marketing? 151
Chapter 8 Real Estate 155
Passage 1 Should You Rent or Buy Your Next Home? 155
Passage 2 Real Estate Investment-Why It Is Big Business? 159
Passage 3 Moving on and Moving in：How to Ease the Stress of Moving 163
Passage 4 Buying a Home?Don't Make These Mistakes 167
Passage 5 China Real Estate 171
Chapter 9 Health 175
Passage 1 Beware Swimmer's Ear 175
Passage 2 Massage and Cancer 179
Passage 3 Alcohol and Cancer：The Verdict 183
Passage 4 Making Healthy Habits Stick 187
Passage 5 Be Healthy at Work—It's Your Job 191
Chapter 10 Technology 196
Passage 1 Will I Need a New Antenna to Get Digital TV? 196
Passage 2 Computers in the Classroom 201
Passage 3 Apple's New iPad：It's All about Definition 205
Passage 4 The Bold New Wave of 3D 209
Passage 5 High-technology Products in Tech Trade Fair 214
Keys to Exercises 219