1．The Old Man and the Sea 1
2．From Earth to Moon 9
3．The First Men on Venus 16
4．Elephants 24
5．Sometimes They Seem Almost Human 33
6．Healthy Eating 41
7．Plastics—Man's Most Useful Material 49
8．Sports around the World 58
9．Madame Curie and Radium 66
10．Learning Science 75
11．Two Thanksgiving Day Gentlemen 84
12．The Prince and the Judge 96
13．The Tragedy from the California Gold Rush 106
14．A Ship of Ice 114
15．Nature Recycles Water 122
16．Paper and Its Uses 129
17．Pyramids 138
18．Tokyo 147
19．Eskimos in a Changing World 157
20．Cultural Survival,Inc 166
21．Energy Sense Makes Future Sense 175
22．Waste Not,Want Not 184
23．Money 193
24．Talk Returns to the Doctor′s Office 201
25．Dreams—What Do They Mean? 210
26．Have You Ever Seen a Flying Saucer? 218
27 Computers Concern You 228
28 Early Birds 237
29．Alfred Nobel—a Man of Contrasts 246
30．The Tramp and the Philosopher 254
31．Better Known as Mark Twain 263
32．Education in the United States 274
33．Transportation 286
34．Communications 296
35．American Food and Drink 307
36．Graveyard of the Atlantic 319
SUPPLEMENTARY SPEED READING MATERIAL 330
1．Fire Making 330
2．The Development of Textile Fibres 334
3．East or West 339
4．A Chimp in Space 344
5．Geography of the United States 352
6．The Weather 358
7．Country Living 362
8．Food and Cooking 367
9．Vacations 371
10．Sports in America 378
11．Medical Treatment 384
12．Postal Services 389
13．Weights and Measures 393
14．Libraries 398
15．Expert Says Arctic Ocean Will Soon Be an Open Sea 402
16．The Wizard of Menlo Park 408
ANSWERS 417
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 436