本书是根据实际教学的需要而编写的一本高等院校英语选修课的教科书，它的编写旨在为学生提供一些欧美文化方面的信息和知识。它是学生们了解欧美文化的一本很好的教学用书，不但能帮助学习者学习和掌握欧美文化方面的基础知识，而且也能提高他们的语言能力和英语表达水平及综合水平。
本书由25个单元构成，每单元4个Readlng Passages，共计100篇短文。在每个ReadjngPassage的后面都设有词汇表、注释和句子翻译或阅读理解练习。这些文章的内容包括西方的精神追求、价值观念、议事方式、知识背景、科技和艺术等方面的情况和成就以及一些综合知识等等。我们的选材以欧美文化为主干。侧重美国文化，都是一些适合教学的质量高的文章，对培养学生的语言修养和文学素质、塑造**人格、增强跨文化交际意识和文化鉴赏能力都有促进作用。
该书具有知识性、系统性、科学性、时代性、趣味性、新颖性和可读性等，方便教与学、思考和掌握。

Unit One
Part 1 Reading Passage Ⅰ Americans and Their Cars
Reading Passage Ⅱ Sunday: A Day of Rest
Part 2 Reading Passage Ⅰ A Green Thumb
Reading Passage Ⅱ Tornadoes
Unit Two
Part 1 Reading Passage Ⅰ The Rose Is a Special Flower
Reading Passage Ⅱ The American Funeral: Wakes and Embalmment
Part 2 Reading Passage Ⅰ Snow Pillow
Reading Passage Ⅱ Who was John While
Unit Three
Part 1 Reading Passage Ⅰ Indians: The Native Americans
Reading Passage Ⅱ Melting Pot Or Salad Bowl
Part 2 Reading Passage Ⅰ The Value of Gold
Reading Passage Ⅱ The Ocean as A Storehouse
Unit Four
Part 1 Reading Passage Ⅰ Disneyland and Theme Parks
Reading Passage Ⅱ Healthy Eating
Part 2 Reading Passage Ⅰ The Forest Service at Work
Reading Passage Ⅱ A Symbol of the Free Spirit
Unit Five
Part 1 Reading Passage Ⅰ Cooking Our Food
Reading Passage Ⅱ Immigrants are“Waging War”against Swedes through Robbery
Part 2 Reading Passage Ⅰ Artificial Reefs
Reading Passage Ⅱ Coins in Our Lives
Unit Six
Part 1 Reading Passage Ⅰ Christmas Spirit by Larry Deboever
Reading Passage Ⅱ American Social Relations
Part 2 Reading Passage Ⅰ Keeping It Clear
Reading Passage Ⅱ Remember You Are a Guest
Unit Seven
Part 1 Reading Passage Ⅰ Gun Control: Yes or No
Reading Passage Ⅱ London Bridge
Part 2 Reading Passage Ⅰ Help for The Elderly
Reading Passage Ⅱ Handiwork of The Gods
Unit Eight
Part 1 Reading Passage Ⅰ The Deaf Composer
Reading Passage Ⅱ A Carrot a Day May Keep Cancer Away
Part 2 Re
Unit Eleven
Part 1 Reading Passage Ⅰ How Jazz Began
Reading Passage Ⅱ How Jazz Began
Part 2 Reading Passage Ⅰ Liquids, Granules and Powders
Reading Passage Ⅱ Cataracts
Unit Twelve
Part 1 Reading Passage Ⅰ Corporate Culture
Reading Passage Ⅱ Analysis on Weather Report
Part 2 Reading Passage Ⅰ A Winning Match
Reading Passage Ⅱ Crossroads of the World
Unit Thirteen
Part 1 Reading Passage Ⅰ National Weather Service
Reading Passage Ⅱ Breaking Bread
Part 2 Reading Passage Ⅰ A New Respect for Drugs
Reading Passage Ⅱ Life Insurance
Unit Fourteen
Part 1 Reading Passage Ⅰ The Birth of a New Child
Reading Passage Ⅱ Disgrace
Part 2 Reading Passage Ⅰ Rose Hips and Dandelions
Reading Passage Ⅱ America's Architect
Unit Fifteen
Part 1 Reading Passage Ⅰ The American Family
Reading Passage Ⅱ A Coffee to Go at the Gym
Part 2 Reading Passage Ⅰ Fifteen Tons a Minute
Reading Passage Ⅱ Idaho's Finest
Unit Sixteen
Part 1 Reading Passage Ⅰ US Women Try “Work When You like”Jobs
Reading Passage Ⅱ Every Day I Prey for a Kidney
Part 2 Reading Passage Ⅰ Rub, Pour, Sprinkle, and Spray
Reading Passage Ⅱ The Big Cheese
Unit Seventeen
Part 1 Reading Passage Ⅰ Gettysburg Today
Reading Passage Ⅱ Prohibition
Part 2 Reading Passage Ⅰ Preparing for a Flood
Reading Passage Ⅱ Wildlife Refuges
Unit Eighteen
Part 1 Reading Passage Ⅰ Little Rock Desegregation
Reading Passage Ⅱ Search for Extraterrestrial Life——SETI
Part 2 Reading Passage Ⅰ Safety First
Reading Passage Ⅱ The Human Side of Washington
Unit Nineteen
Part 1 Reading Passage Ⅰ History of the Maori
Unit Twenty-One
Part 1 Reading Passage Ⅰ Ontario
Reading Passage Ⅱ The American Obsession: Fast Food
Part 2 Reading Passage Ⅰ Toward Quieter Aircraft
Reading Passage Ⅱ Cruising in the Caribbean
Unit Twenty-Two
Part 1 Reading Passage Ⅰ The Thorn Birds
Reading Passage Ⅱ The Author of the Thorn Birds,Colleen McCullough
Part 2 Reading Passage Ⅰ Changes in the Landscape
Reading Passage Ⅱ Raiding the Icebox
Unit Twenty-Three
Part 1 Reading Passage Ⅰ The Great Barrier Reef
Reading Passage Ⅱ The Improving Economic Situation in Greece
Part 2 Reading Passage Ⅰ Construction Queries
Reading Passage Ⅱ Looking for Lobsters
Unit Twenty-Four
Part 1 Reading Passage Ⅰ The Second Wave of Feminism
Reading Passage Ⅱ The Young Generation
Part 2 Reading Passage Ⅰ Refuse or Resource?
Reading Passage Ⅱ Food Additives
Unit Twenty-Five
Part 1 Reading Passage Ⅰ Whaling Era
Reading Passage Ⅱ A Fuel with Flavor
Part 2 Reading Passage Ⅰ A Humble Leader
Reading Passage Ⅱ The Magic Potion Notion
Answers