据语言学家对人们交流活动时间统计研究，普通人听、说、读、写分别占到总时间的45％，30％，16％，9％。这个比例正是人们学习母语的一个时间分配规律。
同时语言学家研究又表明，一个外语学习者掌握听说技能有一个*基本的数量要求，如果一个学习者听力时间达到1 000小时左右，基本上听力就不存在问题。
因此对于一个非母语学习者来说，听说一定数量和内容的听力材料是一个*基本的要求。
在我国，由于客观条件限制，还不能完全实施双语教育，加上英语听说环境的限制，因此听说仍然是大多数学生面对的难点。
目前随着我国加入WTO后各行各业的逐步开放，人才的国际化将成为我国劳动力市场发展的重要特征，英语的听说将成为每个**人才求职就业**的基本技能。因此，一套内容新颖，范围广泛，数量适中的英语听力教材对每个英语学习者提高英语听说技能来说都是很必要的。
本套书就是在此条件下，借鉴阅读理解方面材料特点，结合语言听说的规律，在参考国内现有教材基础上编写而成。
本套书主要包括中级(上，下)和**(上，下)两个系列，以短文听力为主。听力材料以美国语音为主。随书配有录音带。中级听力材料语速较慢，主要适用于大学低

Part One Listening Exercise
**部分 听力练习
Unit 1 Science and Technology
一 科学与技术
Lesson One Humans and Chimps - Whatis the Difference - Rice Genes Mapped
Lesson Two Cloning Trees
Lesson Three Fuel Cell Cars 
Lesson Four Stem Cell Research 
Lesson Five Hubbles New Camera 
Lesson Six Testing the Wright Brothers Flying Machine 
Unit 2 Health and Medicine
二 健康与医学
Lesson One Medical Education 
Lesson Two Medical Transplants 
Lesson Three Babies and Intelligence 
Lesson Four Diseases Spread by Mosquitoes 
Lesson Five Heat and Health
Lesson Six Stress and Illness 
Lesson Seven Multiple Sclerosis
Lesson Eight Mad Cow Disease 
Lesson Nine Diabetes
Lesson Ten Headaches
Lesson Eleven Malaria
Lesson Twelve Tuberculosis
Lesson Thirteen Arthritis
Lesson Fourteen Aspirin 
Lesson Fifteen Cancer
Lesson Sixteen Heart Devices 
Unit 3 Environment and Nature
三 自然与环境
Lesson One The Mississippi River
Lesson Two The Hudson River
Lesson Three Finding Atlantis 
Lesson Four National Geographic Explorers 
Lesson Five Shadow Wolves 
Lesson Six Sharks
Lesson Seven Rio Grande
Lesson Eight Population and the Environment 
Unit 4 Astronomy and Meteorology
四 天文与气象
Lesson One Project Mercury Ⅰ
Lesson Two Project Mercury Ⅱ 
Lesson Three Space in 2001 
Lesson Four Spacesuit History
Lesson Five Space Digest
Lesson Six Mars
Lesson Seven Bessie Coleman
Lesson Eight Edwin Hubble
Lesson Nine Tuskegee Airmen
Lesson Ten Percival Lowell
Lesson Eleven Life on the International Space Station
Lesson Twelve Increasing Hubbles Power
Lesson Thirteen Air and Space Museum Birthday 
Unit 5 City and Architecture
五 城市与建筑
Lesson One Rethinking Skyscrapers
Lesson Two Walt Disney
Lesson Three Chicago 
Lesson Four Grand Canyon
Lesson Five Indiana Dunes
Lesson Six Washington Monument 
Lesson Seven Visiting Washington
Lesson Eight Carolina Lighthouses
Lesson Nine Memphis, Tennessee
Lesson Ten National Highway System
Lesson Eleven Preservation Hall Jazz
Lesson Twelve Tenement Museum 
Lesson Thirteen B&O Railroad Museum
Lesson Fourteen National Museum of the American Indian 
Unit 6 History
六 历史
Lesson One New Era1920s Ⅰ
Lesson Two New Era1920s Ⅱ 
Lesson Three 1920sBlack History 
Lesson Four National Museum of American History 
Lesson Five 1920sConservatism 
Lesson Six Synopsis1920-1940
Lesson Seven The Lost Colony 
Lesson Eight Silk Road Folklife Festival 
Lesson Nine Jamestown
Lesson Ten Calvin Coolidge
Lesson Eleven Cochise 
Unit 7 Sports
七 体育
Lesson One Winter Olympic Games
Lesson Two US.World Cup Team
Lesson Three Women in Sports
Lesson Four Soaring
Lesson Five Babe Ruth 
Unit 8 War
八 战争
Lesson One Pearl Harbor to Europe 
Lesson Two Road to Pearl Harbor
Lesson Three The War in the Pacific
Lesson Four The War in Europe Ⅰ 
Lesson Five The War in Europe Ⅱ 
Lesson Six World War Two - Home Front 
Part Two Listening Material
第二部分 听力全文
Unit 1 Science and Technology
一 科学与技术
Unit 2 Health and Medicine
二 健康与医学
Unit 3 Environment and Nature
三 自然与环境 
Unit 4 Astronomy and Meteorology
四 天文与气象 
Unit 5 City and Architecture
五 城市与建筑 
Unit 6 History
六 历史 
Unit 7 Sports
七 体育 
Unit 8 War
八 战争