英語閱讀教程 第二冊（簡體書）

《展望(Prospect)全國高等院校英語專業系列精品教材:英語閱讀教程(第2冊)》由對外經濟貿易大學出版社出版。

Unit 1 Language Acquisition 1
Text A Language and Children 5
Text B Conversational Ball Games 9
Text C Reading-the Most Important Way to Learn English 12
Unit 2 Education 17
Text A Forms of Teaching 22
Text B Methods of Education: East and West 26
Text C Ditch the Calculators 29
Unit 3 Food and Health 33
Text A Food and Health 36
Text B Thinness and Health 40
Text C Americans and Food 43
Unit 4 Environment 47
Text A Global Warming and the Earth's Climate 53
Text B Grand Canyon Crowding 57
Text C On Ecotourism 59
Unit 5 Computers 63
Text A The Era of Web 68
Text B The Importance of a Computer 73
Text C Computer Crime 76
Unit 6 Social Life 79
Text A The Traffic Light: A Brainless Machine 82
Text B Stripping Down to Bare Happiness 86
Text C Why All the Celebrity Worship? 90
Unit 7 Customs 93
Text A Asking for a Tip 98
Text B Germans and Intrusions 102
Text C Customs 105
Unit 8 Living Experience 109
Text A My Airport Experience 115
Text B Coming of Age 119
Text C How I Got Smart? 122
Unit 9 International Situation 127
Text A Trends of the World Development 132
Text B What Will the World Be Like in Fifty Years? 136
Text C The Effect of Oslo Attacks on Europe 141
Unit 10 Economy and Development 145
Text A The Affluent Society 150
Text B Improving Industrial Efficiency Through Robotics 154
Text C The Split of Lawmakers 157
Unit 11 Foreign Affairs 161
Text A The Middle East in the Era of Independence 166
Text B Live and Let Live-New Strategy 170
Text C A Good Omen for Sino-US Relations 173
Unit 12 Religion 177
Text A Country Churches.: Bruised Survivors 183
Text B Islam: My Story of Belief 187
Text C Religion at Work 190
Unit 13 Wars 193
Text A Violence within Human Society 199
Text B Buzz-bombs and Doodlebugs 203
Text C Memories of Afghanistan 206
Unit 14 Space Exploration 209
Text A Sunspots 213
Text B Space Tourism 218
Text C The Shuttle Ends Its Voyage and an Era in Space 221
參考書目

Ditch the Calculators
I sigh inwardly as I watch yet another student, this one a ninth grader, struggle with anadvanced math problem that requires simple multiplication. He mentally grapples with 5 ×6, looks longingly at the off-limits calculator on the corner of my desk and finally guessesthe answer: "35."
The proliferation of calculators in the classroom amazes me. The students I tutor tellme regularly that their teachers allow unlimited access to this tool. The National Council ofTeachers of Mathematics actively encourages its use. Recently I attended a math seminarwhere the instructor casually stated that teachers, once reluctant to permit calculators in theclassroom, had crossed this hurdle. Now "everyone" agrees on their importance, she said.The more I hear from the education establishment about the benefits of these devices inschools, the less surprised I am when middle-and high-school students who have difficultywith arithmetic call for tutoring in algebra and geometry. Having worked six years as anelectrical engineer before switching to teaching, I often suggest to my students that theyconsider technical and scientific careers, but I'm discouraged when I see an increasingnumber of kids who lack simple math skills.
Educators have many off-repeated arguments in defense of calculators, but each oneignores the reason that we teach math in the first place. Math trains the mind. By this Imean that students learn to think logically and rationally, to proceed from knowninformation to desired information and to become proficient with both numbers and ideas.These skills are something that math and science teach and are essential for adolescents tobecome thinking, intelligent members of society.
Some teachers argue that calculators let students concentrate on how to solveproblems instead of getting bogged down with tedious computations. Having a calculatordoesn't make it any easier for a student to decide how to attack a math problem. Rather, itonly encourages him to try every combination of addition, subtraction, multiplication ordivision without any thought about which would be most appropriate. Some of myelementary-school children look at a word problem and instantly guess that adding is thecorrect approach. When I suggest that they solve the problem this way without a calculator,they usually pause and think before continuing. A student is much more likely to minimizehis work by reflecting on the problem first if he doesn't have a calculator in his hand.Learning constructive methods for approaching confusing problems is essential, not just formath but for life.