新大学英语阅读教程1

出版时间：2009-9  出版社：北京大学出版社  作者：林娜，（美）本兹 主编  页数：262  

内容概要

　　历史跨入21世纪之后，伴随着中华民族的发展和崛起，更好地培养具有高水平的英语应用能力的新世纪人才便成为我国大学英语教学所肩负的重要任务，也是时代所赋予的使命。如果说，在人类开始步人现代社会的19世纪，马克思说“外国语是人生奋斗的一种武器”，歌德说“只通晓一种语言的人无法真正理解他的母语”，主要是着眼于掌握和使用一门外语对作为个体的人的作用和意义，那么在当今社会各个领域都日益全球化、多元的民族文化融合交织的复杂背景下，无论是个人还是国家和民族，掌握并运用一门作为国际通用语言的外语，对其存在与发展的重要性都是不言而喻的。　　在教育领域，教材历来是教学的重要基础，教材的质量与特征也在很大程度上决定教学效果。就大学英语教学而言，教材的不断更新和建设历来是促进教学改革、提高教学质量的重要基础和先行任务。在国家的宏观政策方面，国家教育部和全国高校外语教学指导委员会长期以来一直坚定推行大学英语教学改革，制定并颁布了新时期的《大学英语课程教学要求》，为大学英语教材的编写及其教学工作提供了指导与依据。在上述背景下，北京大学教材建设委员会重点立项“大学英语”教材建设，北京大学出版社具体组织、策划了本套《大学英语立体化网络化系列教材》的编写和出版工作，并被教育部批准为普通高等教育“十一五”国家级规划教材。

书籍目录

English for Academic Success Series  What is the purpose of this series?  What is the purpose of the Reading strand?  What is the organization of College Reading 1?  What student competencies Are covered in College Reading 1 ?  What Are the Features of the Reading Books?CHAPTER 1 Intelligence   ACADEMIC FOCUS: PSYCHOLOGY  Reading Assignment 1: Intelligence  Reading Assignment 2: Research on Intelligence  Reading Assignment 3: Approaches to Understanding IntelligenceCHAPTER 2 Thinking Critically about the Internet  ACADEMIC FOCUS: COMPUTERS/INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY  Reading Assignment 1: Thinking Critically about the Internetr  Reading Assignment 2: Technology Changes People's Lives  Reading Assignment 3: Practice "Netiquette": Be Kind While You're OnlineCHAPTER 3 Norms and Values: The Glue of Society  ACADEMIC FOCUS: SOCIOLOGY  Reading Assignment 1: Sociology: Studying Society and Group Influences  Reading Assignment 2: Values Americans Live By  Reading Assignment 3: American ValuesCHAPTER 4 The Attraction of Diamonds  ACADEMIC FOCUS: GEOLOGY  Reading Assignment 1: The Curse of the Hope Diamond  Reading Assignment 2: The Curse of the Hope Diamond?  Reading Assignment 3: How Gemstones are FormedCHAPTER 5 Art and Society  ACADEMIC FOCUS: HUMANITIES  Reading Assignment 1: Michelangelo's David  Reading Assignment 2: Maya Lin's Vietnam Memorial  Reading Assignment 3: Pablo Picasso's GuemicaCHAPTER 6 Science and Society: The Ethics of Research  ACADEMIC FOCUS: SCIENCE  Reading Assignment 1: Science and Technology  Reading Assignment 2: Scientific Research  Reading Assignment 3: Ethical Issues in Scientific Research

章节摘录

　　2 The Hope Diamond is a remnant of a 112-carat Indian diamond stolen from a statue of the Hindu goddess Sita.The angry goddess cast a spell of misfortune on anyone who acquired the gem.The spell began to work when the stone arrived in France. It was sold to the French King, Louis XIV. Louis had the gem cut into a 67-carat jewel. After wearing it once, he became sick and died of smallpox. Next, the stone passed down to Louis XVI and his wife,Marie Antoinette.Their bad misfortune was to lose their heads in the French Revolution.　　3The gem was stolen again at the end of the French Revolution.It reappeared in London 38 years later.It was recut and bought by a British banker and gem collector,Henry Thomas Hope.We do not know about any misfortune Henry Hope suffered. However, in 1890 Lord Francis Hope inherited the Hope Diamond.His wife soon ran off with another man. Lord Hope was later forced to sell the diamond to avoid bankruptcy.His unfaithful wife died in poverty.　　4 The ongoing woeful story of the diamondsowners continued for decades.An Eastern European prince gave it to an exotic dancer.But later he be- came jealous and shot her to death.Another owner had a car accident and died with his wife and chil- dren. Finally, in 1911, Evalyn Walsh McLean pur- chased the Hope Diamond.She was a wealthy American socialite.She was some- times unc0nventional. For example, she had her Great Dane wear the diamond to greet party guests.She said she did not believe in the diamonds curse.However, she suffered several personal tragedies while she owned the gem.Her son died in a car accident. Her daughter died from an overdose of sleeping pills, and her husband went insane.　　5 The diamonds final owner,Harry Winston,bought the stone after Dame McLean died in 1947.He donated it to the Smithsonian 11 years later.