Selected readings from American and British newspapers and magazines

　　Unit 1 Hot Issues in Today's World
　　 1. Israel to Intensify Strikes if Rocket Fire Continues
　　 2. Afghan Soldiers Battle Taliban as NATO Leader Warns of Perils to Nation's Stability
　　 3. N. Korea Shifts toward Engagement with World
　　Unit 2 Violence and Terrorism Worldwide
　　 1. Terrorists Hijack 4 Airliners, Destroy World Trade Center, Hit Pentagon; Hundreds Dead
　　 2. "I Saw Bodies Falling Out -- Oh, God, Jumping, Falling"
　　 3. "The Worst Thing I've Ever Seen"
　　Unit 3 The Irag War
　　 1. Back to Irag
　　 2. Blinded by War: Injuries Send Troops into Darkness
　　 3. Around the Globe, Elation-and Tension-over Capture
　　Unit 4 Politics -- the American Scene
　　 1. Majority Favor Changing Immigration Laws, Poll Says
　　 2. Minorities Often a Majority of the Population under 20
　　 3. A Defiant Look at What Little Lies ahead
　　Unit 5 The American Presidential Election 2008
　　 1. Barack Obama Becomes Heir to JFK as He Sweeps to Victory in South Carolina
　　 2. As McCain's Road Gets Steeper, Obama Warns of Overconfidence
　　 3. Once again, the Greatest Show on Earth
　　Unit 6 Political Issues in Britain and Europe
　　 1. Sarkozy Wins Battle to Loosen 35-hour Workweek
　　 2. Right of Households to Rubbish Bin Collection by Councils to be Abolished
　　 3. German City Wonders How Green is too Green
　　Unit 7 Economic Issues
　　 1. Slowing Economy Gives Way to Global Role Reversals
　　 2. Threat of Recession Amid Double Decline in Services and Industry
　　 3. Markets Shaken as Two Big Banks Falter
　　Unit 8 Business and Business Management
　　 1. How US Airways Vaulted to First Place
　　 2. At Freddie Mac, Chief Discarded Warning Signs
　　 3. Companies Cut Holes in CEOs' Golden Parachutes
　　Unit 9 Natural Disasters
　　 1. At a Resort, Harrowing Tales of Survival, Loss and Grief
　　 2. Powerful Quake Ravages China, Killing Thousands
　　 3. Texans Take Shelter, Feel First Effects of Ike
　　Unit 10 Energy and the Environment
　　 1. The Preservation Predicament
　　 2. EPA won't Act on Emissions This Year
　　 3. Coal Carves a Place in the Future of Global Energy
　　Unit 11 Science and Technology -- Developments and New Ideas
　　 1. Birds Do It, Bees Do It, Dragons don' t Need to.
　　 2. Uncovering Evidence of a Workaday World along the Nile
　　 3. A Reality Check on Dreams for Space: the Repairs
　　Unit 12 Computer Technology is Changing Our Life
　　 1. The Web is the Most Conservative Force on Earth
　　 2. Nomads at Last
　　 3. Demand for Data Puts Engineers in Spotlight
　　Unit 13 New Thoughts and Directions in Today's Education
　　 1. Good Grades Pay off- Literally
　　 2. Authors Unite against Drive for Toddler Literacy
　　 3. Does New S. A.T. Help with Admissions Decisions?
　　Unit 14 The 2008 Olympics in Beijing
　　 1. Games in Beijing Open with a Lavish Ceremony
　　 2. After Glimmer of Glory for China, U.S. Pulls away
　　 3. In the 100, a Show of Flash after a Burst of Speed
　　Unit 15 News Stories on Daily Life Issues
　　 1. Do Teenagers Need Full-time Mums? One Mother's Skepticism
　　 2. Bliss Arrives in Icy, Creamy Scoops
　　 3. A Speck of Sunlight is a Town's Yearly Alarm Clock
　　Unit 16 The British Pub and Drinking Culture
　　 1. A Pub Crawl through the Centuries
　　 2. Still the Moon under Water
　　 3. Tackling "Booze Britain"
　　Unit 17 Entertainment News
　　 1. And the Plot Thinned...
　　 2. James Miller: the New Lost Boys
　　 3. In "American Gangster", True Crime doesn't Pay off
　　Unit 18 People in the News
　　 1. Mandela's Birthday Message: Rich should Help Poor
　　 2. The Giant of Russian Literature
　　 3. The Patron Saint of Plastic Bags
　　Key to exercises
　　参考文献