第一章Why They Excel

Every society has a set of deep cultural attitudes that are clear to the majority of its members. And the deep cultural attitudes of any society are reflected in its system of education. This unit explores some of the different ways culture affects education. These include not only surface differences like the content of lessons, but also differences on deeper levels in a classroom.

●1.1 Overview: Why do Asian Americans excel?

This part provides an overview of the whole chapter and an outline of the text.

●1.2Cultural Tips

This part introduces cultural information of Cornell University, MIT, the University of California Berkeley, and Harold Stevenson.

●1.3 Language in Use

This part explains language points like “foster”, “a wave of” and “it is/was…that/who…”.

●1.4Intensive Reading

This part analyzes the text “Why They Excel”.

●1.5 Punctuation

This part introduces the most common uses of three kinds of punctuation: semicolons (;), colons (:) and dashes (—).

第二章Turning Failure into Success

What is success? Some people seem to sail easily through life, overcoming every obstacle they encounter with ease. Then there are those who manage to avoid most difficulties, by limiting their experience to what’s familiar and easy, and never trying anything new. Are these people successful? This text looks into the psychology of success and comes to the conclusion that one of the most essential ingredients in success is failure!

●2.1 Overview: What does success mean?

This part provides an overview of the whole chapter and demonstrates that failure is not always bad.

●2.2Cultural Tips

This part introduces cultural information of the author Fredelle Maynard, professor S. I. Hayakawa and dance therapy.

●2.3 Language in Use

This part explains language points like “not always”, “as if introduces either a likely or an unlikely guess”, “not nearly”, “prompt” and “take stock of”.

●2.4Intensive Reading

This part analyzes the text “Turning Failure into Success”.

●2.5 Argumentation

This part introduces practical skill about “argumentation”.

第三章College Pressures

College Pressures centers around the four kinds of pressure working on college students in America, namely, economic pressure, parental pressure, peer pressure and self-induced pressure. And it also presents details of how the author tries to help the students face the pressures and have a positive attitude towards their life.

●3.1 Lead-in Activities

This section introduces the topic of this unit: college pressures working on Chinese students now; two tasks about pressures.

●3.2Text-related Information

This section introduces some text-related information: William Zinsser; Branford College; Yale University; Social Security; and Broadway.

●3.3 Language in Use

This section explains some key words, phrases and difficult sentences.

●3.4 Intensive Reading

This section analyzes the text structure and the text in detail.

●3.5 Practical Skills

In this section, we’ll watch a video, then do some listening tasks, and talk about how to relieve pressure in daily life.

第四章The ABCs of the U.S.A.

The whole text centers on the topic of why America can seem so strange to visitors from abroad. The author simply compiles an A-to-Z list to identify differences between America and Europeans countries.

●4.1Lead-in Activities

This section begins with a quiz about the USA, then it talks about the title of the text: the meaning of ABCs and the rhetorical device used in the title.

●4.2Text-related Information

This section talks about the text-related information: the Old World, two visas (visa & Visa), the American Dream, and Yuppies.

●4.3 Language in Use

This section explains a saying used in the text, “as American as apple pie”, and the root and story about it.

●4.4 Intensive Reading

This section analyzes the structure of the text and the text in detail.

●4.5 Post-reading Activity

This section centers on “ The ABCs of China”.

第五章Job Hunting

In this unit, you will learn more about the serious employment situation and how to succeed in your future job search.

●5.1Overview

An introduction of job hunting in modern society will be presented here.

●5.2 Cultural Tips

You will see the serious employment situation and learn how to succeed in a job interview here.

●5.3 Intensive Reading

Comprehension of the text-Job Hunting will be your main task here.

●5.4Language in Use

You have to master the grammar focus: Subject clause and Object clause here.

●5.5 Practical Skills

You have to master the practical writing- Job Advertisement here.

第六章China in the 21st Century

In this unit, you will learn more about China's achievements, influences and the challenges she will face in the 21st century.

●6.1 Overview

An introduction of China in the 21st century will be presented here.

●6.2 Cultural Tips

You will see more about China's achievements and the challenges she will be faced with in the 21st century here.

●6.3Intensive Reading

Comprehension of the text-Here Comes the East will be your main task here.

●6.4 Language in Use

You have to master the grammar focus: Inversion here.

●6.5Practical Skills

You have to master the practical writing- Application Letter here.

第七章The Tale of a Cultural Translator

A joint venture, especially which involves a western country and an eastern one always combines two different cultures in it. So it is very important to understand the cultural background of each other when they cooperate. The hero of this story, an American engineer, tells us how he worked as a cultural translator to resolve some conflicts produced by the cultural gap between Japan and the US in the joint venture he worked.

●7.1Lead-in Activities

This part introduces the topic of this unit: cultural differences through some interesting examples. It also provides some quotes about cultural differences.

●7.2Text-related Information

This part introduces some text-related information: what a joint venture is; what tatami mats are and what the etiquette relevant to tatami mats is. It also talks about some differences between Japanese culture and American culture.

●7.3 Language in Use

This part explains the meanings of a phrasal verb “pick up” and the differences among “assure”, “ensure” and “insure”

●7.4Intensive Reading

This part analyzes the structure of the text. It also provides the analysis of the whole story of how George becomes a cultural translator successfully.

●7.5Post-reading Activities

This part talks more about cultural differences between Chinese and westerners and encourages the students to become more open-minded and tolerant about other cultures and finally become a competent global communicator in the future.

第八章How I Got Smart

Ernest Hemingway once said: “Every love story ends as a tragedy.” But the author of the text in this unit has a different point of view. He focuses on the unexpected side effects of his first venture into romance. In fact, he really learnt a lot from that experience: the loving of a girl made him a knowledgeable person.

●8.1Lead-in Activities

This part introduces the topic of this unit: love. It also talks about the meanings of some proverbs about love.

●8.2Text-related Information

This part talks about the text-related information: Cupid and Agamemnon.

●8.3 Language in Use

This part explains an idiom “apple of one’s eye” and a proverb “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.”

●8.4 Intensive Reading

This part analyzes the structure of the text. It also provides the analysis of the whole story of how loving a girl turned the author into an intellectual person.

●8.5 Post-reading Activities

This part introduces Qixi and shows what love is to little kids.

第九章Modern Communication

Our life has been made more and more convenient and comfortable by modern communication tools, which can also bring expected trouble. In this sense, how to make the best use of modern technology to the advantage of mankind and avoid its negative side to the fullest extent possible is a pressing global issue confronting human beings.

●9.1Overview: how about a living without smartphones?

This part introduces the content of this unit briefly.

●9.2Cultural Tips

This part introduces some text-related information: electronic conveniences; Virtual World; the Amish and the so called Amish Project.

●9.3Language in Use

This part helps to interpret sentences hard to be understood in the text, including key points in grammar and sentence paraphrasing.

●9.4Intensive Reading

This part is an analysis of the text in depth, helping the students to appreciate what the author aimed at in writing.

●9.5 Practical Skills

This part talks more about "paraphrasing", commonly considered effective in your practice of English writing, as well as reading comprehension.

第十章Information Age

Instant messaging is one of those new things coming with the advancement in technology which is welcomed by youngsters and concerned by many parents and teachers. This unit is about to analyze weather it’s a good thing or not for youngsters using instant messaging.

●10.1Crazy Instant Messaging

This part introduces the content of this unit briefly.

●10.2 Cultural Tips

This part talks about the text-related information: The internet; The use of internet; Mobile internet and mobile devices; Instant messaging; Instant messaging language.

●10.3Language in Use

This part helps to interpret sentences hard to be understood in the text, including key points in grammar and sentence paraphrasing.

●10.4 Intensive Reading

This part is an analysis of the text in depth, helping the students to appreciate what the author aimed at in writing.

●10.5Post-reading Activity

This part introduced the phrase“phubbing”, referring to a phenomenon people everywhere are beginning to lose patience with.

第十一章Unwritten Rules

In our daily lives, there are “unwritten rules” which probably govern our lives on a more absolute basis than the ones you could find if you look in the law books. The customs that govern us make a civilization. There would be much trouble without them. We all should obey them for a better life.

●11.1 Lead-in Activities

Through a video, ten rules about human behaviors are given to introduce the topic of this unit.

●11.2Language in Use

Explain some language points and introduce “Parking Meter” in detail.

●11.3 Intensive Reading

It is about the writing skill of the unit and analysis of text structure.

●11.4 Post-reading Acitivity

Introduce the false assumptions in the text to make the author’s points clear, and a video about “unwritten rules of texting” is given to establish the roles of unwritten rules.