《新21世紀大學英語系列：新21世紀大學英語·快速閱讀（1）》是為配合《新21世紀大學英語》教學而編選的一套快速閱讀教材。共含4冊，課文主要選自近年來英美等國出版的原文作品或報刊文章。語言清新、活潑，內容生動、多樣，文章具有一定的趣味性、知識性或信息性。
《新21世紀大學英語系列：新21世紀大學英語·快速閱讀（1）》本屬讀寫教程的一個組成部分。英語讀寫教程的目的，在于全面培養學生的語言聽說讀寫技能，其中自然也包含幫助學生提高閱讀速度一項。鑒于21世紀是信息世紀，通過閱讀英語資料獲取信息，已成為生活、工作中不可或缺的一環。
Unit One
Reading l The First Day of School
Reading 2 How to Hear English Everywhere
Reading 3 Leam How to Love Reading
Unit Two
Reading l The Language of Color
Reading 2 A Million-Dollar Smile
Reading 3 A Night in a Calabrian Village
UnitThree
Reading l In the Faces of Children
Reading 2 Dancing with Mom
Reading3 Bobby's Dime
UnitFour
Reading l Vegetarians: A Dietary Minority
Reading 2 Vegetables May Keep Brains Young
Reading 3 Where Did They Come from?
UnitFive
Reading l The Bell with the Crack
Reading2 Death ofa Dream
Reading 3 Volunteerism in the U.S
Unit Six
Reading l Light Pollution
Reading 2 Recycling
Reading 3 Global Wamung Threatens Ancient Ruins
Unit Seven
Reading l Money Does Not Buy Much Happiness
Reading2 Getting Rich
Reading 3 Secret Santa Reveals His Identity
Unit Eight
Reading l The English Conversation Partner Program
Reading 2 A World Without Honor
Appendix
I have been teaching for seventeen years now.For the last three years I have been teaching the second grade at Washington Elementary School.Most of what happens on the first day of school every year is not new for me because I have been doing it for too long.But I still approach each new school year differently.
One way that each year is different is that I always hope that each year's new students will be different.I hope that this year’s students will be smarter， better behaved，and more ready to settle down and start acting as though they are in school and not on vacation. I also hope that the new students will not cry， will have their lunch money，and will know what bus they are supposed to take to get home or whether their parents will be picking them up.
Another way I hope new school years will be different is that I hope I will be better prepared.I know that I have started school years before，so I should be ready to help the students organize their supplies and put them in the blue and red storage boxes at the back of the room.I should be ready for the children to get tired and start to fall asleep by two o'clock in the long aftemoon.I should be ready to check that the students can write their names and can recognize their names when they see them.
But I am always surprised at the beginning of school.Tlus year，for example，I had twenty-three new students. On the first day，six of them had forgotten to bring lunch money and did not have lunches of their own. I had to lend them money so they could eat in the cafetena.Most of them knew how to get back home， but one little boy，Manfred，got on the wrong bus， and I had to pick him up and drive him home. He cried all the way.
I was also surprised this year when three of the students did not seem to be able to read，and one of them would not write her name.I had given them easy books to read after lunch，while I was trying to make up some lists of students’names for the office. I noticed that the three children were looking at the pictures in the book but not at the wnting. I stopped and asked them what they were reading，but they did not seem to know.I hope that they were just confused and afraid on the first day of school and that they will be able to read along with the other children.
In general，though，the first day of school is an exciting one，for the children and for me.They are excited to get away from home and to be with a lot of other children of their age.They look forward to the new year in school and ask me a lot of questions about what we will do during the year. I am excited because I have a new group of students to teach，and I look forward to watclung them learnwriting，mathematics，and information about the commuruty and the world they live in.Although it issometimes difficult，it is very satisfying to be a teacher.I believe each cluld has a unique （獨一無二的） pattern of qualities and abilities that makes him or her special.I am as concemed with theircharacter as with their success and feel proud that I am helping so many children become useful， well-mannered，and well-educated adults.
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