在美国，凡是受过教育的人几乎都读过《麦加菲读本》，美国媒体更称其为“影响美国五代人的心灵读本”。其主编者威廉·H.麦加菲，是美国**的教育家。他先后担任过弗吉尼亚大学道德哲学教授、迈阿密大学语言学教授，以及俄亥俄大学校长。他用了20多年时间，从浩瀚的西方经典文学中选编了一套读本，希望通过这些散文、诗歌、戏剧、哲理故事中浅显而美妙的文字，让美国的小朋友们在提高文学修养的同时，也可以感受道德教育的力量。该读本一经面世，就有近万所美国学校将它选为教材。**的“汽车大王”亨利·福特称赞这套书是他儿童时代*感兴趣的读物，后来他大量自费印刷这套书，送给许多学校。据估计，在不到一个世纪的时间里，这套书的**超过了1.2亿册。1961年以后，在西方每年**仍达到3万册以上。可以说，没有哪一套个人主编的教材能超过这套书的发行量！
这套书英文原版共7册，包括一册启蒙读本和1-6级教材。由于启蒙读本和**级篇幅都很少，我们出版时合编成一册；其余2-6级则和英文原版相同。这套书的内容由浅入深，从基本单词、常用句型开始，延展到简单的诗歌，再进阶到中长篇的经典著作。从难易程度来看，前三部分内容单纯美好，文字朴素

Lesson 1Evening at Home
It is winter. The cold wind whistles through the branches of the trees.
Mr. Brown has done his day's work, and his children, Harry and Kate, have come home from school. They learned their Lessons well to-day, and both feel happy.
Tea is over. Mrs. Brown has put the little sitting room in order. The fire burns brightly. One lamp gives light enough for all. On the stool is a basket of fine apples. They seem to say, "Won't you have one?"
Harry and Kate read a story in a new book. The father reads his newspaper, and the mother mends Harry's stockings.
By and by, they will tell one another what they have been reading about, and will have a chat over the events of the day.
Harry and Kate's bedtime will come first. I think I see them kiss their dear father and mother a sweet good night.
Do you not wish that every boy and girl could have a home like this?

第1课 温馨的家
这是冬天，寒风从树枝中间呼啸而过。
布朗先生忙完了**的工作，他的孩子哈里和凯特也已经放学回家了。今天课上得非常好，他们都挺愉快的。
喝完茶，布朗夫人将小小的客厅打扫得井井有条。炉火烧得很旺，一盏灯照亮了整个房间。凳子上放着一篮可口的苹果，它们似乎在说：“你不来一个吗？”
哈里和凯特拿着一本新书津津有味地读着里边的故事，父亲在看报纸，而母亲在补哈里的袜子。
过了一会儿，他们互相讲述自己所看的内容，并聊起了这**发生的事情。
到了哈里和凯特睡觉的时间，我想他们会向亲爱的爸爸、妈妈亲吻并道晚安。
难道你不希望每个男孩和女孩都有这样一个家吗？


Lesson 2Bubbles
The boys have come out on the porch to blow bubbles. The old cat is asleep on the mat by the door.
"Ha! ha!" laughs Robert, as a bubble comes down softly on the old cat's back, and does not burst.
Willie tries to make his bubble do the same. This time it comes down on the cat's face, and makes her sneeze.
"She would rather wash her face without soap," says Harry. "Now let us see who can make the biggest bubble."
"Mine is the biggest," says Robert. "See how high it floats in the air! I can see—ah! it has burst."
"I can see the house and the trees and the sky in mine," says Willie; "and such beautiful colors."
"How many, Willie?"
"Red, one; blue, two; there—they are all out. Let us try again."
"I know how many colors there are," says Harry. "Just as many as there are in the rainbow."
"Do you know how many that is?"

第2课 吹泡泡
男孩子们来到走廊上吹泡泡。老猫正在门边的垫子上睡觉。
“哈！哈！”罗伯特笑了起来，他看见一个泡泡缓缓地落在老猫的背上，而且没有破。
威利也想学着那样做。这一次，泡泡落在了猫的脸上，还让它打了个喷嚏。
“它不用肥皂就可以洗脸，”哈里说，“现在让我们比一比谁吹的泡泡*大。”
“我的*大，” 罗伯特说，“看！它在空中飞得多高啊！我能看见——啊！它破了。”
“在我的泡泡里，我能看见房子、树和天空，”威利说，“还有那些漂亮的颜色。”
“威利，有多少种颜色？”
“红色，蓝色，还有……太多了，我们再试一次吧。”
“我知道有多少种颜色，”哈里说，“就和彩虹的颜色一样多。”
“那你知道究竟有多少种吗？”

美国史上*畅销的语文课本，至今销售1.3亿多套
《时代周刊》誉为“人类出版史上第三大畅销书”
塑造美国精神与文明的语文读本
美国人代代相传的经典语文教材
影响美国一个多世纪、五代人的心灵读本
美国**教育家、俄亥俄大学校长威廉·H·麦加菲花费20多年心血编纂而成
超过上万所美国学校以其为教材，至今仍被许多学校和家庭学校用作教材
中国学生系统学习英语、提高阅读水平的**英语读物