《泛读教程》的特征体现在“泛”与“读”两个方面。就“泛”而言,教材选用语言素材题材广泛,内容呈百科知识性,涉及英语**的社会、政治、经济、文化、文学、历史、宗教、体育、环保、风土人情、科普知识等各个领域。同时,语言素材的文体呈多样性,精选记叙、说明、议论、新闻、广告、小说、诗歌、戏剧等语言风格不同的各类语篇。就“读”而言,《泛读教程》提供全面系统的阅读训练,指导学生掌握细读、略读、寻读等方法,学会快速、准确地获取并处理信息,并通过各种练习,培养假设判断、分析归纳、推理检验等逻辑思维能力。学生学了这套教材,可以提高英语的阅读理解能力和阅读速度,增强英语语感,扩大词汇量,增加英语**文化背景知识。
《泛读教程》全套四册。每册十五单元,按阅读方法编为三到四组。每一单元分三个部分。

Reading Skill: Finding the Main Idea
Unit 1 Generation
Text I: The Law vs. the Piano
Text II: Bricklayer's Boy
Unit 2 Music
Text I: A History of Music in America
Text II: Listening to Music
Unit 3 Climate
Text I: More Voices Needed in Climate Debate
Text II: Types of Climate
Unit 4 Work
Text I: Why People Work
Text II: Who Makes It to the Top?

Reading Skill: Recognizing the Pattern of Details
Unit 5 The African-Americans
Text I: How Barack Obama Became the First African American President of the US: The Untold Story
Text II: The First Black Woman Receiving Nobel Prize in Literature
Unit 6 Greek Stories
Text I: Orpheus and Eurydice
Text II: The Return of Odysseus
Unit 7 Attitude Towards Life
Text I:The Simple Wisdom in Having the Right Attitude
Text II: Dare Mighty Things
Unit 8 First Aid
Text I: First Aid
Text II: How to Deal with Common Emergencies

Reading Skill: Outlining
Unit 9 Creativity
Text I: Where Do Those Bright Ideas Come from?
Text II: How to Get a Great Idea?
Unit 10 Travel
Text I: What Are the Different Types of Tourism
Text II: Tourism
Unit 11 Examinations
Text I: Types of Examinations
Text II: Cheating: Alive and Flourishing
Unit 12 Intellectual Property
Text I: Copyright
Text II: The Apple Versus Samsung Patent Showdown Explained
Unit 13 War
Text I: The Changing Nature of War
Text II: How Did World War II Start?
Unit 14 Housing
Text I: Show Me the Way to Go Home
Text II: Mobile Homes
Unit 15 Drama
Text: A Question of Ethics