李泮池主编的《英美报刊国际热点导读(附光盘)》按照国家教委颁布的两个英语教学大纲的要求，结合中国英语教学的特点编写，教材以阅读为主要训练目的，旨在拓宽大学生知识的覆盖面，扩大交流信息量，提高学生的单词量以及分析问题和判断是非的能力。
课本取材英美报刊，涉及“联合国”、“中东问题”、“波黑战争”、“科索沃问题”、“股票市场”、“海湾战争”、“信息时代”、“核扩散”、“前苏联解体”、“欧洲一体化”等当代大学生应了解的热点话题，适合英语专业高年级学生、研究生以及英语涉外专业学生课堂教学使用，也适合有英语基础的国际问题研究者、外事工作者、英语翻译以及为研究生复试做准备的考研者自学。随书发行光盘的内容包括：①2006-2009年国际新闻PPT；②当代时事热点PPT；③1—9单元课外阅读资料。独立研究专栏包括2008年四个热点话题的相关资料：①四川大地震；②美国总统大选；③同性恋婚姻；④国际金融海啸。

前言
英美报刊课教学方法与手段——写给教师的话
Unit One The United Nations
Text A Midlife Crisis
Text B The World’S Toughest Job
Unit Two The Middle East
Text A A11 Together Now
Text B Consequences of Power
Unit Three Unification of Europe
Text A Europe：How Fast?How Far?
Text B Has Europe Failed in Asia?
Unit Four The Balkans
Text A Reluctant Warrior
Text B The Drive for Countries of Their Own
Unit Five Former Soviet Ullion and Russia
Text A Final Dissolution of an Empire
Text B Russia’S Future Shadowed by Centuries of Conquest
Unit Six The Gulf War
Text A Iraq Crisis Reflects Shift in World Alliances
Text B The Weapons Inside the High—Tech Arsenal
Unit Seven Nuclear Proliferation
Text A North Korea Destroys Nuclear Tower
Text B Formula for Terror
Unit Eight Information Superhighway
Text A The Future Is Already Here
Text B Microsoft After Gates
Ullit Nine Stock Market
Text A China：First BRIC to Crumble?
Text B Market Mania
Independent Study 1 US Presidential Election 2008
Text A Clinton Is Willing tO Take No．2 Spot But She Doesn't Have a Lock on It
Text B Unity Is Now Key for Democrats
Independent Study 2 Same Sex Marage
Text A California Ban on Same—Sex Marriage Struck Down
Text B California Court Affirms Right tO Gay Marriage
Independent Study 3 Sichuan Earth Quake
Text A China Stands Still to Remember Quake Victims
Text B China's Old Ways Shaken by Quake
Independent Study 4 International Financial Crisis
Text A Obama Is Said to Drop Plan for “Car Czar”to Fix Detroit
Text B Auto Industry Bailout
附录1 世界主要英文报刊简介
附录2 世界主要国际性通讯社简介
附录3 英文报刊阅读常识
附录4 英美报刊网址