本书完全摆脱了英语教材或读物的桎梏，不讲阅读技巧，而是用浅近、地道的英语从十二个不同的侧面给我们展示了美国人全新的精神世界，涵盖了美国人道德意识中有关诚实、勇气、自信、自控、宽容、竞争等12个方面的话题。

本书适合广大的青少年英语爱好者，尤其是那些处在世界观形成过程中的中学生、大学生阅读。

本书涵盖了美国人道德意识中有关诚实、勇气、自信、自控、宽容、竞争等12个方面的话题。本书文字地道通俗，是一本可以帮助广大读者了解美国社会文化的英语读物。

CHAPTER ONE COMPASSION

 1. WHAT IS COMPASSION?

 2. SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH AND COMPASSION

 3. DIFFERENT LEVELS OF COMPASSION

 4. COMPASSION IN THE GREAT RELIGION

 5. SOME CASES AGAINST COMPASSION

 6. INDIFFERENCE

 7. CRUELTY

 8. CONCLUSION

CHAPTER TWO COMPETITIVENESS

 1. WHAT IS COMPE'ITFIVENESS?

 2. WHAT MAKES A GREAT COMPETITOR?

 3. COMPETITIVENESS IS ALL AROUND US

 4. WHAT MAKES US FEEL THIS WAY?

 5. WHEN COMPETITIVENESS IS HARMFUL?

 6. STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESS

 7. USING COMPETITIVENESS WISELY

CHAPTER THREE COURAGE

 1. WHAT IS COURAGE?

 2. COURAGE AFFECTS EVERYDAY LIFE

 3. COURAGE IS NECESSARY

 4. COURAGE IS ADMIRED BY PEOPLE

 5. PEOPLE FAMOUS FOR THEIR COURAGE

 6. WHAT TO DO TO BE COURAGEOUS?

CHAPTER FOUR DEMOCRACY

 1. TURNING POINTS

 2. AN IDEA IN WAITING

 3. REPRESENTATIVE DEMOCRACY

 4. CONSTITUTION AND THE FRANCHISE

 5. VOTING

 6. THE CRUCIAL INGREDIENTS

 7. FERTILE SOIL, STONY GROUND

 8. STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES

 9. BEYOND THE NATION-STATE

 I0. CONCLUSION

CHAPTER FIVE DETERMINATION

 1. WHAT IS DETERMINATION?

 2. WHEN AND WHY DO WE NEED DETERMINATION?

 3. DETERMINATION IN TIMES OF DIFFICULTIES

 4. WHAT IF YOU FAIL?

 5. THE IMPORTANCE OF POSITIVE ATTITUDE

 6. HOW TO BE A DETERMINED PERSON?

CHAPTER SIX HONESTY

 1. WHAT IS HONESTY?

 2. ARE YOU AN HONEST PERSON?

 3. TRUTH AND HONESTY

 4. ARE THEY DISHONEST?

 5. BE HONEST WITH YOURSELF

 6. BE HONEST WITH OTHERS

 7. HONESTY AT WORK

CHAPTER SEVEN JUSTICE

 1. WHAT IS JUSTICE?

 2. THREE-LEVEL JUSTICE IN OUR LIVES

 3. THE CHANGING FACE OF JUSTICE

 4. JUSTICE AND THE LAW 

 5. JUSTICE THROUGH GOVERNMENT

 6. JUSTICE THROUGH THE PEOPLE

 7. RECOGNIZING AND BATTLING INJUSTICE

CHAPTER EIOHT PATRIOTISM

 1. WHAT IS PATRIOTISM?

 2. WHERE PATRIOTISM BEGINS?

 3. SYMBOLS OF PATRIOTISM

 4. WHO IS A PATRIOT?

 5. THE PRICE OF PATRIOTISM

 6. IN THE NAME OF PATRIOTISM

 7. PATRIOTISM AND YOU

 8. QUESTIONS ABOUT PATRIOTISM

 9. MY COUNTRY, OLD AND NEW

CHAPTER NINE SELF-CONFIDENCE

 1. WHAT IS SELF-CONFIDENCE? 

 2. CHILDHOOD INFLUENCE

 3. SELF-CONTROL?

 4. BELIEVE IN YOU

 5. INFERIORITY'SUPERIORITY COMPLEX

 6. SHYNESS

 7. CRITICISM

 8. REJECTION

 9. FORGIVENESS

 10. RESPONSIBILITY

 11. CONCLUSION

CHAPTER TEN SELF-CONTROL

 1. WHAT IS SELF-CONTROL?

 2. LEARNING ABOUT YOURSELF

 3. ADDICTION IN DAILY LIFE

 4. SELF-CONTROL: THE KEY TO SUCCESS

 5. HOW TO HELP THOSE WITH SELFCONTROL PROBLEMS?

CHAPTER ELEVEN SELF-ESTEEM

 1. WHAT IS SELF-ESTEEM?

 2. HOW TO BE YOUR OWN WORST ENEMY?

 3. ME MYSELF, AND THE REST OF THE WORLD

 4. GOALS AND ACHIEVEMENTS

 5. HOW DOES SELF-ESTEEM GET LOST?

 6. SENSE OF BELONGING

 7. RESPONSIBILITY AND INTEGRITY

 8. ACCEPTING YOUR TRUE SELF

 9. STEPS TOWARD SELF-ESTEEM

 10. CONCLUSION

CHAPTER TWELVE TOLERANCE

 1. WHAT IS TOLERANCE?

 2. WHY DO WE NEED TOLERANCE?

 3. WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE?

 4. WORLD'S PEACEMAKERS

 5. EXAMPLES OF INTOLERANCE

 6. PEACE THROUGH TOLERANCE

 7. OPEN EARS, OPEN EYES, AND AN OPEN MIND