美国语文读本2（美国原版经典语文课本）

这套读本的英文原版共分七级，包括启蒙读本和第1-6级。考虑到启蒙读本与级篇幅都较少，难易程度也很近，于是将之合并为第1册，其余2-6级与英文原版相同。这样国内出版的这套读本共包括6册。 从本书始，均是比较正式的课文，概述了历史、生物、天文、动物学、植物学、餐桌礼仪、行为举止、对神和老师的态度等。每一课包括词汇和课文，并且对一些生词的英文做出了解释，让学生学会通过简单英文理解生词，养成用英语理解和思维的习惯。 This series of schoolbooks teaching reading and moral precepts,originally prepared by William Holmes who was a professor at MiamiUniversity McGuffey, had a profound influence on public educationin the United States. The eclectic readers, meaning that theselections were chosen from a number of sources, were consideredremarkably literary works and probably exerted a greater influenceupon literary tastes in the United States more than any other book,excluding the Bible. It is estimated that at least 120 million copies of McGuffey'sReaders were sold between 1836 and 1960, placing its sales in acategory with the Bible and Webster's Dictionary. Since 1961 theyhave continued to sell at a rate of some 30,000 copies a year. Noother textbook bearing a single person's name has come close tothat mark. McGuffey's Readers are still in use today in some schoolsystems, and by parents for home schooling purposes. The second reader appeared simultaneously with the first andfollowed the same pattern. It contained reading and spelling witheighty-five lessons, sixteen pictures and one-hundred sixty-sixpages. It outlined history, biology, astronomy, zoology, botany;table manners, behavior towards family, attitudes toward God andteachers, the poor; the great and the good. The duties of youth arestressed. Millions of pioneer men and women were alumni of thissecond reader college, they were able to read and writeEnglish.
【作者】
William Holmes McGuffey (September 23, 1800 – May 4, 1873) wasan American professor and college president who is best known forwriting the McGuffey Readers, one of the nation's first and mostwidely used series of textbooks. It is estimated that at least 122million copies of McGuffey Readers were sold between 1836 and 1960,placing its sales in a category with the Bible and Webster'sDictionary. He was born the son of Alexander and Anna (Holmes) McGuffey nearClaysville in Washington County, Pennsylvania, which is 45 milessouthwest of Pittsburgh. In 1802 the McGuffey family moved furtherout into the frontier at Tuscarawas County, Ohio. He attendedcountry school, and after receiving special instruction atYoungstown, he attended Greersburg Academy in Darlington,Pennsylvania. Afterwards, he attended and graduated fromPennsylvania's Washington College, where he became aninstructor. He was close friends with Washington College's President AndrewWylie and lived in Wylie's house for a time; they often would walkthe 3 miles to Washington College together. McGuffey's house in OxfordMcGuffey left Washington College in1826 to become a professor at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. Ayear later in 1827, he was married to Harriet Spinning of Dayton,Ohio, with whom he had five children. In 1829, he was ordained atBethel Chapel as a minister in the Presbyterian Church. It was inOxford that he created the most important contribution of his life:The McGuffey Readers. His books sold over 122 million copies. Hewas very fond of teaching and children as he geared the bookstoward a younger audience. In 1836, he left Miami to become president of Cincinnati College,where he also served as a distinguished teacher and lecturer. Heleft Cincinnati in 1839 to become the 4th president of OhioUniversity, which he left in 1843 to become president of WoodwardCollege (really a secondary school) in Cincinnati. In 1845, McGuffey moved to Charlottesville, Virginia where hebecame Professor of Philosophy at the University of Virginia. Ayear after his first wife Harriet died in 1850, he married MissLaura Howard, daughter of Dean Howard of the University ofVirginia, in 1851. McGuffey is buried in the university burialground, in Charlottesville, Virginia. The School of Education atMiami University is housed in McGuffey Hall which is named for himand his home in Oxford is a National Historic Landmark offeringtours on weekdays.