本書涵蓋了從近東文明到二戰(zhàn)后西方社會幾千年的西方文明發(fā)展歷程。每一章節(jié)都力求以歷史為綱, 以文化信息點為目; 從面上總覽一個時代, 從點上洞悉其文化精髓。編者設(shè)計了相關(guān)的名人名言, 明確了學(xué)習(xí)目標, 提供了中文導(dǎo)讀、專家評論、專有名詞索引和圖文并茂的文化鏈接等欄目, 并在腳注和專有名詞部分注重文化知識的補充。本書在介紹西方文化的同時, 也注重對學(xué)習(xí)者語言實踐能力的培養(yǎng)。
Chapter One The Ancient Near East: The Cradle of Civilisation (c. 4000 B. C. --70 A. D. ) Section One Mesopotamian Civilisation Chapter One The Ancient Near East: The Cradle of Civilisation (c. 4000 B. C. --70 A. D. ) Section One Mesopotamian Civilisation (c. 4000--539 B. C. ) Section Two Egyptian Civilisation (c. 3100--c. 332 B. C. ) Section Three Other Early Civilisations (c. 3000--c. 147 B.C. ) Section Four The Hebrew Civilization (c. 2000 B. C. --c. 70A. D. ) Section Five The Assyrian Empire (c. 1000--612 B. C. ) Section Six The Persian Empire (550--330 B. C. ) Chapter Review Exercise Voices on Key Points Suggested ReadingChapter Two Greek Civilisation (e. 2000--30 B. C. ) Section One The Emergence of Greece (c. 2000--1100 B. C. ) Section Two Dark Age and Homer's World (1100--750 B. C. ) Section Three Sparta and Athens: Greek City-States (750--500B. C. ) Section Four Greece in Classical Period (c. 500--330 B. C. ) Section Five The Hellenistic Era (330--30 B. C. ) Chapter Review Exercise Voices on Key Points Suggested readingChapter Three Roman Civilisation (753 B. C. --476 A.D. ) Section One The Rise of Rome (753--509 B. C. ) Section Two The Roman Republic (509--30 B. C. ) Section Three The Eclipse of the Roman Republic (133--30 B.C. ) Section Four The Roman Empire (30 B. C. --476 A. D. ) Section Five Christianity in Rome (c. 50 B. C. --313 A. D. ) Section Six The Roman Culture (753 B. C. --476 A. D. ) Chapter Review Exercise Voices on Key Points Suggested ReadingChapter Four Medieval Civilisation {476--c. 1500} Section One The Emergence of the Medieval Civilisati0n(476--c. 750) Section Two The Development of the Early Middle Ages (c.750--c. 1000) Section Three Significant Changes of the High Middle Ages(c. 1001--c. 1300) Section Four The Decline of the Middle Ages (c. 1300--c.1500) Chapter Review Exercise Voices on Key Points Suggested ReadingChapter Five The Age of the Renaissance (14th--17th Century) Section One The Rise of the Renaissance (14th--15th Century) Section Two Arts and Literature in the Italian Renaissance(Mid-1400s --Late 1500s) Section Three The Pattern of Politics in the Renaissance(1494--Early 1600s) Section Four The Natural Science in the Renaissance(15th--17th Century) Chapter Review Exercise Voices on Key Points Suggested ReadingChapter Six Protestant Reformation (1517--Late 16th Century) Section One The Launch of the Reformation (Second Half ofthe 15th Century--1516) Section Two German Protestant Reformation (1517--Early 16thCentury) Section Three Reformation outside Germany (1520s--Late 16thCentury) Section Four The Counter-Reformation (Mid-16th Century) Chapter Review Exercise Voices on Key Points Suggested ReadingChapter Seven Early Modern Times (c. 1419--1800} Section One Expansion of European Powers (c. 1419--1800) Section Two Social Disturbance (Early 17th--Early 18thCentury) and the Age of Absolutism (c. 1550--1800) Section Three The Scientific Revolution (1543--1700) and theEnlightenment (c. 1650--1800) Section Four The Last Phase of the Old Order (1715--1789) Chapter Review Exercise Voices on Key Points Suggested ReadingChapter Eight The Age of the Revolution and Industrialisation(1775--1860) Section One The Revolutionary Era (1775--1815) Section Two The Era of the First Industrial Revolution(1750--1860) Chapter Review Exercise Voices on Key Points Suggested ReadingChapter Nine Modernity in Europe ( 1815-- 1914) Section One Suppression, Revolution, and Romanticism(1815--1850) Section Two Nationalism and Realism (1850--1871) Section Three The Age of Progress (1871--1894) Section Four Anxiety and Tension(1894--1914) Chapter Review Exercise Voices on Key Points Suggested ReadingChapter Ten World Wars and Post-war Era (1914--2000) Section One Wars and Revolutions (1914--1945) Section Two The Cold War and the New Era o{ the WesternWorld (1945--2000) Chapter Review Exercise Voices on Key Points Suggested ReadingCulture LinkProper NamesKey to ExercisesBibliography