本书精心挑选了一些蕴涵哲理与情感的小短文，将它们按不同主题分类成章。每篇短文均配有详细注解，并且运用篇章语言学的理论设计了一些相关的练习题，以帮助读者更好地理解文章结构和大意。本书可作为本科低年级学生的泛读教材，也可供具有初级以上英语水平的英语爱好者自学英语，休闲娱乐之用。

Preface
Introduction
Part 1. Read Between the Lins for Conversational Implicatures
　1.A Laconic Answer
　2.Weird Coincidence
　3."Are You Enjoying the Film?"
　4.What On Earth Was He Talking about?
　5.The Cows Are Crying
　6.The Sign of Welcome
　7.Who Tops Them All?
　8.Politicians'Lie
　9.Mr.and Mrs.Pologize
　10.Real Beers
　11.The Fastest Train in the World
　12.Why Are You Crying?
　13.A Catholic Service
　14.When Are You Going to Pay Your Money?
　15.The Art Collector
　16.You've Just Thrown the Wrong Bitch out of the Window
　17.Fish in a Barrel
　18.Unexpected Situation
　19.Please Don't Talk While I'm Interrupting
　20.What Was the Campaign Politician's Stance?
　21.A "Dear John"Letter
　22.Does the Early Bird Get the Worm?
　23.Charles Makes a Complete Apology
　24.Dr.Swift and the Boy
　25.The Old Woman and the Physician
Part 2:Read Between the Lines for General Implications
　1.An Unforgettable Evening
　2.Is This How You Left It?
　3.How about Two Dollars?
　4.Beomg Brave at tje Supermarket
　5.Classmates of Teacher and Student?
　6.But Officer
　7.A Useful Lesson
　8.Hoya,Hoya!
　9.Reasonable or Not?
　10."Dear John"Lunch
　11.The "Apple"Pin
　12.Thanksgiving
　13.Why did the Detective Arrest Him?
　14.Two Businessmen
　15.Who Knocked Down the Walls of Jerich?
　16.Two Businessmen
　17.Who Knocked Down the Walls of Jericho?
　18.Irrefutable Evidence
　19.He Loves Her Dearly
　20.Do You Know My Work?
　21.He Showed Us the Door
　22.Collect Call from Las Vegas
Part 3.Read Between the Lines for Writers'Views or Purposes
Part 4.Read Between the Lines for Understood Conclusions
主要参考书目