The book is designed for high school students, universi- ty students, and adults who have acquired the basics of Chinese, and whose native language is English, French, German, or Spanish. The 19 lessons in the textbook cover topics ranging from politics and the economy, to a multitude of other social issues. The simple and concise texts combine the use of high frequency words with skillful question and answer exercises, which will enable readers to quickly familiar- ize themselves with the more commonly-used Chinese words about social issues. They will also allow them to then read Chinese newspapers or magazines, and hold discussions on social subjects.