Includes ebook access.

Unit 1 ANIMALS (Academic Disciplines: Ecology / Zoology)
Watch and Listen: Great Egret and Dolphin Fishing Teamwork
Readings: 1. Endangered species (factsheet) 2. Losing the Battle for Survival (article)
Reading Skills: KEY SKILL: Reading for main ideas -- ADDITIONAL SKILLS: Understanding key vocabulary - Using your knowledge - Reading for details - Working out meaning - Summarizing - Making inferences - Synthesizing
Language Development: Academic verbs - Comparative adjectives
Critical Thinking: Use a Venn diagram
Grammar for Writing: Word order - Combining sentences - and and or - but and whereas - both and neither
Writing: ACADEMIC WRITING SKILLS: topic sentences -- RHETORICAL MODE: comparison and contrast
Writing task : Compare and contrast the two sharks in the diagram. (essay completion) On Campus: RESEARCH SKILL: Avoiding plagiarism

Unit 2 THE ENVIRONMENT (Academic Disciplines: Environmental Science / Natural Science) Watch and Listen: Colorado River, Grand Canyon, Yosemite
Readings: 1. Our Changing Planet (web page) 2. The Causes and Effects of Deforestation (essay)
Reading Skills: KEY SKILL: Reading for details -- ADDITIONAL SKILLS: Understanding the key vocabulary - Predicting content using visuals - Reading for main ideas - Scanning for main ideas - Scanning to find information - Identifying purpose - Previewing - Summarizing - Making inferences - Synthesizing
Language Development: Academic vocabulary - Environment collocations
Critical Thinking: Use a cause-effect chart
Grammar for Writing: Verbs of cause and effect - Because and because of
Writing: ACADEMIC WRITING SKILLS: Paragraph unity - Supporting sentences and details -- RHETORICAL MODE: Cause and effect
Writing Task: Describe the human causes of climate change and the effects that climate change will have on the planet. (essay completion)
On Campus: LIFE SKILL: Choosing your courses

Unit 3 TRANSPORTATION (Academic Disciplines: Transportation Management / Urban Planning) Watch and Listen: The Jumbo Jet Readings: 1. Masdar: the Future of Cities? (case study) 2. A reading about traffic congestion (essay) Reading Skills: KEY SKILL: Predicting content using visuals -- ADDITIONAL SKILLS: Understanding key vocabulary - Reading for main ideas - Reading for details - Making inferences - Synthesizing Language Development: Transportation collocations - Synonyms for verbs Critical Thinking: Identify and evaluate problems and solutions Grammar for writing: Future real conditional if ... not and unless Writing: ACADEMIC WRITING SKILLS: Writing a concluding sentence -- RHETORICAL MODE: Problem and solution Writing task: Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of two solutions to a city's traffic congestion problems (essay completion) On Campus: STUDY SKILL: Creating idea maps

Unit 4 CUSTOMS AND TRADITIONS (Academic Disciplines: Cultural Studies / Sociology) Watch and Listen: Halloween by the Numbers Readings: 1. Customs Around the World (article) 2. Nontraditional Weddings (article) Reading Skills: KEY SKILL: Annotating -- ADDITIONAL SKILLS: Understanding key vocabulary - Using your knowledge - Reading for main ideas - Reading for details - Making inferences - Previewing - Synthesizing Language Development: Avoiding generalizations - Adverbs of frequency - Synonyms to avoid repetition Critical Thinking: Analyze a text - Evaluate and respond to an author's ideas Grammar for Writing: Paraphrasing Writing: ACADEMIC WRITING SKILLS: Writing a summary and a personal response -- RHETORICAL MODE: Summary and response Writing task: Summarize and respond to Reading 2. Give you opinions about the changes in wedding traditions. (paragraph) On Campus: COMMUNICATION SKILLS: Communicating with professors

Unit 5 HEALTH AND FITNESS (Academic Disciplines: Medicine / Nutrition) Watch and Listen: Nutrition Labels Readings: 1. A Reading about Health and Exercise (article) 2. Tackling Obesity (essay) Reading Skills: KEY SKILL: Making inferences - ADDITIONAL SKILLS: Understanding key vocabulary - Predicting content using visuals - Skimming - Reading for main ideas - Reading for details - Using your knowledge - Scanning to predict content - Synthesizing Language Development: Verb and noun forms - Health and fitness collocations Critical Thinking: Subdivide arguments Grammar for Writing: Stating opinions - Stating a purpose Writing: ACADEMIC WRITING SKILLS: Essay structure -- RHETORICAL MODE: Opinion Writing task: Should colleges and universities require students to take physical education classes? (essay) On Campus: STUDY SKILL: Avoiding procrastination

Unit 6 DISCOVERY AND INVENTION (Academic Disciplines: Industrial Design / Mechanical Engineering) Watch and Listen: China's Man-made River Readings: 1. The Magic of Mimicry (article) 2. The World of Tomorrow (article) Reading Skills: KEY SKILL: Scanning to find information -- ADDITIONAL SKILLS: Understanding key vocabulary - Using your knowledge - Reading for main ideas - Annotating - Making inferences - Reading for details - Synthesizing Language Development: Making predictions with modals and adverbs of certainty - Prefixes Critical Thinking: Use T-charts to brainstorm and organize ideas Grammar for Writing: Relative clauses - Prepositional phrases with advantages and disadvantages Writing: ACADEMIC WRITING SKILL: Writing an introductory paragraph - Rhetorical Mode: Explanatory Writing task: Choose a new area of technology or invention and discuss its advantages and disadvantages (essay) On Campus: STUDY SKILL: Annotating texts

Unit 7 FASHION (Academic Disciplines: Fashion Design / Retail Management) Watch and Listen: A Life Tailored Around Clothes Readings: 1. Is Fast Fashion Taking Over? (article) 2. Offshore Production (essay) Reading Skills: KEY SKILLS: Distinguishing fact from opinion -- ADDITIONAL SKILLS: Understanding key vocabulary - Using your knowledge - Reading for main ideas - Reading for details - Making inferences - Skimming - Scanning to find information - Synthesizing Language Development: Vocabulary for the fashion business Critical Thinking: Identify and strengthen arguments Grammar for Writing: Multiword prepositions Writing: ACADEMIC WRITING SKILLS: Body paragraph in argumentative essays - Cohesion -- RHETORICAL MODE: Argumentative Writing task: The fashion industry is harmful to society and the environment. Do you agree or disagree? (essay) On Campus: RESEARCH SKILL: Using Internet sources

Unit 8 ECONOMICS (Academic Disciplines: Business / Economics) Watch and Listen: The Stock Market Crash of 1929 Readings: 1. How Should You Invest Your Money? (article) 2. Income and Expenditure, 1996-2014 (article) Reading Skills: KEY SKILLS: Skimming -- ADDITIONAL SKILLS: Understanding key vocabulry - Using your knowledge - Reading for main ideas - Reading for details - Making inferences - Annotating - Synthesizing Language Development: Nouns and adjectives for economics - Nouns for economic trends Critical Thinking: Understand and interpret line graphs Grammar for Writing: Describing graphs - nouns phrases and verb phrases - Prepositions and conjunctions - Approximations Writing: ACADEMIC WRITING SKILLS: Writing a concluding paragraph -- RHETORICAL MODE: Analysis Writing task: Describe the multiple-line graph showing home video revenue and explain the data. (essay) On Campus: LIFE SKILL: College applications

"Paired skills course focusing on critical thinking, academic skills, and language students need most. Prism is a five-level (A1 to C1), American English paired-skills course (Reading/Writing and Listening/Speaking), created for students who need to develop a range of academic skills. This Level 4 (C1) Listening and Speaking Student's Book prepares students for college classes by developing their listening, speaking, critical thinking, and pronunciation skills, including pronunciation for listening. Special sections teach how to be a successful college student, and the accompanying video program sets the stage for each unit's topic. Inside the book is a single-use code for the online workbook. This provides automatically graded extra practice and works on PCs and Macs." (Publisher's Website)