The "Mastery" textbooks introduce intermediate-level ESL/EFL students to the most frequently used words in academic environments, based on the 800-word University Word List developed by Xue and Nation. Adding this academic vocabulary to the 2,000 basic words of English enables students to understand 95 percent of academic texts in English. Many of the words on the list, however, are not unique to academic settings, making the textbooks practical vocabulary and self-study guides.
The "Mastery" textbooks familiarize students with American culture: students read about prominent Americans...