本书共分为5个教学单元，每个单元由多篇课文和一篇课外阅读组成，分别介绍水泥、玻璃、混凝土、玻璃钢、建筑材料等的材料性能、组成、生产工艺等，重点介绍材料的生产工艺和设备。每篇课文后都附有形式多样的练习题，力求实用、简单。附录部分有英文元素周期表及各类材料分类的词汇表，方便读者查阅。
　　本书可作为高等院校材料工程技术及相关专业的英语教材及参考书，也可作为生产企业的培训教材。

Unit 1 Introduction to materials
Text 1 Types of materials
Text 2 Properties of materials
Unit 2 Cement and its manufacture
Text 1 History of cement
Text 2 Types of Portland cement
Text 3 Chemical composition and raw materials of Portland cement
Text 4 Hardening and corrosion of Portland cement
Text 5 Specifications and tests of cement
Text 6 Manufacture of Portland cement 1-- Preparation of the raw meal
Text 7 Manufacture of Portland cement 2 -- Preparation of the
clinker and cement
Text 8 The cement kiln
Reading text A brief overview on kiln
Unit 3 Glass and its manufacture

Unit 1 Introduction to materials
Text 1 Types of materials
Text 2 Properties of materials

Unit 2 Cement and its manufacture
Text 1 History of cement
Text 2 Types of Portland cement
Text 3 Chemical composition and raw materials of Portland cement
Text 4 Hardening and corrosion of Portland cement
Text 5 Specifications and tests of cement
Text 6 Manufacture of Portland cement 1-- Preparation of the raw meal
Text 7 Manufacture of Portland cement 2 -- Preparation of the
clinker and cement
Text 8 The cement kiln
Reading text A brief overview on kiln

Unit 3 Glass and its manufacture
Text 1 Introduction to glass
Text 2 Raw materials of the glass industry
Text 3 Batch of glass plant
Text 4 Furnace and glass melting
Text 5 Float glass production 1
Text 6 Float glass production 2
Text 7 Annealing lehr
Text 8 Production of further processed glass
Text 9 Borosilicate glass
Reading text Toughened glass

Unit 4 Concrete
Text 1 Introduction to concrete
Text 2 Aggregates
Text 3 Admixtures for concrete, mortar and grout
Text 4 Fresh concrete
Text 5 Properties of hardened concrete
Text 6 Concrete with reinforcing materials
Text 7 High strength concrete
Reading text Readymixed concrete

Unit 5 Fiber-Reinforced-Plastic
Text 1 Composite material and classification
Text 2 Fiber-Reinforced-Plastic composite materials
Text 3 Properties of constituent materials
Text 4 Applications of FRP in engineering
Text 5 Production processes for Fiber-Reinforced-Plastic composite materials
Reading text The Application of FRP in Building Structures

Unit 6 Building materials
Text 1 Building materials
Text 2 A classic building material--brick
Text 3 The properties of structural steel
Text 4 Green building materials
Text 5 Plastic materials
Text 6 Refractories
Reading text Construction of steel

Appendix 1 The Periodic Table of Elements
Appendix 2 Vocabulary
References