| Acknowledgements | 第1-5页 |
| Abstract in Chinese | 第5-6页 |
| Abstract in English | 第6-10页 |
| 1. Introduction | 第10-15页 |
| ·Studies concerning the effects of cultural knowledge on reading comprehension in foreign countries | 第11-12页 |
| ·Studies concerning the effects of cultural knowledge on reading comprehension in China | 第12-13页 |
| ·Motivation for further research | 第13-15页 |
| 2. Comprehension Barriers Chinese Students Meet When Reading English Texts | 第15-22页 |
| ·Comprehension barriers caused by differences in social and historical culture | 第16-18页 |
| ·Comprehension barriers caused by differences in regional culture | 第18-19页 |
| ·Comprehension barriers caused by differences in social customs | 第19-20页 |
| ·Comprehension barriers caused by differences in religious culture | 第20-22页 |
| 3. Cultural Differences and Cross-cultural Reading Comprehension | 第22-45页 |
| ·Cultural difference and EFL reading comprehension from the perspective of schema | 第22-30页 |
| ·Schema | 第23页 |
| ·Culture and schema | 第23页 |
| ·Types of schema | 第23-25页 |
| ·Content schema and reading comprehension | 第25-27页 |
| ·Formal and linguistic schema and reading comprehension | 第27-30页 |
| ·Cultural Differences and EFL reading comprehension from the perspective of language and culture | 第30-45页 |
| ·Language and culture | 第30-33页 |
| ·Cultural differences and comprehension of words | 第33-37页 |
| ·Cultural differences and comprehension of phrases and expressions | 第37-39页 |
| ·Cultural differences and comprehension of sentences | 第39-41页 |
| ·Cultural differences and comprehension of texts | 第41-45页 |
| 4. Ways to Help Students Overcome Cultural Barriers in EFL Reading Comprehension | 第45-51页 |
| ·Enriching students' cultural background knowledge | 第45-49页 |
| ·Narrow reading | 第46页 |
| ·Extensive reading | 第46-47页 |
| ·Questioning and discussion | 第47-48页 |
| ·Role-playing | 第48页 |
| ·Visual aids | 第48-49页 |
| ·English activities, programmes on TV and radio, and personal contacts with English-speakers | 第49页 |
| ·Analyzing the structure of the text | 第49-51页 |
| 5. Conclusion | 第51-53页 |
| Bibliography | 第53-56页 |
