学术英语(教师资料)_Unit2.ppt

1、,Unit 2 Searching for Information,Unit Contents,1 Finding reliable and better sources 2 Scanning and skimming 3 Identifying topic sentences for information 4 Guessing word meaning 5 Using the organization of the text 6 Reading critically 7 Taking notes 8 Writing a summary,1 Finding reliable and bett

2、er sources,To evaluate source materials Tasks,Unit 2 Searching for Information,When you decide on the topic of your research and your essay, you begin to search for source materials for your studies. Source materials are any information which you take from books, journal articles, websites, newspape

3、rs, lectures, etc. The chief difference between an ordinary essay and a research article is that the latter must use findings and information from the related source materials. The reasons are: 1) to show where your idea in your essay is originated; 2) to show that you have done research to find evi

4、dence for your viewpoint, for referencing a source will give your essay academic weight; 3) to show that you have a better understanding of the opinions and even controversies in the subject you have studied; 4) to allow your readers to find the original sources themselves if necessary.,1 Finding re

5、liable and better sources,To evaluate source materials,Is the material a primary or a secondary source? Is the source the latest one? Is the author a reliable scholar or an expert in the field? Does the author have biases or prejudices? Has the author been cited frequently in the field? Are the auth

6、ors arguments supported by evidence such as statistics, experiment, recent scientific findings? Are different opinions considered and weighed or simply ignored ? Are the authors arguments and conclusions convincing?,Unit 2 Searching for Information,Remember that the sources you are going to use shou

7、ld be: 1) recent source materials which give new information and results of your discipline; 2) unbiased publications which are more trustworthy; 3) from writers who are the authorities of a certain field and whose works are frequently cited.,1 Finding reliable and better sources,Tasks,Check the rel

8、iability of the sources. Search for source materials your paper may use and then write down the titles and sources of the articles. Mark the reasons for your choice of the articles.,Unit 2 Searching for Information,2 Scanning and skimming,Tips for scanning and skimming Task 1 using scanning and skim

9、ming strategy,Unit 2 Searching for Information,Once you decide on a particular topic, you will begin to search for information for your essay. How can you locate the information which you need in so many articles and essays related with your topic? Since not all of the information in the sources you

10、 have gathered will be relevant, you will have to read selectively to save you time. How to read more efficiently and quickly? Read with a purpose in mind and read the relevant facts and ideas only. In other words, ask yourself while reading: Do the materials answer my research questions? Which part

11、s are relevant to my research questions and which parts are not? Hence learning the strategy of scanning and skimming is important, for it is a purposeful activity and a selective reading-You are constantly making a decision: Should I skip this part? Should I read this part in detail?,Scanning is th

12、e strategy used to look up a specific detail in an entire essay or a book: You move your eye quickly over the page to find the specific type of information that is relevant to the task youre doing. Hence, scanning is very useful for locating specific information such as a specific definition, name,

13、date, statistic, or a fact without reading the entire essay or book. When scanning, you may:,2 Scanning and skimming,Tips for scanning and skimming,keep in mind at all times what you are searching for (e.g., the definition of a term, the effect of a phenomenon); search thesis statements and topic se

14、ntences in paragraphs for the information you want to gain; use the knowledge of the essay organization (such as cause-effect, comparison-contrast, problem-solution) to find what you are looking for; pay attention to signal words such as numbers, letters, steps, the words such as first, second, and

15、next, or words that are bold-faced, italics, or in different sizes, fonts, etc.,Scanning:,Unit 2 Searching for Information,2 Scanning and skimming,Tips for scanning and skimming,the title and subtitles; the abstract (if there is one); the introduction and thesis; the first or last paragraphs of the

16、essays/chapters; headings and subheadings; the conclusion and summaries; the first sentence or the last sentence of each paragraph; highlighted texts such as words in bold or italic text; graphs, tables or diagrams.,Skimming:,Unit 2 Searching for Information,3 Identifying topic sentences for informa

17、tion,Two parts of a topic sentence Task 1 Task 2 Task 3,Unit 2 Searching for Information,Most paragraphs in an academic essay contain topic sentences. Identifying such a sentence helps the reader to have a better understanding of the main idea of the paragraph since the topic sentence normally makes

18、 a good basis for the paragraph development, the rest of sentences merely supplying details such as examples, statistics and facts to support it. A topic sentence consists of two parts: the topic and a comment which is made about the topic. In an academic essay, the topic sentence tends to be placed

19、 initially, for this position catches the readers attention. A conductive paragraph-a paragraph that begins with details-will have topic sentence placed at the end of the paragraph. A long paragraph may contain a concluding sentence as well as a topic sentence. Hence looking for topic sentences is a

20、n effective way to catch main ideas quickly. Now read the following two paragraphs taken. from Text 5, and you will find that the first sentence of each paragraph is a summary of the paragraphs idea.,3 Identifying topic sentences for information,A topic sentence consists of two parts:,topic + a comm

21、ent,Examples:,Unit 2 Searching for Information,4 Guessing word meaning,Guessing word meaning from context Guessing word meaning through affixes and roots Task 1 Task 2 Task 3,Unit 2 Searching for Information,Poor readers look it up in the dictionary immediately whenever they come across a new word i

22、n reading. Actually the meaning of a new word can often be clear from its context. A context is a sentence or paragraph in which a word or phrase appears. A single English word can have many different meanings. Its precise meaning always depends on the context in which it is used. But oftentimes we

23、can figure out the meanings of unfamiliar words by paying attention to the surrounding words. That is, we can make full use of context clues to extract the right meanings. Lets examine the following paragraph taken from Text 6.,4 Guessing word meaning,Guessing word meaning from context,Use restateme

24、nt or synonym clues such as in other words, that is, also known as, sometimes called as. Use collocation knowledge to guess the meaning from the neighboring words in the sentences. Use antonym or contrast clues such as but, however, unlike, in contrast, instead of, while. Use definition clues such a

25、s is defined as, or an appositive phrase.,Context clues can be used in different ways:,Unit 2 Searching for Information,4 Guessing word meaning,Guessing word meaning from context,Use explanation clues such as because, as a result, consequently. Use example or anecdote clues such as for example, such

26、 as, like.,Context clues can be used in different ways:,Unit 2 Searching for Information,4 Guessing word meaning,Guessing word meaning through affixes and roots,Many academic words, especially words and terms in disciplines are built up from roots that have a meaning.,Unit 2 Searching for Informatio

27、n,4 Guessing word meaning,1. multi- 多种的,multidisciplines (多学科), multicolor (多种颜色), multisteps (多步骤), multiform (各种形式), multipurpose (多种目的),2. nano- 纳米,nanotechnology (纳米技术), nanorobot (纳米机器人), nanomachine (纳米机器), nanoscopic (纳米级), nanostructure (纳米结构),3. converg- 倾向，汇合,convergence (汇合、一致), divergenc

28、e (分歧), verge (倾向), concord (和谐), concourse (合流), conferate (同盟),Unit 2 Searching for Information,4 Guessing word meaning,4. struct 建筑,construct (构成)，structure (结构), reconstruct (重建), destruct (破坏), obstruct (阻隔), substructure (基础工程),5. nano- 纳米,manufacture (制造), manuscript (手抄本), manual (手工的), mana

29、ge (处理), manipulate (操作), factory (工厂), facture (制成品),6. inter- 交叉,interdisciplinary (交叉学科), interplay (相互作用), interweave (相互交织), interdependent (相互依赖) , interaction (相互影响),Unit 2 Searching for Information,4 Guessing word meaning,7. insul- 隔离,insulator (绝缘体),insulate (隔离),insular (岛屿), insularity (偏

30、狭), peninsula (半岛),8. semi- 半；duct 引导,semiconductor (半导体), semiconscious (半意识), semiofficial (半官方), semitropical (亚热带), conduct (领导), induct (归纳),9. micro- 微小,microprocessors (微处理器), microwave (微波), microcomputer (微型电子计算机), microscope (显微镜), micrometer (测微计),Unit 2 Searching for Information,4 Guessi

31、ng word meaning,10. simul- 相同,simultaneouosly (同时), simulator (模拟器), simulation (模仿 ), simultaneity (同时性), simulate (假装),11. vers 转；vert 反,reverse (颠倒), obversion(转向), inverse (逆反), subversion (颠覆), convert (转变),12. auto- 靠自己,automatical (自动的), automate (自动操作), autonomous (自主), automobile (汽车), auto

32、biography (自传),Unit 2 Searching for Information,Through affixes and roots,Most English words are members of a word family, members that have a shared meaning. For example, the words careful, careless, carelessly and carelessness are related and belong to the same word family care. The parts -ful, -l

33、ess, -ly, -ness are called affixes. Affix includes prefix and suffix. Both of them, added to the beginning or end of a stem, will either make a different meaning or a different part of speech of the word. That is, affix is meaningful. According to AWL (Academic Word List, see Appendix 2), there are

34、570 word families. But the knowledge of affixes will help you to have a command of extra 3,000 words. Hence recognizi.ng affixes and knowing their usual meanings can be valuable to inferring the meanings of unfamiliar words. Look at the following paragraph taken from Text 5, you may come across thre

35、e unfamiliar words, respectively, displace, deskilling and undercutting. But if you know the meaning of prefixes dis-, de-, under-, the meaning of the three words are clear: to take the place of, to remove the skill of, and to cut or hit more heavily.,Many academic words, especially words and terms

36、in disciplines are built up from roots that have a meaning. The roots which are Greek or Latin in origin often provide clues to understand the meaning of the words. For example, the word psychology contains the rootpsych (mind) and the suffix logy (study of). Another example: quadruped contains the

37、prefix quadru (four) and the root ped (feet), and you know the meaning four feet. Hence a better knowledge of common word roots and affixes will help you figure out the meanings of unfamiliar academic words as a single root can create many words.,5 Using the organization of the text,Common text stru

38、ctures Task 1 Task 2,Unit 2 Searching for Information,To read more efficiently and get main ideas of an essay quickly, you must familiarize yourself with its organization. An academic essay tends to follow a certain pattern or way of organization to present its ideas. The common text structures are:

39、,5 Using the organization of the text,Common text structures are:,Problem and solution. (signal words: the problem is, the solutions are and so on.),Cause and effect. (signal words or phrases: because, for, due to, therefore, as a result, consequently, one important factor/cause is, etc.),Comparison

40、 and contrast. (signal words or phrases: in comparison, however, similarly, by contrast, and so on.),Unit 2 Searching for Information,5 Using the organization of the text,Common text structures are:,Advantages and disadvantages. (signal words: on the contrary, compared with, the advantage is, etc.),

41、Order and sequence. (signal words: first, second, then, additionally, etc.),Description and list. (signal words: for example, for instance, a good case in point is, etc.),Definition and classification. (signal words: the definition is, can be divided / classified into, and so on.),Unit 2 Searching f

42、or Information,6 Reading Critically,How to read critically Task 1 Task 2,Unit 2 Searching for Information,Faced with a multitude of source materials related to the same topic, you have to read critically to decide which ones are more reliable. Generally speaking, critical reading means:,6 Reading Cr

43、itically,Critical reading means,recognizing an authors purpose; recognizing tone and persuasive elements; recognizing implicit bias.,Unit 2 Searching for Information,6 Reading Critically,The tone of ones writing indicates their feelings and attitude toward the topic being discussed. It reveals wheth

44、er they are being playful or serious, humorous or somber, whether they are angry or tranquil, bitter or confident. Through tone, their attitude toward what they are writing about and their relationship to their readers become clear.,Unit 2 Searching for Information,7 Taking notes,Unit 2 Searching fo

45、r Information,Note-taking is of significance for recording the main ideas that will form the backbone of your research paper, gathering specific evidence to support your main ideas and recording the exact wording of the sources you may want to quote in your paper. Content of a good note includes: 1) a summary of main ideas and chief findings of the source; 2) a paraphrase of the important ideas; 3) direct quotations of the key statements; 4) statistics such as percentages and dates; 5) authors name, title of the book or article, title of the journal, and page ranges.,7 Taking notes,Title: