专业英语

Lecture 1

肖

凯 2015

年 1896 1935 1987 2006

Class Structure

Session 1 – Lecture 1

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Academic English

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Writing Academic English Essay Session 2 – Presentations on Essay Session 3 – Lecture 2

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Publishing a Paper

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Working on Literature Review Session 4 – Presentations on Literature Review Session 5 – Lecture 3

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CV, Personal Statement & Research Plan for Higher Education

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Writing Research Proposal Session 6 – Lecture 4

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Writing Dissertation Session 7&8 – Presentations on Research Proposal

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Lecture Structure Academic English Writing Academic English Essay

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Academic English (1)

Definition: Academic / Academia

—

The word 'Academic' comes from the Akademeia, just outside ancient Athens, where the gymnasium was made famous by Plato (424/423 BC – 348/347 BC) as a center of learning.

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Academic English (2)

Definition: Academic English

—

By extension, ‘Academia’ means the cultural accumulation of knowledge.

—

We can deduct: Academic English = English for accumulating knowledge.

—

The variety of English used in academic institute, in textbooks, in many business and governmental transactions

—

The most frequently used media for academic communication and exchange

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Academic English (3)

Importance

—

More than 70% of scientific publications apply Academic English;

—

More than 80% of internet contents are in English (a large portion are for Academic usage) ;

—

More than 90% of international conferences use Academic English…

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Academic English (4)

Challenges (Compared to conversational English)

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More vocabulary;

—

More critical thinking;

—

More logical coherence;

—

More effective use (better command) of the language;

—

More on format, structure, rationale, highlighted focus…

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Academic English (5)

Characteristics

—

Formal Expression

—

Professional Words / Phrases

—

Adequate Complexity

—

Passive Constructions

—

Objective

—

Non-Emotive

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Academic English (6)

Conversational

Doctors have

come up with

new method of….

a Safety officers are

looking into

the problem

One after the other

They

did

an experiment

We think you should discuss

the research findings at the next departmental meeting They

put

the plan

action into Academic

Doctors have

created / established

a new method of….

Safety officers are

investigating

problem the

At regular intervals

The experiment was

carried out / performed It is recommended that the research findings are discussed

the next departmental meeting at The plan

was implemented / carried out

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Conversational

Academic English (7)

Academic

The cost of cleaning services has

gone up

25% over the last three years

Many thanks to

the staff at “Computers R Us”

for their help on the technical side A lot of

This

seemed to fix

the problem This

shows that …

These results are

because of factors like

weight, age … This

let them keep the same

temperature

during the whole

experiment The cost of cleaning services has

risen by

25% over the last three years

Thanks are extended to the staff at “

Computers R Us” for their

technical support Many / much / a great deal of

This

appeared to rectify

the problem This

demonstrates…

These results are

dependent on factors such as

weight, age … This

allowed / permitted / resulted in / ensured

a

constant

temperature

throughout

the experiment

entire

experiment

/ for the

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Academic English (8)

Unless necessary (e.g., to avoid repetition), try to use the concise style in Scientific Writings.

Complex a considerable amount of Concise much on account of because a number of referred to as several called in a number of cases has the capacity to it is clear that employ fabricate some can clearly use make

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Academic English (9)

Articles: how to use a, an and the

—

Rule #1: Articles should be placed in front of all adjuncts.



a comprehensive research project



the first published research paper

—

Rule #2: Articles will NOT be used if a determiner, e.g. : any, either, each, every, many, few, several,

some, all, this, that, these, those, my, his, her, your,

our, their, its and etc. is used.

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Academic English (10)

Articles: how to use a, an and the

—

Rule #3: Three Questions: 1.

2.

Countable or Uncountable ?

Plural or Singular ?

3.

Definite or Indefinite ?



When I first started writing, I had a fear of English. I conquered the fear by continuing to write.

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singular plural

Academic English (11)

the

Definite Countable

I need to finish the paper I am submitting to Pattern Recognition.

the

The papers I wrote last year were all published.

Indefinite

a / an

I have a paper to write this summer.

Ø

Writing papers is a necessity for academic survival.

singular

the

Definite Uncountable

The importance of publishing cannot be exaggerated.

Indefinite

Ø

Do not attach importance to memorizing facts.

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Academic English (12)

Can Deal with “May, Might, Could, Should and Must” Capability/Application

This software

can

distinguish between different viruses.

Cannot Could Could have Could not Could not have

Until 18 months a child objects.

cannot

use symbols to represent It was found that the gun

could

300 meters.

shoot accurately even at If we had extended the time period we

could have

produced more crystals.

In 1990, 80% of households

could not

receive digital television.

The subjects reported that they

could not have

asleep without medication.

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Academic English (13)

Deal with “May, Might, Could, Should and Must” Possibility / Adaptable Option May / Might/ Could / Can

A rubber seal

may/might/could/can

useful at this location..

be

May not / Might Not (but NOT use Could not or Cannot) May have / Might have / Could have (but NOT use Can have)

A rubber seal

may not/might not

useful at this location.

be The fall in pressure

may have

been

/might have been/could have

been caused by leakage.

Might not have (but NOT use Could not have or Cannot have)

The fall in pressure been/ leakage.

may not have might not have

been caused by 软件学院

Academic English (14)

Deal with “May, Might, Could, Should and Must” Possibility / Conviction / Expectation Should / Ought to

The material

should

kept below 30 °C.

remain stable if it is

Should not / Ought not to

The material

should not

decompose unless heated above 30 °C.

Should have / Ought to have

By the time the cobalt is added, the crystals

should have

dissolved.

Should not have / Ought not to have

This was unexpected; the material

should not have

decomposed at this temperature.

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Academic English (15)

Deal with “May, Might, Could, Should and Must” Almost Confirmed Must / Have to

Our results indicate that contamination

must

due to the presence of sea water in the pipe.

be

Cannot

It is clear that contamination

cannot/could

not be due to the presence of sea water in the pipe.

Must have

Our results indicate that contamination

must

have been due to the presence of sea water in the pipe.

Cannot have / Could not / Could not have

It was clear that contamination

could not be/cannot have

been/could not have been due to the presence of sea water in the pipe.

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Academic English (16)

Deal with “May, Might, Could, Should and Must” Required / Obligatory Must / Need to / Have to

The apparatus

must/needs to/has to

be disconnected from the mains during repairs.

Need not / Do not need to / Do not have to Needed to / Had to

The apparatus

need not/does not need to/does not have to

be disconnected from the mains during repairs.

We

needed to/had to

use.

heat the valves before

Did not need to / Did not have to / Need not have

We

did not need to/did not have

to heat the valves before use.

We

need not have

use.

heated the valves before 软件学院

Academic English (17)

Using Academic English in Inappropriate Situations

—

Scene A: In a Taxi Passenger: Can I smoke here?

Driver: Tobacco smoking is strictly prohibited inside this public vehicle…

—

Scene B: Warning Sign on top of an Escalator --- Mind your head --- Precautions should be applied when riding the escalator: due to the limited height ……

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Writing an Academic English Essay (1)

What is an Essay?

—

Common assignments in response to a question Purpose

—

to inform

—

to challenge

—

to explore

—

to convince Style

—

Different disciplines within institutions may require different styles and approaches.

—

General format.

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Writing an Academic English Essay (2)

General Stages of preparing an essay.

Examine the topic for your essay.

Write your thesis.

Write an outline.

Write the first draft of the essay.

Divide your thoughts into paragraphs.

Try to follow a pattern of ‘Topic' > ‘Support' > ‘Conclusion'.

Write the second draft.

Use transitional phrases.

Write your final draft.

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Writing an Academic English Essay (3)

1.

Examine the topic for your essay

—

This is easier if you are assigned a topic with a specific text. If it is an open ended essay, choose a topic you know you can find plenty of legitimate resources for research.

2.

Write your thesis

—

A thesis in an academic essay is usually written at the end of the introduction. It is the statement you intend to prove with the rest of the essay. For example, you can use a certain problem in an algorithm as ground, and expand upon this point.

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Writing an Academic English Essay (4)

3.

Write an outline

—

An outline is an organized list of points you wish to make in your essay, in the order that they make sense. Getting your thoughts organized before hand makes writing the actual essay much quicker and easier, since you know what direction you are going in.

4.

Write the first draft of the essay

—

This will not be the final product, so you should not treat it as such. Write what first comes to mind following your outline, it is okay if it doesn't meet the length requirements quite yet.

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Writing an Academic English Essay (5)

5.

6.

Divide your thoughts into paragraphs

—

Each point on your outline should be its own paragraph. As a subtopic in the essay, a paragraph normally contains at least 3 sentences to stand on its own.

Try to follow a pattern of ‘Topic’ > ‘Support’ > ‘Conclusion’.

—

Topic , Support and Conclusion can be created by one or more sentences in a paragraph. The Topic is the main point statement of the paragraph, which is then validated by the Support (evidence such as a reference or a quotation in context), and then the optional Conclusion is an intelligent review for the Topic . The Conclusion may become the Topic of the following paragraph, and so on.

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Writing an Academic English Essay (6)

7.

Write the second draft

—

Beef up any paragraphs that do not provide much information or argument. Additional research may help you in this process.

8.

Use transitional phrases

—

A transitional phrase eases the reader from one paragraph to the next. If your outline was written well, these phrases should link the content in one paragraph to the next.

9.

Write your final draft

—

Be sure this is in the correct format. Use both the computer's spell-check, and read it over yourself as well. Try to have a friend, classmate or family member read it before you print the copy you plan on handing in.

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Writing an Academic English Essay (7)

Paragraph Structure

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Topic Sentence Not always comes at the beginning. It is the most general sentence in a paragraph.

—

Supporting Sentences Provide evidences to support, or explain, the idea expressed in the topic sentence.

—

Concluding Sentence Optional, it is normally located at the end of the paragraph which summarizes the information that has been presented.

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Writing an Academic English Essay (8)

Example for Paragraph Structure Topic Sentence Supporting Sentences Concluding Sentence My hometown is famous for several amazing natural features. First, it is noted for the Minjiang River, which is very wide and beautiful. Also, on the other side of the town is Qingcheng Mountain, which is unusual because it is very steep. The third amazing feature is the Big Old Tree. This tree stands one hundred meter tall and is probably about six hundred years old. These three landmarks are truly amazing and make my hometown a famous place.

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Writing an Academic English Essay (9)

Paragraph Unity

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Unity means that a paragraph discusses one and only one main idea from the beginning to end.

—

The second part of unity is that every supporting sentence must directly explain or prove the main point.

Idea 1 Idea 2

Adventure travel is the hot trend in the tourism industry. Ordinary people are no longer content to spend their two weeks away from the office resting on a sunny beach in Florida. More and more often, they are choosing to spend their vacations rafting down wild rivers, hiking through steamy rain forests, climbing the world's highest mountains, or crossing slippery glaciers. People of all ages are choosing educational study tours for their vacations.

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Writing an Academic English Essay (10)

Paragraph Coherence

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The Latin verb Cohere means ‘hold together’.

—

The movement from one sentence to the next should be logical and smooth.

To achieve coherence in a paragraph:

—

Repeat key nouns.

—

Use consistent pronouns.

—

Use transitional words/signal to link ideas.

—

Arrange your ideas in logical order.

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Writing an Academic English Essay (11)

Key Nouns and Pronouns Gold, a precious metal, is prized for two important characteristics. First of all, gold has a lustrous beauty that is resistant to corrosion. Therefore, it is suitable for jewelry, coins, and ornamental purposes. Gold never needs to be polished and will remain beautiful forever. For example, a Macedonian coin remains as untarnished today as the day it was made 25 centuries ago. Another important characteristic of gold is its usefulness to industry and science. For many years, it has been used in hundreds of industrial applications, such as photography and dentistry. The most recent use of gold is in astronauts' suits. Astronauts wear gold-plated heat shields for protection when they go outside spaceships in space. In conclusion, gold is treasured not only for its beauty but also for its utility.

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Writing an Academic English Essay (12)

Transitional Words / Signal: During

the early twentieth century, Australian society experienced a transformation of the domestic ideal.

At this time

families were subject to an increasing array of government and 'professional' programs and advice aiming to manage and regulate family life. Some of these programs were designed to counter social changes, others were designed to engineer them;

ultimately

each heralded a growing expert encroachment into the private sphere.

Intervention and influence took three forms.

Firstly

, techniques designed to maximize efficiency were introduced into the home and scientific principles were applied to its design.

In addition,

housework and parenting methods were scrutinized and subject to unprecedented standards.

Secondly

, all aspects of reproduction attracted increasing intervention from government and the medical profession.

Thirdly,

state, professional and philanthropic groups began to usurp the parental role within the family through instruction and policy.

Consequently

, the development of 'modern' social ideals brought regulation, intervention and ever-increasing unrealistic standards.

Indicating a specific time Indicating a conclusion To indicate sequence and logically divide an idea Indicating extra information Indicating a result

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Writing an Academic English Essay (13)

Supporting Detail

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Opinions (subjective, not acceptable to support) Men are better drivers than women.

Women live longer than men. (All places?) English is an easy language to learn. (For all people?)

—

Facts (objective, acceptable to support, but need references) At sea level, water boils at 100 degree Celsius.

Nicotine makes cigarettes addictive. The average model weighs 25 percent less than the average woman of the same height.

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Writing an Academic English Essay (14)

Supporting Detail

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Insert outside information 1. Quote 2. Summarize 3. Paraphrase Plagiarism Plagiarism is using information from an outside source without acknowledging it. (Pictures / Tables / Data count!) One way to avoid plagiarism is to always put quotation marks around words that you copy exactly.

When summarizing or paraphrasing, the outside source which contains the information or idea is still necessary to be acknowledged.

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Writing an Academic English Essay (15)

Supporting Detail

—

Steps for Citing a Source 1. Insert a short reference in parentheses at the end of each piece of borrowed information. This short reference is called an in-text citation. 2. Prepare a list describing all your sources completely. This list is titled "Works Cited / References / Bibliography" and appears at the last page of your essay.

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Writing an Academic English Essay (16)

Three Parts of an Essay

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Introduction

—

Body

—

Conclusion

Topic Sentence A. Support B. Support C. Support Concluding Sentence I. Introduction General Statement Thesis Statement II. Body A. Topic Sentence 1. Support 2. Support 3. Support (Concluding Sentence) B. Topic Sentence 1. Support 2. Support 3. Support (Concluding Sentence) III. Conclusion Restatement or summary of main points; final comments 软件学院

Writing an Academic English Essay (17)

Introduction Paragraph (Funnel / Reverse Pyramid Approach)

General 1. Attention Getter 2. Elaboration on Attention Getter 3. Transition between introductory comments and thesis 4. Thesis Specific 软件学院

Writing an Academic English Essay (18)

Introduction Paragraph (Funnel Approach) Attention Getter Elaboration on Attention Getter Transition between introductory comments and thesis Thesis

An old Chinese proverb states that "without trials and tribulations, no one can become a Buddha." The proverb points to the idea that we can never become truly great unless we experience suffering.

To those of us who have lived in a land of peace and prosperity, this may seem an odd claim. However, if we take an honest look at those things that have most helped us grow as individuals, we will notice a clear pattern: Our most painful, difficult experiences are the ones that have truly stretched us. Just as on the physical plane our muscles must be strained and stretched, exercised and worked in order to be strengthened, so we must face straining and trying circumstances if our characters are to grow strong . In his children tale

The Hobbit

, J. R. R. Tolkien deals with this issue. He demonstrates in his novel that it is only by facing the sometimes overwhelming obstacles and difficulties of life that an individual can truly grow and reach his or her full potential. 软件学院

Writing an Academic English Essay (19)

Introduction Paragraph (Change of Direction Approach) Change-of-direction introductions gain their effectiveness by surprising the reader with a turn at some point in the paragraph from the direction that the reader has been assuming the paragraph will take. The change can occur at any place in the introduction paragraph after the first sentence but usually occurs at or after the paragraph's midway point, even as late as the thesis statement itself. Here's a short example:

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Writing an Academic English Essay (20)

Introduction Paragraph (Change of Direction Approach) The upcoming city election has produced a large number of candidates, most of them very much the same. Most candidates, afraid of offending potential voters, have staked out positions on such major issues as taxation and spending that are virtually indistinguishable.

But two candidates for the office of Moose City mayor, Candidate X, the Republican nominee, and Candidate Y, the Democratic nominee, differ dramatically in their approaches to taxation, government spending, and social issues.

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Writing an Academic English Essay (21)

Introduction Paragraph (Background Approach) Background information introductions are most often used when the writer suspects that the reader may be unfamiliar with the essay's subject or some important aspect of the essay's subject.

Background approach can be applied when introduction section needs more paragraphs. Here's an example:

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Writing an Academic English Essay (22)

Introduction Paragraph (Background Approach) There are approximately five hundred nuclear power plants in operation or under construction worldwide. These plants can produce as much as 370,000 megawatts of electricity. These nuclear power plants can be categorized into three types: light water reactors, gas-cooled reactors, and breeder reactors. Basically, a nuclear power reactor operates by having a central unit, called the core, in which nuclear fission reactions take place and produce heat. A liquid, called the coolant, flows through the system and absorbs the heat produced in the core. The liquid is then converted into steam that drives a turbo generator to produce electricity.

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Writing an Academic English Essay (23)

Body Paragraphs

—

are like the supporting sentences in a paragraph.

—

are the place to develop topic and prove points.

—

are organized according to patterns of logical division of ideas or chronological order or comparison/contrast.

—

transition signal should normally be applied between paragraphs Paragraph 1: one way to do this… + supporting sentences Paragraph 2: another way is… + supporting sentences Paragraph 3: in addition to 1 and 2…+ supporting sentences Paragraph 4: although all above …+ supporting sentences

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Writing an Academic English Essay (24)

Concluding Paragraph

—

is the last paragraph;

—

signals the end of the essay;

—

reminds your reader of your main points by:

• •

summarizing your subtopics; paraphrasing your thesis;

—

leaves your reader with your final thoughts on the topic

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Assignment I – Rewrite your undergraduate dissertation

Each group, voluntarily organized by at 3-5 students, selects the undergraduate dissertation / thesis of one student. All your group members work together to rewrite the selected dissertation / thesis into a short essay of 300 to 500 words, in English.

It is suggested that the essay contains paragraphs of “Introduction, Body, Concluding”, where the “topic-support-conclusion” structure is applied in each paragraph.

Student ID and Name of each member in the group should be listed in the upper-left side of the document.

In the next class session, all groups can make presentation voluntarily, while some groups from the rest (non-volunteered) may be chosen randomly for presentation.

In the presentation, each team will be given 10 minutes introducing PPT, reading essay text reading. After the presentation of each group, a quick Q&A session with be given.

By the day of the next session, each group is required to submit one file copy (archived by zip or rar) which contains files of the presentation slide (in PPT or PDF format ) and finished essay manuscript document (in MS-DOC or PDF format. ) to the e-Learning system of School of Software.

Marking criteria:

A. Structure, Organization, Format and Logical Coherence: 40% (60% if no presentation) B. English Language (wording and grammar): 25% (30% if no presentation) C. Essay length: 10%.

D. Presentation Skill: 25% * One bonus mark will be given to each volunteered group. (e.g.: B+  软件学院 A-)

Thank you for your attendance and attention!

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