Unit 1 Choosing a Topic
Critical Reading
U n d e rs ta n d in g th e te x t
T A S K 1
Key words Laypeople, radiation, understanding
Objective To investigate lay people,knowledge o f radiation phenomena and risk
Methods used Questionnaires and interviews
T A S K 2
1Respondents were aware o f the harmful health effects o f radiation, while they had a little understanding o f the concept o f radiation.
2 There are a big proportion o f respondents who support to continue the production o f nuclear
power.
3The mass media plays a very important role in the misunderstanding o f radiation.
4 A school program should be designed to analyzing everyday conceptions about radiation.
T A S K 3
Paras.1-2e f b a Paras.3-6k h c d Para. 7b c h a Paras.8-11f a i k Paras.12-18d h g f Paras.19-20g c a b Paras.21-28i j a h c h g d
a b e j f i g d f e g
h g c j b d e a b c e
i d h e f
k b c g d e f
T A S K 4
1-525413
6-10971068
11-151315111412
16-202019181716
21-252523212422
26-28272628
T A S K 5
1The answer reveals that the respondents fa il to understand that a new nucleus w ill be produced when a radioactive atom is broken.
2 According to the view o f constructivists, a person’s ideas w ill survive school education and form
an important basis fo r new learning.
3The solution is to consider lay ideas and combine factual knowledge w ith practical or political factors.
T A S K 6
D ifferent types o f radioactive elements w ill make different health effects, according to characteristics o f each type.
T A S K 7
It may be argued that the population should have a sufficient understanding o f radiation phenomena to secure individual safety as w ell as democratic decisions. To attain this, it is necessary fo r the communicators o f radiation inform ation to be fam iliar w ith the laypeople’s perceptions o f these phenomena. A questionnaire survey was conducted to examine non-experts’ conceptions o f radiation phenomena. The survey revealed an incomplete understanding o f concepts such as radioactive decay, h a lf-life and absorption o f radia tio n and a lack o f differentiation o f between radiation and radioactive materials. Many respondents did not distinguish between sources o f ionising radiation and other environmental hazards. Nuclear power plants and submarines were the most feared sources o f radiation. There are indications that the lay understanding o f radiation phenomena and risk is to a large extent formed by mass media and that “school knowledge” o f these phenomena is not applied in situations belonging to the “real w orld”To resolve this problem, new teaching and inform ation procedures are needed. These should take into account the learners’ perceptions and should integrate “school knowledge”w ith considerations belonging to the “real w orld”.
E n h a n c in g la n g u a g e a b ility
T A S K 2
1betrays, conception
2 renders
3exem plified, perception
4 prevalent, secure
5 prior to
6 proportion, gloomy
7 alternatives
8 characterized, constitutes, hazard
9 From the standpoint of, ranks
10 external, a prerequisite
T A S K 3
1include: contain, embrace, encompass, comprise, be composed of, consist of
2 valid: powerful, convincing, sensible, rational, viable, credible, plausible, weighty, well-founded,
cogent, well-grounded
3basic: underlying, fundamental, essential, root, prime, primary
4 danger:hazard, risk, threat, menace, peril, jeopardize
5 describe: depict, portray, characterize, narrate, outline, represent
6 different: discrepant, contrary, conflicting, contradictory, inconsistent, incompatible,
incongruous, various, diverse
7 cause:prompt, move, inspire, stimulate, urge, spur, motivate, induce, evoke, instigate, impel
8 c la rify: account for, ju stify, explain, illum inate, clear up, rationalize, elucidate ,explicate
9highlight: emphasize, stress, accent, feature, underline, spotlight, accentuate, give prominence to, attach importance to, give priority to, underscore
10 factor: component, item, element, ingredient, constituent, contributor
D o in g re s e a rc h p ro je c ts
T A S K 1
1Solvent, pesticide, smoke, viral aggressions, ultrave radiation and ionizing radiation.
2 Cells could identify the DNA damage, and remove the damaged part and re-synthesis to repair the
DNA.
3 The Stochastic effects are not systematic to each person being exposed. Their development could
not be predicted by the scale o f individual which is opposite from the determinist effect.
4 The healthy surroundings may be exposed to radiation during the treatment.
5 Radiation dose should be keep as low as possible.
academic Writing
U n d e rs ta n d in g a re se a rch re p o rt o r re s e a rc h a rtic le
T A S K 2
1Four. They are problem section, procedures section, result section and discussion section.
2 Because it w ill contribute to the credibility o f the research.
3 It can allow the reader to duplicate the experiment if there is some doubt about your findings.
4 It may evaluate the research results fu lly, point out what questions remain unanswered and
perhaps suggest directions for further research.
5 Accuracy, clarity, and completeness.
D e c id in g on a to p ic
T A S K 2
1G enetically Engineering -> The Impact o f Genetically Engineering -> The Impact o f Genetically Engineering on A gricultural Practice / Food Shortage
2 Breast-feeding P ractice -> Breast-feeding Practice in Chinese B ig C ities^The Impact o f
Urbanization on Breast-feeding Practice in Chinese Big Cities
3 In te rn e t Technology -> The General Impact o f Internet Technology on Education ->The
Positive Impacts o f Internet Technology on Teaching M ethodology
T A S K 3
1
1) V ulnerabilities and the R isk from Global W arming
2) Social Issues and Global W arming
3) The Impacts o f Global W arming on Food Products
Genetically M odified Foods and Health Issues
Controversies as to Genetically M odified Foods
The Development o f Genetically M odified Foods in China
The Future o f Nuclear Energy
Safety Issues about Nuclear Power Plants
Waste Management and Nuclear Power Plants
Science Fraud in the M edical Field
Science Fraud in China
Research Pressure and Science Fraud
F o rm u la tin g re se a rch q u e stio n s
T A S K 1
1Nuclear Waste
1) W hat is nuclear waste?
2) W hy is it d iffic u lt to dispose o f nuclear waste?
3) W hat harm ful effects if nuclear waste is not appropriately disposed of?
4) How to dispose o f nuclear waste safely and economically?
2 Threats o f A rtific ia l Intelligence
1) W hat are the present threats o f a rtificia l intelligence?
2) W hat are the future threats?
3) How can human beings control those threats?
3 Global W arm ing and Its Effects
1) What is Global warming?
2) How does it affect agriculture?
3) How does it affect our environment?
4) How does it affect our health?
4 Genetically M odified Foods
1) What are advantages and disadvantages o f GMFs?
2) Why do GMFs gain more popularity in the developing countries?
3) How safe are GMFs?
4) What are the effects o f GMFs on human health?
T A S K 2
M y topic: Science Fraud Epidemic in China
1It is prevalent in universities and scientific institutes.
2 There are many reports and articles discussing science fraud.
3It is manageable since the study involves questionnaire and interviews.
Research Questions
1 What is the current situation o f science fraud in tertiary institutions?
2 What are the underlying causes fo r the prevalence o f science fraud?3
What measures could be taken to address the problem?
W r itin g a w o rk in g title T A S K 21 Question titles are not appropriate. It is better to use “Economic Effects o f Climate Change”2 Good
3 Impacts o f Global Warming on China
4 Good
5 Good
6 Good 7
Good
3Literacy Skills
A v o id in g p la g ia ris m T A S K 11 Y 2 Y 3 Y 4 Y 5 Y 6 Y 7 N 8 Y 9
Y
10 Y T A S K 31 N ot common knowledge 2 N ot 3 N ot 4 N ot 5
Not
C ita tio n T A S K
Numerous research studies demonstrate consistently that teaching promotes both language acquisition and academic Kasper, 1994; Krueger & Ryan, 1993; Snow & B rinton,Wesche, 1993). Students receiving linked instruction perform better in language courses than those not receiving such instruction (Kasper, 1997). They reap the benefits o f significant
content-based second language success (Grabe & Stoller, 1997; 1997; S tryker & Leaver, 1997;
gains in the second language, e.g., in the receptive skills o f listening and reading (Burger et al., 1997; Ready & Wesche, 1992) and in the productive skills o f w ritin g(Burger, 1989) and speaking (B urger &Chretien. 2001).They also achieve comparable or even better mastery o f d isciplinary content than ESL students or native English-speaking students not receiving content-based language instruction (Andrade &M akaafi, 2001; B abbitt, 2001; Kasper, 1994; W inter, 2004).
The topic sentence is “content-based second language teaching promotes both language acquisition and academic success.”The w rite r uses literature evidence to support the idea in term s o f speaking, reading and w ritin g.
Q u o tin g
T A S K 1
1Author-focused version: According to Anyanwu (1983), most Nigerians believe that “urban existence is synonymous w ith extreme individual and community poverty”.
Information-focused version: Influenced by western cultures,most Nigerians believe that “urban
existence is synonymous w ith extreme individual and community poverty” (Anyanwu, 1883).
2 Author-focused version: Anyanwu (1983) suggested that mothers should be educated “how to prepare
and use hygienically acceptable supplementary foods”.
Information-focused version: We may educate mother ““how to prepare and use hygienically
acceptable supplementary foods” (Anyanwu, 1983).
S u m m a riz in g
T A S K 1
1 c. b. a. d
2 b. a. c. d
3 a. d. c. b
T A S K 2
1Chinese big cities suffer from growing traffic problems.
2 Some long and complicated sentences mean very little.
3 The basic tenet o f constructivism holds that learners themselves construct knowledge, rather than
receive it from outside.
4 Some educationalists contend that deciding on a major is the most critical decision students face
when entering college, whereas others argue that the most important thing fo r students to discover in university is their true interests, because many establish careers not related to the major they studied in college.
5 The majority o f American Internet users, especially teenagers, use SNS, which has altered the pace
and process o f making and maintaining friendships.
6 According to Hirshi and Gottfredson, the propensity (倾向)o f someone to commit crime comes
from his or her lack o f self-control, whereby the urge to feed desires causes one to even break the law.
T A S K 3
1Gordon & Taylor (1989) believes that although most people feel a great deal o f anguish when faced w ith w riting tasks, this feeling can be managed by developing personal procrastination- avoidance strategy.
2 Frick (1991) claims that history has demonstrated that technology affects education profoundly.
Considering the definition o f technology broadly, one may say that prehistoric people used
prim itive technologies to teach skills to their young.
3 Hewitt (1996) believes that acts o f academic dishonesty undermine the validity o f teaching and
learning.
4 Edelso (2002) claims that legal rights and safeguards lead to investments by individuals, which has
a higher impact on raising living standards o f countries than these countries,natural resources
have.