大学英语精读课文第6册.docx

大学英语精读课文第6册.docx

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大学英语精读课文第6册

大学英语精读课文第六册

UNIT1.RESEARCHREPORTSFORBUSINESSAND

Writingresearchreportsforcollegeorworkisoftenfoundfarmoredifficultthanitneedsobe.Thefollowingarticleofferssomeexcellentadviceonhowtomakethetaskeasierandthereportmoreimpressiveandeffective.Whetheryouwritearesearchreportforacollegeprofessororforademandingbossinyourprofession,theauthor'sadvicewillputyouwellonyourwaytobecomingaskillfulreportwriter.

RESEARCHREPORTSFORBUSINESSANDTHECNICALWRITING

WayneLosano

Asurprisingamountofone'stimeasastudentandprofessionalisspentreportingtheresultsofone'sresearchprojectsforpresentationtoteachers,managers,andclients.Indeed,withoutbasicresearchskillsandtheabilitytopresentresearchresultsclearlyandcompletely,anindividualwillencountermanyobstaclesinschoolandonthejob.Theneedforsomeresearch-writingabilityisfeltnearlyequallybycollegestudentsinallfields,engineeringandscienceaswellasbusinessandthehumanities.Graduatestudyoftenmakesgreatdemandsonthestudent'sresearch-writingskills,andmostprofessionscontinuethedemand;education,advertisingandmarketing,economicsandaccounting,scienceandengineering,psychology,anthropology,thearts,andagriculturemayallrequireregularreportingofresearchdata.

ELEMENTSOFTHERESEARCHPAPER

Thestandardresearchreport,regardlessofthefieldortheintendedreader,containsfourmajorsections.Thesesectionsmaybebrokendownintoavarietyofsubsections,andtheymaybearrangedinavarietyofways,buttheyregularlymakeupthecoreofthereport.

ProblemSection.Thefirstrequiredsectionofaresearchreportisthestatementoftheproblemwithwhichtheresearchprojectisconcerned.Thissectionrequiresaprecisestatementoftheunderlyingquestionwhichtheresearcherhassetouttoanswer.Inthissamesectionthereshouldbeanexplanationofthesignificance--social,economic,medical,psychological,educational,etc.--ofthequestion;inotherwords,whytheinvestigationwasworthconducting.Thus,ifwesetout,forexample,toanswerthequestion"WhatistheeffectofregularconsumptionoffastfoodsonthehealthoftheAmericanteenager?

"wemustexplainthatthequestionisthoughttohavesignificantrelevancetothehealthofthissegmentofthepopulationandmightleadtosomesortofregulationsonsuchfoods.

Afrequentsubsectionofthisproblemsectionisareviewofpastresearchonthetopicbeinginvestigated.Thiswouldconsistofsummariesofthecontributionsofpreviousresearchertothequestionunderconsiderationwithsomeassessmentofthevalueofthesecontributions.Thissubsectionhasrhetoricalusefulnessinthatitenhancesthecredibilityoftheresearcherbyindicatingthatthedatapresentedisbasedonathoroughknowledgeofwhathasbeendoneinthefieldand,possibly,growsoutofsomeinvestigativetradition.

ProceduresSection.Thesecondmajorsectionoftheresearchreportdetails,withasmuchdataaspossible,exactlyhowthestudywascarriedout.Thissectionincludesdescriptionofanynecessaryequipment,howthesubjectswereselectedifsubjectswereused,whatstatisticaltechniquewasusedtoevaluatethesignificanceofthefindings,howmanyobservationsweremadeandwhen,etc.Aninvestigationoftherelativeeffectivenessofvariousswim-strokeswouldhavetodetailthenumberofswimmerstested,thenatureofthetestsconducted,theexperienceoftheswimmers,theweatherconditionsatthetimeofthetest,andanyotherfactorsthatcontributedtotheoverallexperiment.Thegoaloftheproceduressectionistoallowthereadertoduplicatetheexperimentifsuchweredesiredtoconfirm,orrefute,yourfindings.

ResultsSection.Thethird,andperhapsmostimportant,sectionoftheresearchreportisthepresentationoftheresultsobtainedfromtheinvestigation.Thebasicruleinthissectionistogivealldatarelevanttotheresearchquestioninitiallyasked.Although,ofcourse,one'snaturaltendencymightbetosuppressanyfindingswhichdonotinsomewaysupportone'shypothesis,suchdishonestyisantitheticaltogoodresearchreportinginanyfield.Iftheexperimentsundertakenfailtoproveanything,ifthedatawasinadequateorcontrarytoexpectations,thereportshouldbehonestlywrittenandascompleteaspossible,justasitwouldbeifthehypothesisweretotallyprovenbytheresearch.

DiscussionSection.Thefinalrequiredsectionofaresearchreportisadiscussionoftheresultsobtainedandastatementofanyconclusionswhichmaybedrawnfromthoseresults.Ofprimaryinterestinbusinessandtechnicalresearchreportsisthevalidityoftheresultsasthebasesforcompanydecisions:

Willourplannedconstructionprojectmeetfederalenvironmentalguidelinesandbeapprovedforbuilding?

Willthisnewprogramattractskilledpersonneltoourcompany?

Willthisnewoilrecoverytechniquebefinanciallyfeasible?

Thus,thediscussionsectionoftheresearchreportmustevaluatetheresearchresultsfully:

weretheyvalidlyobtained,aretheycompleteorlimited,aretheyapplicableoverawiderangeofcircumstances?

Thediscussionsectionshouldalsopointoutwhatquestionremainunansweredandperhapssuggestdirectionsforfurtherresearch.

STYLEOFRESEARCHREPORTS

Researchreportsareconsideredformalprofessionalcommunication.Assuch,thereislittleemphasisonalivelystyle,although,ofcourse,thereisnoobjectiontowritingthatispleasingandinteresting.Theprimarygoalsofprofessionalcommunicationareaccuracy,clarity,andcompleteness.Theroughdraftofanyresearchreportshouldbeeditedtoensurethatalldataiscorrectlypresented,thatallequipmentislisted,thatallresultsareproperlydetailed.Asanaidtothereader,headingsindicatingatleastthemajorsectionofthereportshouldbeused,andalldatashouldbepresentedundertheproperheadings.Inadditiontotheirfunctionofsuggestingtothereaderthecontentsofeachsection,headingsenhancetheformalappearanceandprofessionalqualityofthereport,increasetosomedegreethewriter'scredibilitybyreflectingalogicalandmethodicalapproachtothereportingprocess,andeliminatetheneedforwordytransitionaldevicesbetweensections.

Researchdatashouldbepresentedinawaythatplacesproperemphasisonmajoraspectoftheproject.Fordifferentreadersdifferentaspectswilltakeondifferentdegreesofimportance,andsomeconsiderationshouldbegiventostructuringresearchreportsdifferentlyfordifferentaudiences.Management,forexample,willbemostconcernedwiththeresultsofaresearchproject,andthustheresultssectionshouldbeemphasized,probablybypresentingitimmediatelyaftertheproblemsectionandbeforetheproceduressection.Otherresearcherswouldbemostinterestedintheproceduressection,andthisshouldbehighlightedinwritingupresearchprojectsforpublicationinprofessionaljournalsorforpresentationatprofessionalconferences.Fornon-technicalreadersandfederalagencies,theimplicationsoftheresultsmightbethemostimportantconsideration,andemphasisshouldbeplacedonthediscussionofthereportforthisreadership.

Foradditionalclarityandemphasis,majorresultsshouldbepresentedinavisualformat--tables,charts,graphs,diagrams--aswellasinaverbalone.

Beyondcheckingthereportforclarityandaccuracyinthepresentationoftechnicaldata,theauthorofaresearchreportshouldreviewforbasicgrammaticalandmechanicalaccuracy.Shortsentencesarepreferabletolonginthepresentationofcomplexinformation.Listingsshouldbeusedtobreakuplongpassagesofproseandtoemphasizeinformation.Theresearchwritershouldtrytousethesimplestpossiblelanguagewithoutsacrificingtheprofessionalqualityofthereport.Althoughspecializedtermscanbeused,pretentiousjargonshouldbeavoided.Afinishedresearchreportshouldbereadableandusefuldocumentpreparedwiththereaderinmind.

CONCLUSION

Althoughwestrugglewithresearchreportsinhighschool,dreadthemincollege,andareoftenburdenedbytheminourprofessionallive,learningtolivecomfortablywiththemisarelativelyeasytask.Apositiveattitude（i.e.onethatseemtheoralorwrittenpresentationofresearchresultsasofequalimportancetothedata-gatheringprocess）;anorderlyapproachwhichincludesprewriting（i.e.,beforeanyactualresearchisdone,theresearchershouldtrytogetdownonpaperasmuchaboutthesubjectunderinvestigationaspossible）andaformalresearchreportstructureastheframeworkfortheinvestigation;andareasonableapproachtotheactualwritingprocessincludingeditingforaccuracyandclarity,willhelponetoproduceeffectiveresearchreportsefficiently.

UNIT2.THEBEGINNINGOFACARREER

Thereissomethingfascinatingaboutreadingotherpeople'smailifyouareallowedto.HereisyourchancetoreadthelettersofAmericanwriterSylviaPlath,whichshewrotehometohermotherfromahotelwhereshehadasummerjobasawaitress.Atthetime,shewasacollegestudentandwasstillatthestartofherwritingcareer.Throughtheletterwelearnofherchangingthoughtsandmoodsconcerning,boysandwriting.

THEBEGINNINGOFACARREER

SylviaPlath

TheBelmontHotel,capeCod

June11,1952

DearMother,

Youramazingtelegram[telegramannouncing$500Mademoiselleprizefor"SundayattheMintons,"whichIforwarded]camejustasIwasscrubbingtablesintheshadyinteriorofTheBelmontdiningroom.IwassoexcitedthatIscreamedandactuallythrewmyarmsaroundtheheadwaitresswhonodoubtthinksIamrather