Current Research. Purpose and Methods
Active Vocabulary
purpose/ aim/ objective/ goal/ target
a method/ a technique/ a procedure
detection/ identification/ observation
measurement/ calculation/ computation/ approximation
consideration/ generalization/ deduction/ assumption
modelling/ simulation
advantages/ merits
disadvantages/ shortcomings/ limitations
accurate/ precise
accuracy/ precision
reliable/ valid/ conventional/ effective/ useful/ valuable
data/ results/ method
to make an experiment/ analysis
to reveal/ to find/ to confirm/ to prove evidence
to study/ to examine
to collect data
to refine the results
to create
to improve
to work out/ to develop/ to design
to verify/ to check
to approve/ tp disapprove an assumption
to use/ to employ/ to apply
to allow/ to permit/ to provide
to have much promise/ to be promising
to come into use
Tasks
A. Answer the questions:
1. What is the subject of your current research?
2. What is the purpose of your research?
3. What method do you employ? Why?
4. What are the advantages of the method you use over other methods and techniques?
5. Is this method only now coming into use? Is it new?
6. What does the method consist in? What operations does it include?
7. Do you find the method reliable? Why?
8. How long has your current research been under way?
9. How much time will it take you to your research successfully?
B. Complete the sentences with the words from the Active Vocabulary. Speak about the purpose of your current research and the method you use.
1. Currently I ……
2. I make this set of experiments/ analyses in order to …
3. The purpose of my experiment/ analysis is to …
4. We undertake a set/ series of experiments hoping to …
5. In our current research we … the method of …
6. The method/ technique allows/ permits … to …
7. The method/ technique makes it possible to …
8. This is, without doubt, the most … and … method.
9. The method proves to be …
C. Act out the situation. Two students/ colleagues meet at a conference. They talk about their current research, expressing interest in its purpose, and describe the methods used.
Current Research. Results and Conclusion
Active Vocabulary
results/ findings/ data/ observations/ evidence
comprehensive/ extensive
detailed
remarkable/ encouraging/ convincing
preliminary
sufficient/ insufficient
to collect/ to get/ to receive/ to obtain data
to treat the problem
to succeed in/ to make progress in/ to be a success
to fail in
to be similar to/ to be the same as
to be consistent with/ to coincide
to agree with/ to fit the assumption
to support/ to provide support/ in support of
to reach an understanding/ to come to an understanding
to conclude/ to come to/ to bring to a conclusion/ to make conclusions
Tasks
A. Answer the questions:
1. Have you already obtained any research results?
2. What are the main results of your current research?
3. Has your research been successful?
4. Have you succeeded in receiving extensive data?
5. Do your research data agree with the theory you follow?
6. Do your results coincide with those obtained by other researches?
7. Are the results of purely theoretical or practical interest?
8. Do your research results appear to be of both theoretical and practical importance?
9. Are the data/ observations you have obtained sufficient to formulate your final conclusions?
10. What part of your research is/ remains still unfinished?
11. Do the data/ results/ observations/ findings allow you to come to any definite conclusion?
12. What conclusions have you come to?
13. How long will it take you to finish your research?
B. Complete the sentences with the words from the Active Vocabulary. Speak about your research results and conclusions.
1. The research has been underway for a year and I’ve got …
2. At present a lot of work if being done to …
3. The results we have … so far cannot be used to …
4. Unfortunately, we have failed to … but succeeded in …
5. The findings prove to …
6. The evidence appears to …
7. As a result of numerous experiments performed we have obtained sufficient data to …
8. Most of our research findings are consistent with …
9. We have come to the conclusion that …
C. Act out the situations:
1. You have a poster report/ a presentation at the conference. Another participant is interested in your topic. Tell him about the main points of your research, present the results obtained and give a short explanation of the main findings.
2. You are interested in your colleague’s research and his latest findings. Ask him about the difficulties he has had in carrying out his research and about the progress he has made.
Conference
Active Vocabulary
a meeting/ a session
a plenary meeting/ the opening ceremony
a chairman/ a chairwoman/ a chairperson
to call upon someone/ to give the floor to someone
to set up/ to fix the time limit
to break the time limit
to call attention to the time limit
to stimulate discussion
to ask smb a question
to call for questions
a speaker
to submit abstracts/ to present papers/ to present poster reports
to take part in/ to participate in/ to attend a conference
to take the floor
to stick/ to keep to the point
to digress from the subject
to have a good/ poor knowledge of English
to find the knowledge of English adequate/ inadequate
to find English hard to follow
to fail to understand reports/ questions in English
Tasks
A. Answer the questions:
1. Have you ever participated in international conferences/ symposia/ congresses?
2. When did you last take part in a conference?
3. Where was the conference held?
4. What problems were considered and discussed?
5. How many participants attended the conference/ session/ workshop?
6. Which reports attracted general attention?
7. Whose report was of particular interest?
8. What problem did it deal with?
9. Did you present a paper at the conference?
10. Were you given the floor?
11. Was the time limit fixed?
12. Did you find your English sufficient/ adequate to participate in the international conference?
13. Do you think you have a good/ poor knowledge of English?
14. Did you find the speakers’ English hard to follow?
15. Why is it necessary/ important for a scientist to know foreign languages?
B. Complete the sentences with the words from the Active Vocabulary.
1. Every year conferences … in our university.
2. This year I … in the conference which was held …
3. I had to … the abstracts covering the problem of …
4. The time limit was … and I had ten minutes to …
5. My report … the problem which … much attention.
6. Of … interest were reports presented by X and Y.
7. I … in understanding English, because I find my English …
C. Act out the situation. Your fellow-student has never participated in a conference. He is eager to know about your experience. Tell him what the most difficult thing for you was and what you enjoyed the most.
Presenting a Paper
Active Vocabulary
to present a paper
to do research
to discuss in detail
to note the difference
to remind of
to begin/ to finish with
to emphasize
to point out
to give an explanation of
to draw a conclusion
in contrast with
Speech Patterns