学术英语(理工)_Unit_2

Unit 2 Searching for Information
2 Scanning and skimming
8 What does the subheading “Demands of a new economy” tell us? Man will not lose jobs because there will always be
will replace human jobs.
5 What is the topic sentence of the second paragraph? The specter of automation unemploying us all may have
finally arrived.
Unit 2 Searching for Information
Unit 2 Searching for Information
2 Scanning and skimming
Tips for scanning and skimming
Scanning:
keep in mind at all times what you are searching for (e.g., the
highlighted texts such as words in bold or italic text;
graphs, tables or diagrams.
Unit 2 Searching for Information
2 Scanning and skimming
1 What does “A.I.” in the title stand for? Artificial intelligence. 2 What is the main idea of the article you may predict from the title? The article may argue for/again the idea that Artificial intelligence will replace human jobs in the future. 3 What does the story in the first paragraph imply? The story tells that computerization threatens to replace
Unit 2 Searching for Information
1 Finding reliable and better sources
To evaluate source materials
Tasks
Unit 2 Searching for Information
1 Finding reliable and better sources
Unit 2 Searching for information
2 Scanning and skimming
Additional questions for your understanding of Text 5
1 What was the virtual end of farming in American history? Please explain the declining trend of farming workers in the US.
the introduction and thesis; the first or last paragraphs of the essays/chapters;
headings and subheadings;
the conclusion and summaries; the first sentence or the last sentence of each paragraph;
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 author’s arguments supported by evidence such as statistics, experiment, recent scientific findings? Are different opinions considered and weighed or simply ignored ? Are the author’s arguments and conclusions convincing?
pay attention to signal words such as numbers, letters, steps, the
words such as first, second, and next, or words that are bold-faced, italics, or in different sizes, fonts, etc.
Unit 2 Searching for Information
1 Finding reliable and better sources
Tasks
1 Check the reliability of the sources on Page 40. 2 Search for source materials your paper may use and then write down the titles and sources of the articles. The model is given on Page 41. 3 Mark the reasons for your choice of the articles.
2 Scanning and skimming
6 The key sentence refers to the sentence informing readers of the attitude of the author. Can you locate the key sentence(s) in the first three paragraphs? But the mass job shrinkage that these observers all expected did not come. 7 Can you locate the places where the idea of the key sentence is repeated? Yet Americans as a whole were not automated out of work (Para. 8, L1). Yet, through all that, more new jobs appeared (Para. 8, L2).
学术英语 理工
Academic English
for Science and Engineering
Unit 2 Searching for Information
Unit Contents
1 Finding reliable and better sources
2 Scanning and skimming
machine-handling factories.
10 What does the subheading “Saving ds to spending” mean? Saving will lead to spending which in turn will create newer,
perhaps better jobs tomorrow.
demands of a new economy.
9 What does one of Leinbach’s neighbors mean when she wrote about the order of her shoes? The neighbors would prefer to order the shoes from
definition of a term, the effect of a phenomenon);
search thesis statements and topic sentences in paragraphs for the information you want to gain;
use the knowledge of the essay organization (such as causeeffect, comparison-contrast, problem-solution) to find what you are looking for;
Unit 2 Searching for Information
2 Scanning and skimming
Tips for scanning and skimming
Skimming:
the title and subtitles;
the abstract (if there is one);
Unit 2 Searching for Information
2 Scanning and skimming
Tips for scanning and skimming Task 1 using scanning and skimming strategy
Text 5 Can you complete with A.I. for the Next job?
The biggest occupational displacement in American history was the virtual end of farming. Declining rend: Around the time of the Revolution, about 90 percent of Americans were involved in farming. But as the agricultural industry grew, it needed fewer and fewer workers. The absolute number of people who worked at farming and ranching hit its peak in about 1910—at around 11 or 12 million— and then the number dropped off rapidly. Today, agriculture provides fewer than two million jobs.
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
many white-collar jobs.
Unit 2 Searching for Information
2 Scanning and skimming
4 What does the last paragraph suggest in terms of the author’s attitude? The author is optimistic and may not agree that machines