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