楊明

科學(xué)方法是進(jìn)行科學(xué)研究的基礎(chǔ)，它一般包括五個(gè)步驟。通過(guò)這五個(gè)步驟，人們可以有效、客觀地回答科學(xué)問(wèn)題。

1 The scientific method is the process of objectively establishing facts through testing and experimentation. It uses a series of steps to establish facts or create knowledge.

2 Make an observation or ask a question. The first step is to observe something that you would like to learn about or ask a question that you would like to answer. These can be specific or general. Some examples would be “I observe that our total available network bandwidth drops at noon every weekday” or “How can we increase our website registration numbers？”．Taking the time to establish a well?defined question will help you in later steps.

3 Gather background information. This involves doing research into what is already known about the topic. This can also involve finding if anyone has already asked the same question.

4 Create a hypothesis （假設(shè)）. A hypothesis is an explanation for the observation or question. If proven later， it can become a fact. Some examples would be “Our employees watching online videos during lunch are using our Internet bandwidth” or “Our website visitors dont see our registration form”.

5 Create a prediction and perform a test. Create a testable prediction based on the hypothesis. The test should establish a noticeable change that can be measured or observed using empirical （以實(shí)驗(yàn)為依據(jù)的） analysis. It is also important to control other variables during the test. Some examples would be “If we block video?sharing sites， our available bandwidth will not go down significantly during lunch”.

6 Analyze the results and draw a conclusion. Use the metrics established before the test to see if the results match the prediction. For example， “After blocking video?sharing sites， our bandwidth utilization only went down by 10% from before; this is not enough of a change to be the primary cause of the network congestion”.

7 Using the above scientific method regularly will teach students to look at all the evidence before making a statement of fact， which makes it an integral part of science education. If we want our students to be prepared for higher science education， they must be comfortable with the most fundamental process.

Ⅰ. Fill in each blank according to the text.

[Five steps of the scientific method 1.? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? of the

scientific method

（Para. 1） The process of objectively establishing facts through testing and experimentation. Five steps

（Para. 2～6） Make an observation or ask a question

Establishing a well?defined question 2.? ? ? ? ? ? ? to later steps. Gather background information

3.? ? ? ? ? ? ? what is already known.

Finding if anyone has already asked the same 4.? ? ? ? ? ? ?. Create a hypothesis

A hypothesis is to 5.? ? ? ? ? ? ? the observation or question.

If we 6.? ? ? ? ? ? ? it later， it can become a fact. Create a prediction and perform a test

Create a testable prediction that 7.? ? ? ? ? ? ? on the hypothesis. Analyze the results and draw a conclusion

Match the results and 8.? ? ? ? ? ? ?. Conclusion

（Para. 7） We should 9.? ? ? ? ? ? ? the above scientific method regularly.

10.? ? ? ? ? ? ? must be comfortable with the most fundamental process. ]

Ⅱ. Discussion

Which step of the scientific methods do you prefer according to the text？ And why？

Ⅰ. Discover useful structures in the text

1. that引導(dǎo)限制性定語(yǔ)從句

The first step is to observe something that you would like to learn about or ask a question that you would like to answer. 第一步是觀察你想了解的東西，或者問(wèn)一個(gè)你想回答的問(wèn)題。

2. 動(dòng)名詞作主語(yǔ)

Using the above scientific method regularly will teach students to look at all the evidence before making a statement of fact， which makes it an integral part of science education. 定期使用上述科學(xué)方法將教會(huì)學(xué)生在陳述事實(shí)之前查看所有的證據(jù)，這使其成為科學(xué)教育不可或缺的一部分。

Ⅱ. Text?centered chunks

a series of 一系列

base on 基于；在……基礎(chǔ)上

instead of 而不是；代替

draw a conclusion 得出結(jié)論；下結(jié)論

be prepared for 為……做好準(zhǔn)備