If your first idea was not so fruitless

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a) use a new method.

b) add some new information.

c) look at the same material from another point of view.

If you become bored with the subject

a) write your material in the same order as the contents page.

b) take a short break and start again.

c) start working on the problem from the very beginning.

Redefining a research project

a) occurs when the work on it is finished.

b) is necessary if you discover something new.

c) takes place quite often.

2. Answer the following questions. Give your arguments.

1. Why can’t sometimes one come up with an original or fruitful topic?

2. Why is it better to make a start with something half-formed rather than not make a start at all?

3. Why can the central idea appear incorrect or fruitless?

4. Why is it hard and painful to abandon one’s idea completely?

5. Why can one become bored with his subject?

6. Why is it sometimes important to take short breaks?

7. Why is it dangerous to redefine a research project while it is still in progress?

8. Why do researchers often face the problem of meeting deadlines?

3. Find the sentences that contradict the information given in the text and correct them.

1. It’s often better to make a start with something half-formed rather than not make a start at all.

2. Research problems finally appear to be unsound.

3. There is a clear-cut distinction between a lack of material and a lack of interest in this material.

4. Reworking one’s material using a fresh approach may be as painful and tedious as abandoning work already completed.

5. If one becomes bored with his work he may use another writing strategy.

6. Redefinition of a research problem usually leads to a completely different topic.

7. A very common problem is meeting deadlines.

8. In extreme situations a supervisor may fix another cut-off date.

4. The sentences given below summarize the main facts of the text but they are jumbled. Put them in the right order.

1. If one has a lot of time at his disposal he can either start afresh or use the same material in a different way.

2. Redefinition of a research project can result in a completely different topic.

3. It is always quite difficult to estimate the time required for research and writing.

4. Reading or gathering information doesn’t always result in devising an original thesis.

5. A project can gradually turn out unsound.

6. The best way is to create a realistic schedule of work.

7. Resist the temptation to make more changes than necessary

8. If your work seems onerous to you or you have become bored with the subject, have some rest and then start working on a different part of the task.

9. In this case one had better make a start with something half-formed.

Vocabulary work

1. (A). Match the opposites.

(B). Choose appropriate words from the box and use them in suitable forms in the sentences to follow.

1. He is not the sort of person to whom such important information should …

2. They … a program of reforms.

3. There were some … in his paper.

4. This problem … to.

5. You cannot … your guilt from the police.

6. He showed his theory to the best …

7. She sometimes … her duties.

8. There is no … the fact that I was wrong.

9. I made a mistake of trying to … further information from the boss.

10. His view is morally and philosophically ….

2. (A). Name synonyms.

(B). Fill in the blanks using the proper words from the box above in suitable forms. (Sometimes more than one word is possible).

1. Let us … that this is true.

2. Will you … your meaning?

3. We … her working on her book.

4. This room … redecorating.

5. He has been unaware of it until quite ….

6. This church … 1543.

7. He … this theory for a time.

8. She was wrong ….

9. We … that a new computer would save considerable time.

3. Choose from the box verbs that can be combined with the following nouns: drawbacks, attention, explanation, effort, problem, hypothesis. Think of 3-4 sentences with these word combinations.

4. (A). Form nouns using the following verbs: to observe, to require, to stimulate, to think, to found, to believe.

(B). Complete the sentences using some of the nouns derived from the verbs mentioned above.

1. He shook our ….

2. She was taken to hospital for ….

3. They were unfamiliar with the entrance … for the course.

4. He did some hard … before taking this decision.

5. He is an … of his promises.

6. His discovery struck at the … of this theory.

7. Ambition is her only ….

5. Fill in the blanks using the words from the box.

1. He … the … in the earlier studies of the problem.

2. This problem … much attention in recent years.

3. Some aspects of the problem still ….

4. He was the first … Newton’s rings.

5. His theory … a new field of knowledge.

6. The solution of this problem ….

7. This problem … the late 1990s.

8. The first applications of the method … its great value.

9. Earlier descriptions of this model … that it could be used … our hypothesis.

6. Use the words in brackets in the necessary form.

1. He didn’t pay (attentive) to their results.

2. The scientist plans experiments and (observe) to test his hypothesis.

3. If the (discover) of new evidence causes one to change his hypothesis, then he should think through the (imply) of the whole piece of work.

4. You may read about some (find) and notice that a certain field was not covered.

5. Applied mathematics concerns itself with the application of mathematical (know) to other domains.

6. His theory has laid the (found) for a new trend in this field of science.

7. There is a critical radius known as the Schwarzchild radius named after the (pioneer) work of Karl Schwarzchild.

8. Applying mathematics requires pupils (initiative) mathematical investigations.

9. Fill in the crossword puzzle.

Down

1. To open up (a way, etc.); to show (new methods, etc.) to others.

2. To take as true before there is proof.

3. That part of a view, scene that serves as a setting for the chief objects, persons, etc; contemporary conditions; person’s past experiences.

4. Newly formed or created; not copied or imitated; able to produce new ideas, etc.

5. Answer (to a question, etc.); way of dealing with a difficulty.

6. Mistaken, incorrect.

7. Producing good results; productive.

Across

8. Introductory, needed for preparing.

9. Point of difference; that which makes one thing different from another.

10. Smth that cannot be solved.

8. Translate into English.

1. Порой трудно придумать оригинальную тему исследования.

2. В этом случае необходимо сделать краткое резюме прочитанной литературы и постараться извлечь из полученной информации то, что представляет наибольший интерес.

3. Во время работы над проблемой можно обнаружить, что основная идея неверна.

4. Если проведена значительная работа, то трудно отказаться полностью от идеи и начать заново.

5. Взгляните на проблему под иным углом зрения, применяя новые подходы и методы.

6. Когда работа становится трудной и нудной (скучной), отдохните немного и переключитесь на другую задачу исследования.

7. Достаточно часто ученые сталкиваются с необходимостью переформулировать исследовательскую проблему в ходе работы.

8. Завершение исследования к назначенному сроку – еще одна распространенная проблемная ситуация.

9. Не следует откладывать выполнение работы со дня на день, поскольку это еще больше ухудшит положение дел.

Follow-up activities

1. In pairs, discuss difficulties you faced while conducting your research. Give each other advice how to overcome them.

2. Think of your own solutions to the problems mentioned in the text.

3. While conducting your investigation you did not face any difficulty. Share your experience with your friends and write an essay “How I managed to circumvent difficulties”.

UNIT 9

Part A. CURRENT RESEARCH:

PURPOSE AND METHODS

Pre-reading tasks

1. Now you are conducting original research. Was it difficult for you to determine the purpose of your research and to choose appropriate methods of investigation? Explain why.

2. How can one estimate the reliability of the method chosen?

3. The text given below will run about scientific method. In your opinion, what is scientific method? Is it the only way of obtaining knowledge and information about our world? If not, name some other methods.

4. Write words for their definitions. Use the initial letters to identify the words.

a. p … that which one means to do, get, be, etc; plan, design, intention;

b. a … almost correct amount or estimate; being or getting near in number or quality;

c. m … art of making models; way in which this is done;

d. s … failure (to reach a required standard, to develop properly, to do one’s duty);

e. g … statement or proposition obtained by generalizing;

f. d … conclusion reached by reasoning from general laws to a particular case;

g. a … (e.g. of a book, a character, a situation) separation into parts possibly with comment or judgement;

h. a … exactness, correctness;

i. e … anything that gives reason for believing something, that makes clear or proves something;

j. r … that may be relied or depended upon;

k. v … effective because made or done with the correct formalities; well based; sound.

5. Match the words of two columns to form collocations. Use each word once only. Make use of the text below to fulfill the task.

Reading

Read the first two paragraphs of the text “Scientific method” and fill in the blanks using suitable words.

SCIENTIFIC METHOD

Scientific method 1) … to a body of techniques for investigating phenomena, 2) … new knowledge, or correcting and integrating the 3) … knowledge. To be 4) … scientific, a method of inquiry must be 5) … on gathering observable, empirical and 6) … evidence subject to specific 7) … of reasoning. A scientific method 8) … in the collection of 9) … through observation and experimentation, and the formulation and 10) … of hypotheses.

Although procedures 11) … from one field of inquiry to another, identifiable features 12) … scientific inquiry from other methods of obtaining knowledge. Scientific 13) … propose hypotheses as 14) … of phenomena, and design experimental studies to 15) … these hypotheses. These steps must be repeatable, to predict future results. Theories that encompass wider domains of inquiry may bind many independently derived hypotheses together in a coherent, supportive structure. Theories, in turn, may help form new hypotheses or place groups of hypotheses into context.

In general, what is often called the scientific method is nothing more than a step-by-step procedure for the conduct of scientific research:

1. State the Problem. It is important to begin with a clear statement of what phenomenon is to be investigated. This isn’t always as easy as it sounds; faced with a real-life perplexity, we sometimes become distracted by issues that aren’t really to the point. But careful adherence to the rest of the method will be useless if we don’t focus on the matter of greatest genuine concern.

2. Invent Preliminary Hypotheses. Next, we spin out as many possible explanations for the phenomenon as we can. At this stage of the process, there is no reason to limit the range of our creativity by dismissing anything as irrelevant. We’ll have an opportunity to weed out bad hypotheses later, but a possibility overlooked at this point may be lost forever.

3. Collect Additional Information. We next try to observe the phenomenon in its natural context from every angle. Again, at this early stage, the premium is on breadth of investigation rather than on a prematurely narrowed focus. The goal of this wide-ranging review of the facts is to gain some insight into the relative likelihood of our preliminary notions.

4. Formulate a Hypothesis. Now we’re ready to focus on a specific hypothesis, using the information we've gathered to devise a detailed (though still tentative) explanation of the phenomenon under investigation. This marks a significant shift in our procedure, returning to the narrow focus of our original definition of the problem.

5. Deduce Further Consequences. Since a good hypothesis has predictive power that reaches far beyond its function in any particular explanation, we now consider its additional consequences. If the hypothesis used to explain this phenomenon were actually true, what else would follow from it? Again, our work at this stage should be narrowly focused: exactly what should happen if we have identified a correct hypothesis?

6. Test the Consequences. Now we look at the facts again, to see whether or not these consequences actually occur. If we can set up a concrete situation in which our hypothesis, if correct, would lead to striking results, then if they do not occur as expected, we’ll know that we were wrong and need to go back to step 4 and come up with another hypothesis.

7. Apply the Hypothesis. If everything checks out, however, we are ready to apply our new explanation to the original problem for which it was developed. Of course, there’s still no guarantee - it may work out everywhere else and yet not deal effectively with this case. But we can always go again.

Usually we repeat this procedure as often as necessary, going back to start over at step 4, or step 2, or even step 1 until we arrive at a satisfactory solution to the problem.

1. a) concerns b) refers c) regards d) deals

2. a) acquiring b) showing c) getting d) procuring

3. a) foregoing b) former c) subsequent d) previous

4. a) termed b) defined c) labelled d) determined

5. a) relied b) established c) supported d) based

6. a) experimental b) measurable c) temperate d) measureless

7. a) principles b) theories c) causes d) theorems

8. a) contains b) involves c) consists d) includes

9. a) proofs b) statistics c) news d) data

10. a) investigating b) putting forward c) examining d) testing

11. a) vary b) transform c) diversify d) modify

12. a) join b) recognize c) distinguish d) characterize

13.a) explorers b) researchers c) supervisors d) scholars

14. a) descriptions b) definitions c) commentary d) explanations

15. a) develop b) test c) advance d) improve

Read the whole text carefully to fulfill the tasks given in Comprehension check.

Comprehension check

1. Complete the sentences choosing the best ending a, b, or c.

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