杨明

科學方法是进行科学研究的基础，它一般包括五个步骤。通过这五个步骤，人们可以有效、客观地回答科学问题。

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 （假设）. 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 （以实验为依据的） 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引导限制性定语从句

The first step is to observe something that you would like to learn about or ask a question that you would like to answer. 第一步是观察你想了解的东西，或者问一个你想回答的问题。

2. 动名词作主语

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. 定期使用上述科學方法将教会学生在陈述事实之前查看所有的证据，这使其成为科学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……基础上

instead of 而不是；代替

draw a conclusion 得出结论；下结论

be prepared for 为……做好准备