什么是科学？
The word ”science” is from a Latin verb meaning “to know”. “科学”这个单词来自于拉丁语中的“知道，了解”含义。因为When we speak of science , we speak of a way of understanding the 这是一种获取知识的方式，所以当我们谈到科学的时候，它是一种通 world describing and explaining natural phenomena, because this is the 过描述和解释自然现象来让我们了解世界的方法。科学家为了实现某way of acquiring knowledge. To achieve this scientist makes initial 一目的，先做初步观察，然后再采取一系列措施的行为被认为是科学observations and then follows a series of steps, known as the scientific 方法，所以结论可以是由观察结果构成的。这个过程使我们可以通过 method (Fig,1-1), so that conclusions can be drawn on the observations 一个系统的方法来学习知识。所有正规的科学研究都要贯彻实施这些 made. This process allows knowledge to be gained in an organized way. 科学方法并且用这种方法写科学研究的论文。任何一个中国人想成为 All proper scientific research is carried out following the scientific 科学家也是很有必要熟悉这个方法的。以欣赏科学方法的态度去认识 method and scientific research articles are written with this method in 学术英语在科学中的价值
mind. It is essential that any Chinese person aspiring to be a scientist is familiar with this method also. An appreciation of the scientific method is
valuable to the understanding of scientific academic English.
Observation
观察
Question 提出问题
Hypothesis
提出假设
Prediction Test does not support 作出预测 hypothesis: revise hypothesis or pose new ones 若实验结果不符合提出的Test :
假设则对假设情况作出修实验：
正或者重新提出假设 experiment and 进行实验和数据采集 data collection
The scientific method is essential to scientific English. The
Text supports hypothesis: make further predictions and test them 若实验结果符合提出的假设则作出更深一步的预测并进行实验。 科学方法对于学术语言是很重要的。
first step in the scientific method is to make general observations. You 科学方法的第一步是制作一个综合的观察报告，
may then gain some idea about what you have observed, and you may 然后你可能会有一些想法关于你观察的事物，接着你可能会在预测并 have a question from which you could make a prediction on what the 提出一些问题，也许会得到相应的结论。
outcome might be. What you predict, however, may or may not be right. 然而你所预测的，可能正确，也有可能是错误的。
You must first test the different alternatives to your idea (or theory) so 首先关于你提出的观点你必须尝试各种不同的方法去证明它的正确 that your answer is not biased. However an idea or a theory is usually not 性。然而通常一个观点或者说理论一般并不好验证其正确性。 testable. For instance you cannot test the theory of evolution itself, 举例来说，你不能通过进化论来验证它自身，因为进化论是一个理论because evolution is a theory and not a tangible thing (that is, it cannot be 而不是一个真实存在的事物。（也就是说，它不能被碰触到，也不是 touched and is not obviously visible). Therefore the question derived 显而易见的）。因此你脑海中推测出来的问题需要变成一个可以被验 from your idea needs to be turned into a hypothesis that can be tested. For 证假设。举个例子，你可以摸到花儿，也可以看见它们的颜色，所以example, you can touch flowers and see their colors, and so you collect
你可以收集它们的种子并对所做的假设进行测试，而红色的豌豆花和 their seeds and test the hypothesis that when seeds of red and white pea 白色的豌豆花的花色是杂交形成的。
flowers are crossed, the flowers of offspring have a certain ratio of pink, 关于这些种子的花色是粉色，红色还是白色是有一个确定比例的。 red, and white colour. You can easily count the seeds that produce the 你可以很容易的得到这些种子并且可以控制花朵的颜色。 flower colours; therefore you can compare (i. e. test) them. The 如果实验以后的结果仍然支持你提出的假设，那么它可以作为一个依 hypothesis, if supported by the results after testing, may be used as 据来支持最初的想法。
evidence to support the original idea. Thus if the ratio of red, white and 如果花朵颜色的比例符合预测的假设，那么它可以被当做一个证据来pink flowers of offspring matches to that predicted, it can be taken as 证明进化论，因为进化论意味着通过基因来改变。
evidence for the theory of evolution, because evolution means change through generations.
Without hypothesis testing, idea about nature(e.g. evolution and
没有假设测试，关于自然的想法（比如：关于上帝和进化论） creation by God) are mere speculation which any person can make. You 也仅仅是猜测究竟是谁能够办到这些。
cannot base your conclusion or claims on intuition, unqualified
你不能将你的理论建立在不可靠的推测和掺杂你个人情感的直觉上。 speculation or emotion. Using these to explain something is not very 用这样的理论去解释现象是没有可信度的，而且得到的结果也是不科 convincing, and consequently would not be scientific. Science is 学的。因此真正的科学是通过收集证据来解释自然现象。 therefore really about gathering evidence to explain natural phenomena. There are actually two types of hypothesis when conducting an 在进行实验的时候这里有两种不同的假设：
experiment: a research hypothesis and a null hypothesis(see example in 一个研究假设和一个零假设（在图1-2中参见例子）
Fig.1-2). A research hypothesis is a statement that you think is true. But because science must be unbiased, testing what you think is true would 但因为科学必须是公正的，而验证你所认为正确的事情是有偏见的。 be biased. The null hypothesis, which states that the test will show no 对于零假设，那么测试结果与假设相比较将不会有什么差异 difference in what is being compared(or no relationship between given （或者变量之间是没有关系的），即反证明的方法是公正正确的。 variables), is an impartial or unbiased statement that is used for testing instead. If the test rejects the null hypothesis, i.e. the null hypothesis is 如果测试结果和假设是相反的，比如说，这个无效假设被证明出是不 shown to be incorrect, the data may be considered supportive of the 正确的，那么这个数据可能被视为支持研究假设。
research hypothesis. That is why the research hypothesis is also known as 这也是为什么研究假设也被称为另一种假设。
the alternative hypothesis. While there is only one null hypothesis for 虽然一个假设只有一个测试，但是可能会有多个其他的假设来代替之 each test, there may be more than one alternative hypothesis. 前的假设。
The study of science is not just memorizing and reiterating a 科学研究不仅仅是记住和重申大量的事实和已有的理论， large amount of facts and theories; it is about experimentation using the 而是在实验过程中使用科学的方法。实验，虽然只是应用科学方法 scientific method. Experimentation , though the application of the 的一种形式，但是可以使是学生快乐的，享受的去追求知识。 Scientific method, can make pursuit of knowledge enjoyable to the 科学家们坚信，没有什么可以比深入研究大自然的复杂性和魅力更 student. To the established scientist, there is nothing more satisfying 令人满意了。
than solving mysteries and delving into the complexity and fascination of nature.
Scientific English essential is for you. Science is a large, 科技英语对你来说是必要的。科学是一个大的、多学科的分支, multidisciplinary branch comprising many fields of study. Within each 包括许多研究领域。在每个科学领域，有很多分支，都是理科学生的
science filed, there occur many branches that science students may 专业。 specialize.
Below are some examples of sub-disciplines of the natural science: 下面是一些自然科学的子学科的例子： Biological sciences 生物科学 Molecular biology, genetics, evolutionary biology 分子生物学，遗传学，进化生物学 Microbiology, histology, cell biology 微生物学，组织学，细胞生物学
Botany, zoology, entomology, parasitology, mycology, taxonomy 植物学，动物学，昆虫学，寄生虫学，真菌学，分类学 Medicine, anatomy and physiology, neurophysiology, immunology 医学,解剖学和生理学、神经生理学、免疫学 Biochemistry, biotechnology 生物化学，生物工艺学 Marine biology, freshwater biology 海洋生物学，淡水生物学
Agriculture, agronomy, animal science, veterinary science
农学，农艺学，畜牧，兽医学
Ecology, environmental science, conservation biology 生态学、环境科学、保护生物学 Bio informatics
生物信息学
Physical sciences 物理科学
Physics 物理
Mechanics, optics, acoustics, electromagnetism, nuclear physics, particle physics, quantum physics, fluids and plasmas, mechanics, solid-state physics, theoretical physics
力学、光学、声学、电磁、核物理、粒子物理、量子物理、流体和等离子体,机械学,固态物理,理论物理 Chemistry 化学 Analytical
chemistry,
electrochemistry,
materials
science,
biochemistry, organic chemistry, inorganic chemistry, spectroscopy, stereochemistry, industrial chemistry
分析化学、电化学、材料科学、生物化学、有机化学、无机化学、光谱学、立体化学、工业化学 Astronomy, astrophysics, cosmology 天文学、天体物理、宇宙学 Earth sciences 地球科学
Geology, geography, hydrology, oceanography, soil science,
limnology, meteorology, palaeontology, mineralogy, crystallography 地质学、地貌学、水文学、海洋学、土壤科学、湖沼学,气象学,古生物学、矿物学、晶体学
Observation: butterflies found on two islands are on 观察：同样的蝴蝶在A，B两座不同的岛屿
Average lager on island A than on island B, and different 上，A岛上的蝴蝶平均都比B岛上的大，并且 Insect-eating bird species are found on the two islands 在AB两座岛上发现了不同的鸟类物种。
Question: Are butterflies on island B smaller because 问题:蝴蝶岛B较小的因为鸟——
Bird - predator species there prefer larger butterflies. 捕食者物种有喜欢较大的蝴蝶。 Thereby reducing the average size?
从而减少了平均的大小吗?
Research hypotheses: (1) bird predators on island B eat
研究假设：（1）对鸟类捕食者：在B岛吃 Larger butterflies than those on island A.(2)bird Predators 比岛A.大蝴蝶。 （2）鸟的捕食者 On island B eat smaller butterflies than those on island A. 在B岛吃比岛的小蝴蝶 。 Null hypothesis: Bird predators do not discriminate butterfly size.
假设：鸟类捕食者并不区分蝴蝶尺寸。 Test does not support Test supports hypothesis hypothesis-new hypothesis :Differences in Prediction: 预测 climatic conditions caused Large butterflies are preferred food butterfly-size difference 对于B岛上的鸟类来说 on the two island . Of bird species from island B. 测试不支持假设，新的假 大蝴蝶是首选食物 设：是两岛的气候条件差 异导致了两岛上蝴蝶大 -new prediction: Both large butterfly adults and larvae butterflies and are favoured on island B. 测试结果支持假设，作出新预测：无论是大蝴蝶的成虫还是幼都使得B岛深受青睐。 小上的差别 Experimental test: analyse the stomach 实验：分析两个岛屿上鸟类的胃内 Contents of birds on the two island to 容物来确定岛上的蝴蝶的消耗量 Determine size of butterflies consumed.
Even within the sub-disciplines there are more specific areas
即使在子学科里也有更具体的研究领域。例如，生态学 of study. For example, ecology covers areas as population ecology, 覆盖地区的种群生态学，生态系统生态学，景观生态学，环境科学，ecosystem ecology, landscape ecology, environmental science, nature 自然保护，进化生物学，生理生态（环境或生理行为生态学，等） conservation, evolutionary biology, ecophysiology (or environmental 药物学可能包括像学，病理学，心脏病等领域，以及免疫学，微生物 physiology) behavioral ecology, etc. Medicine may include such areas as 学，寄生虫学，解剖学和生理学，等。
dentistry, pathology, cardiology, as well as immunology, microbiology, parasitology, anatomy and physiology, etc.
Non-natural sciences include mathematics, health science sports
非自然科学，包括数学，科学，运动科学和许多其他的学科。
science and many others. Mathematics itself does not require
数学本身并不需要实验测试自己的理论和假设，但是它在科学方法和 experimental test of own theories and hypothesis, but it is essential to 科学模型的表达中有着必不可少的作用。比如说在科学方法和科学模 science- it has an important role in the scientific method and in the 型表达的假设检验作用，比如在检验和数据分析及数学模型产生中的
expression of scientific models, such as in hypothesis testing role in the 预测作用。
scientific method and in the expression of scientific models, such as in hypothesis testing and data analysis and in generation of mathematical models for prediction. Some subject areas attach “science” to their name 一些学科领域在他们的名字上附上“科学”暗示着，他们想被视作为 because they want to be seen as rigorous that the science term implies. 严格的科学术语。
“Social sciences”, which study human behaviour and societies, and “社会科学”，是研究人类行为和社会的，而“政治学”，是研究人们 “political science”, which studies how people obtain or compete for 在统治国家时时如何获取或者争夺权力的，在治理国家的例子中“科 power to use in governing a country are examples of “sciences” based 学”一次更多的是基于意见基础上的说服，而不是遵循科学方法。 more on opinion and persuasion rather than following the scientific 有一个极端例子叫“创造科学”，它与所有的科学方法中只有很少的 method. An extreme example is “creation science”, which has very little
共同点。
in common with the scientific method at all.
The science brand is often incorrectly used to mean “modernization” 科学往往被错误的打上“现代化”或者“高科技”的烙印。“计 or “high technology”. “Computer science” is an example. It is normally 算机科学”就是一个例子。它通常不被视作为一门真正的科学，同样 not considered a true science field， for the same reason why “political 的原因，“政治学”也不被认为是科学领域中的一种，尽管它有着很 science” is not considered a science field, although it does have a strong 强大的数学基础。 grounding in mathematics.
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