English for postgraduate students

Министерство науки и высшего образования Российской Федерации
Сибирский федеральный университет

В. В. Воног, О. А. Прохорова

ENGLISH FOR POSTGRADUATE STUDENTS

Учебное пособие

Красноярск 
СФУ 
2020

УДК 811.111(07)
ББК 81.432.1я73
В735

Р е ц е н з е н т ы: 
В. В. Кольга, доктор педагогических наук, профессор кафедры летательных аппаратов Сибирского государственного университета науки и технологий имени М. Ф. Решетнева, член-корреспондент РАЕ;
А. В. Коршунова, кандидат филологических наук, доцент кафедры 
английской филологии Красноярского государственного педагогического университета им. В. П. Астафьева

Воног, В. В.
В735 
 
English for postgraduate students : учеб. пособие / В. В. Воног, 
О. А. Прохорова. – Красноярск : Сиб. федер. ун-т, 2020. – 100 c.
ISBN 978-5-7638-4220-3

В пособии представлены материалы, необходимые для сдачи кандидатско-
го экзамена по английскому языку, а также для подготовки докладов на международных конференциях и публикации статей в рецензируемых научных журналах. 
Предназначено для аспирантов и соискателей инженерных, гуманитарных 
и естественнонаучных специальностей.

Электронный вариант издания см.: 
УДК 811.111(07)

http://catalog.sfu-kras.ru 
ББК 81.432.1я73

ISBN 978-5-7638-4220-3 
© Сибирский федеральный
университет, 2020

CONTENT

Предисловие .................................................................................................4
Unit 1. Introduction to scientific research ......................................................6
Unit 2. Attending a conference ................................................................... 18
Unit 3. Writing a research paper ................................................................. 29
Unit 4. Preparing an annotation .................................................................. 44
Unit 5. Translating scientific papers ............................................................ 54
Self – assessment progress tests .................................................................. 74
References ................................................................................................... 90
Supplementary information ........................................................................ 91

ПРЕДИСЛОВИЕ

Учебное пособие предназначено для работы в группах аспирантов, соискателей и научных работников, готовящихся к сдаче кандидатского экзамена по английскому языку. Целью пособия является развитие 
коммуникативных умений всех видов речевой деятельности, а также навыков перевода, аннотирования и реферирования научной литературы. 
Учебное пособие направлено на формирование языковой компетенции во всех видах речевой коммуникации, включая развитие следующих умений:
• использование всех видов речевой деятельности (аудирования, 
чтения, письма, говорения) в ситуации профессионального и научного 
общения;
• ведение беседы по специальности и научной тематике;
• участие в научных дискуссиях по научным и глобальным проблемам современности;  
• подготовка статьи в рецензируемые научные журналы;
• представление доклада (презентации) на научных симпозиумах, конференциях;
• реферирование и аннотирование аутентичной литературы по 
специальности и научной тематике;
• перевод научных текстов по избранной специальности с адекватным сохранением плана содержания. 
Пособие содержит следующие тематические разделы: 1. Обсуждение научного исследования. 2. Участие в конференции. 3. Подготовка 
научной статьи. 4. Реферирование научной статьи. 5. Перевод научной 
литературы. 
Каждый раздел включает следующие блоки заданий: 
• ключевой тематический вокабуляр;
• лексические и/или грамматические задания, позволяющие ввести и консолидировать тематическую лексику. Активный лексический 
и грамматический минимумы определяются темами пособия;
• речевая практика (Reading, Listening, Speaking, Writing), включающая задания на комплексное развитие умений в нескольких видах 
речевой деятельности. Задания включают материалы, направленные на 

Предисловие

понимание прочитанного или прослушанного текста, его обсуждение, 
языковые и ролевые игры, написание эссе, составление монологов или 
диалогов на заданную тему. Данные задания обычно рассчитаны на 
работу в парах или в группах. При отборе текстов авторы стремились 
к тому, чтобы каждый текст носил общенаучный характер, был насыщен 
лексикой, связанной с научной работой.
Пятый раздел способствует развитию переводческой компетенции обучающихся. Задания содержат упражнения, вызывающие максимальное затруднение при чтении и переводе научной оригинальной 
литературы.
В пособии представлены Self – assessment Progress Tests – тесты 
для самостоятельного определения достижений знаний, умений и навыков, приобретенных в процессе обучения за определенный период. 
Учебное пособие содержит серию упражнений, отражающих 
авторскую концепцию контроля (апробируемую в рамках диссертационного исследования). Предлагаемый формат проведения квази-конференции проходит в несколько этапов с возможностью оперативной 
коррекции результатов исследовательской и поисковой работы обучающихся в индивидуальном режиме; взаимоконтроля и самоконтроля 
аспирантов. Пример разработки включен в пособие в качестве вспомогательного и справочного материала приложения/supplementary 
information. 
Учебное пособие «English for Postgraduate Students» прошло 
апробацию в восьми группах аспирантов нелингвистического профиля ФГАОУ ВО СФУ, представляющих такие направления, как 
08.06.01 «Техника и технологии строительства», 07.06.01 «Архитектура», 13.06.01 «Электро- и теплотехника», 03.06.01 «Физика и астрономия», 15.06.01 «Машиностроение», и доработано по результатам опытного обучения.

UNIT 1. INTRODUCTION TO SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH

Topical Vocabulary: Speaking about a scientific activity

1. The topic of the research.
The paper deals with …
The study is devoted to …
The investigation studies …
An extensive study of the problem of … has been undertaken in the 
paper.
A comprehensive analysis of … has been presented in the research.
2. The aim of the research.
The aim of the study is to determine the value …
The research is aimed at revealing the ways of …
The main purpose of the paper is to establish …
The investigation is designed to simplify the procedure of …
3. The novelty of the research.
We offer a fundamentally new approach …
The essential merit of our work is …
The approach is not similar to that previously used …
The novelty of the research can be seen …
Unlike commonly recognized definition of …
4. Methods applied.
Modern methods of scientific analysis have been applied …
Unconventional approach to … has been presented in the paper.
Reliable methods of analyzing facts of …
The comparative method is useful in …
The approach is more flexible and permits …
5. Describing your findings.
It was found that …
The data obtained enables us to determine the nature of …
Our findings provide evidence for …
The present observation supports the viewpoint …
The study has revealed a better understanding of … based on …
From the analysis of the data it was determined that …

Unit 1. Introduction to scientific research

6. Further application and research.
The findings may find practical application in …
This approach is applicable to …
The findings are especially helpful when …
It is suggested that … should be …
7. The results of your research, conclusions.
It has been shown that …
It’s concluded that …
The results obtained show/confirm/indicate … /… made it possible to 
conclude/
Results from experiments prove …
As a result of the investigation it was observed …
We reported our results at …
8. Supervision. 
supervisor – руководитель 
research ~/adviser – научный руководитель 
production of a thesis – написание диссертации 
experienced (in) – имеющий опыт (в) 
work closely – работать в тесном сотрудничестве 
to guide – направлять 
to offer advice and guidance – дать совет и направление
to formulate one’s research proposal – формулировать направление 
исследования
to define a programme of research/study – определить программу 
(область) исследования 
expert in the chosen area of research – специалист в избранной области исследования 
to design work on the thesis – спланировать работу по диссертации 
to be involved in research seminars, colloquia – принимать участие 
в научно-исследовательских семинарах, коллоквиумах 
to present one’s thesis for examination – представить диссертацию 
на обсуждение
a stimulating research environment – благоприятные условия для исследования 
to provide training in research – обеспечить обучение в области научных исследований 

English for postgraduate students

to monitor progress – следить за прогрессом 
to provide feedback – обеспечить обратную связь
to remain aware of the student's situation and needs – быть в курсе 
проблем аспиранта 
approach – подход 
innovative – новаторский 
holistic  – целостный

Speaking and Vocabulary

1. In small groups, discuss the following questions.
1. What field of knowledge are you doing research in? 
2. What are the necessary components of scientific research?
3. What’s the purpose of your present study?
4. Are there any difficulties in your research work? 

2 a. Complete the sentences with the words in the box. 

service     challenge     benefits     respectability     creative     intellectual

What makes people undertake research?
1. Desire to get a research degree along with its ___________. 
2. Desire to face the ___________ in the solving the unsolved Problem.
3. Desire to get ___________ joy of doing some ___________ work. 
4. Desire to be of ___________ to Society.
5. Desire to get ___________. 

2 b. Which of the points do you agree/disagree with? Is there anything 
else you would add?

Reading 1

Science
What is science? Etymologically, the word “science” is derived from 
the Latin word Scientia meaning knowledge. Science refers to a systematic 
and organized body of knowledge in any area of inquiry that is acquired using 

Unit 1. Introduction to scientific research

“the scientific method”. Science can be grouped into two broad categories: 
natural science and social science. 
Natural science is the science of naturally occurring objects or 
phenomena, such as light, objects, matter, earth, celestial bodies, or the human 
body. Natural sciences can be further classified into physical sciences, earth 
sciences, life sciences, and others. Physical sciences consist of disciplines 
such as physics (the science of physical objects), chemistry (the science 
of matter), and astronomy (the science of celestial objects). Earth sciences 
consist of disciplines such as geology (the science of the earth). Life sciences 
include disciplines such as biology (the science of human bodies) and botany 
(the science of plants). 
Social science is the science of people or collections of people, such 
as groups, firms, societies, or economies, and their individual or collective 
behaviours. Social sciences can be classified into disciplines such as 
psychology (the science of human behaviours), sociology (the science of 
social groups), and economics (the science of firms, markets, and economies). 
The natural sciences are different from the social sciences in several 
respects. The natural sciences are very precise, accurate, deterministic, and 
independent of the person making the scientific observations. For instance, 
a scientific experiment in physics, such as measuring the speed of sound 
through a certain media or the refractive index of water, should always yield 
the exact same results, irrespective of the time or place of the experiment, or 
the person conducting the experiment. 
However, the same cannot be said for the social sciences, which tend to 
be less accurate, deterministic, or unambiguous. For instance, if you measure 
a person’s happiness using a hypothetical instrument, you may find that the 
same person is happier or less happy (or sad) on different days and sometimes, 
at different times on the same day. Furthermore, there is not a single instrument 
or metric that can accurately measure a person’s happiness. For example, you 
will not find many disagreements among natural scientists on the speed of 
light or the speed of the earth around the sun, but you will find numerous 
disagreements among social scientists on how to solve a social problem such 
as reduce global terrorism or save an economy from a recession. 
Sciences can also be classified based on their purpose. Basic sciences, 
also called pure sciences, are those that explain the most basic objects and 
forces, relationships between them, and laws governing them. Examples include 

English for postgraduate students

physics, mathematics, and biology. Applied sciences, also called practical 
sciences, are sciences that apply scientific knowledge from basic sciences in 
a physical environment. For instance, engineering is an applied science that 
applies the laws of physics and chemistry for practical applications such as 
building stronger bridges or fuel-efficient combustion engines, while medicine 
is an applied science that applies the laws of biology for solving human 
ailments. Both basic and applied sciences are required for human development. 

1. Read the text and answer the questions.
1. What is the etymology of the word “science”?
2. How can science be grouped? 
3. What do natural science and social science study? 
4. What are the main types of natural science? 
5. How can social sciences be classified?
6. What is the difference between natural science and social science? 
7. What is the scientific purpose of basic sciences? Give examples of 
basic sciences. 
8. Why do applied sciences can be called practical sciences? Give 
examples of applied sciences.

2. Find words or phrases in the text which mean. 
1. an official attempt to discover the facts about something 
(paragraph 1).
2. someone or something special, esp. because it is completely different 
or extremely unusual (paragraph 2).
3. accurate in form, time, detail, or description (paragraph 4).
4. the recorded information that results from studying a scientific event 
(paragraph 4).
5. believing that everything that happens must happen (paragraph 5).
6. to judge the quality, effect, importance, or value of something 
(paragraph 5).
7. an area of study that is studied only for the purpose of developing 
theories about it, not for the purpose of using those theories in a practical way 
(paragraph 6).
8. acts of using something for a particular purpose in order to provide 
effective solutions to problems (paragraph 6).  

Unit 1. Introduction to scientific research

3. Describe your research according to the following plan. Work in pairs. 
1. Natural science / Social science.
2. Type of a discipline. 
3. The aims and tasks of your science.
4. The aim of your research (what scientific problem you are going to 
solve). 
5. Basic science / Applied science.  
6. A practical application of your research.

Reading 2

1. You are going to read the text about the most important features 
of scientific research. Read it quickly and match the titles to the correct 
paragraph.  
a) Rational
b) Original
c) Systematics 
d) Empirical
e) Reproducible
f) Objective
g) Controlled
h) Ordered
i) Consider everyday problems
j) Provisional

Ten most salient features of scientific research
1 ________________________
Scientific research is not a random observation, but is the result of 
a well-structured plan, with specific objectives. The plan that must guide 
a scientific investigation and consider all the aspects and moments of this 
research: from the objects of study and the variables to be taken into account, 
to the rhythm of work that must be followed in order to arrive at conclusions 
in time expected.
2 ________________________
Scientific research must avoid chance, and the process must be 
supported by control mechanisms that allow it to obtain truthful results.