讲课用的textbook: College Writing Skills with Readings, Ninth Edition (美国大学英语写作第九版) by John Langan (available on jd for less than RMB70)。

这是一本不需要老师就可以自学的教科书。才两杯星巴克咖啡的价格。（我一般不光顾中国的星巴克。）

没有教科书，你只是路过看热闹。（就像我路过中国的星巴克。）

Part II: Patterns of Essay Development (短文的分类和写作手法)

Chapter 12 Cause and/or Effect (说明因果的短文)

This chapter will explain and illustrate how to develop, write, and revise an essay with emphasis on cause and/or effect. 

You are provided with two student essays and one professional essay that emphasize cause and/or effect.

Taming the Anger Monster

By Anne Davidson

[You can find a link via Baidu when you search “Taming the Anger Monster” online.]

I don’t like to use this essay. You may go find another essay on cause and/or effect.

我不想用教科书里的短文。

Try:

http://www.environmentalpollution.in/essay/essay-on-plastic-pollution-top-4-essays/1496

Note: The English in these essays may not be “perfect,” so we can actually use these essays for “editing demo.”

We should spend more time on this chapter because it is what we do as scientists. However, the textbook is not written for the kind of cause and/or effect in research. 

科技论文，常常就是讲“因果”。所以，我们应该好好学习这一章。但是，需要看一些专业文献。

Developing an Essay with Emphasis on Cause and/or Effect

Considering Purpose and Audience

The primary purpose of such essay is to support your main point by using examples that explain (1) the causes of a particular event or situation; (2) the effects of an event or a situation; or, more rarely (3) a combination of both.

Assignment: Find two research papers in your field: one on causes (mechanisms), and the other on effects.

作业：找两篇你的专业的论文。一篇讲“因”（机制），另外一篇讲“果”。

今天就讲这些。有问题，请留言。

如果你想提高科技英语写作能力，请跟我来...

http://blog.sciencenet.cn/blog-306792-1146577.html