ANOTHER LOOK AT FUNCTIONAL DISCOURSE MARKERS IN CET READING TEXTS

With the progress of the implementation of College English Reformation, the balance of distributed attention between six requirements is assuming more and more weight for the primary purpose of improving learners' listening and speaking competences. Under such circumstance efficiency in teaching and learning reading comprehension is increasingly becoming crucial since it constitutes an indispensable part of acquiring English as a second language. The orientation of functional discourse markers at various textual levels in CET reading texts is elaborated upon in this paper to map out one alternative way to contriving an effective reading strategy on the basis of reading test — reading strategy study.

EXPLOITING A READING TEXT FOR INTEGRATED SKILLS ACTIVITIES

Introduction‘Integrated skills is when the main language skills are practised in conjunction with each other.(Willis,1981)In EFL teaching in China,most teachers believe that skills should be practised in isolation in theclassroom.That is,in a reading lesson,special attention is paid only to reading.Lessons generallyfollow the same pattern going through the new words;reading the text aloud paragraph by paragraph;explaining difficult points(especially the grammatical items);asking comprehension questions;andfinally doing the exercises after the text.In such a reading lesson,even the reading skill itself is notpractised,let alone other skills.What is more,both teacher and students find this kind of teachingdull and de-motivating.

AB104.Validation of the international reading speed texts in a Canadian sample

Background:The International Reading Speed Texts(IReST)were developed in Europe as a standardized measure to assess continuous reading in normally sighted and visually impaired individuals.The IReST is used throughout the United States and Canada to assess reading speed;however,the normative values may not be valid in North America(NA).Additionally there are no normative values for individuals with visual impairments.The aim of this study was to validate the IReSTs in a normally sighted English-speaking NA sample with and without a simulated reduction in visual acuity.Methods:Fifty undergraduate students from Concordia University participated in this study.Participants were systematically assigned to a counterbalanced order of testing conditions and were asked to read all 10 IReSTs aloud.The normal and impaired vision conditions were counterbalanced such that the first set of five IReSTs were read with either the participants normal/corrected-to-normal vision or with a simulated 20/80 visual impairment.Results:Multiple two-sample dependent t-tests using a Holm-Bonferroni correction for multiple comparisons were used to compare the IReST values(means and standard deviations)to the current sample;the results showed statistically significant differences between the current samples mean reading speed and the values provided by the IReSTs.In all cases,P were equal to or less than 0.005.Mean difference scores ranged from 14.87 to 30.05 wpm,with 95%confidence intervals ranging from 4.82 to 43.32.Measures of effect size using bias corrected Hedge’s g*ranged from 0.83 to 1.32,with 95%confidence intervals ranging from 0.25 to 1.93.Multiple two-sample dependent t-tests using a Holm-Bonferroni correction for multiple comparisons were used to compare the mean reading speed in wpm of the normal and impaired vision conditions;the results showed statistically significant differences between the mean reading speeds of the normal vision condition and the simulated impairment condition on the IReSTs.In all cases,the P were less than 0.001.Mean difference scores ranged from 25.44 to 41.8 wpm,with 95%confidence intervals ranging from 21.66 to 46.Measures of effect size using bias corrected Hedge’s g*ranged from 2.74 to 3.81,with 95%confidence intervals ranging from 1.97 to 4.74.Further Bayesian analyses revealed BF10 factors ranging from 1.277×107 to 7.334×1011,indicating decisive evidence for the research.Conclusions:There are statistically significant differences in reading speed between the NA English sample and the normative values established by the IReST;such that reading speeds of the NA English sample are slower than the normative values of the IReST.Additionally,participants in the simulated impairment condition read the IReSTs significantly slower than the normal vision condition.

Chinese English Learners＇ Text Reading Strategy Research

Reading strategies are different from identifying the words, but a kind of metacognitive activity based on the monitoring mode. This paper will explore Chinese English learners＇ text reading strategies according to the cognitive process of the reading, hoping for providing some suggestions and references for Chinese college students to learn English well and improve the text reading ability.

A smart assistance system for cable assembly by combining wearable augmented reality with portable visual inspection

Background Assembly guided by paper documents is the most widespread type used in the process of aircraft cable assembly.This process is very complicated and requires assembly workers with high-level skills.The technologies of wearable Augmented Reality(AR)and portable visual inspection can be exploited to improve the efficiency and the quality of cable assembly.Methods In this study,we propose a smart assistance system for cable assembly that combines wearable AR with portable visual inspection.Specifically,a portable visual device based on binocular vision and deep learning is developed to realize fast detection and recognition of cable brackets that are installed on aircraft airframes.A Convolutional Neural Network(CNN)is then developed to read the texts on cables after images are acquired from the camera of the wearable AR device.An authoring tool that was developed to create and manage the assembly process is proposed to realize visual guidance of the cable assembly process based on a wearable AR device.The system is applied to cable assembly on an aircraft bulkhead prototype.Results The results show that this system can recognize the number,types,and locations of brackets,and can correctly read the text of aircraft cables.The authoring tool can assist users who lack professional programming experience in establishing a process plan,i.e.,assembly outline based on AR for cable assembly.Conclusions The system can provide quick assembly guidance for aircraft cable with texts,images,and a 3 D model.It is beneficial for reducing the dependency on paper documents,labor intensity,and the error rate.

TEXTS FOR INTENSIVE READING IN CHINA: AN ANALYSIS

Introduction In China, Intensive Reading is the most important course for freshman and sophomore English majors; it dominates the English curriculum for non-majors. This has been the case for several decades, and in fact has become deep-rooted in the minds of learners and teachers.

Impacts of mobile phone use while driving on the performance of petroleum product drivers in Cameroon

The objective of this article is to show the influence of mobile phone use while driving on the performance of petroleum product drivers in Cameroon.The topical questioning centred on the series of accidents and near misses in general and specifically in the petroleum products sector and showed the need to look for other causes.To do so,we conceptually proposed a model derived from the literature review and adjusted by practical research,which shows that our approach is the hypothetico-deductive type.Methodologically,the observations from the experience of 90 questionnaires were operationalized using multivariate logistic regression analyses.The results indicate that making or receiving calls while driving significantly influences the occurrence of reckless driving situations.Reading and sending short message service(SMS or text messages)while driving negatively influences drivers’performance by increasing delivery times.The type of phone used has an effect on the risk of accidents or near misses.Indeed,drivers who use smartphones are 2.14 times more likely to experience crash-like events compared to those who use conventional mobile phones.In addition,with a view to reducing near misses and accidents,it is important to organize regular appropriate road safety campaigns,to install on-board cameras in all trucks,to provide rest areas and encourage drivers to stop at these areas to check their phones and catch up on missed calls.Additionally to introduce training for drivers in defensive driving with a renewable licence after a maximum of 2 years.