| Abstract (Chinese) | 第4-6页 |
| Abstract | 第6-7页 |
| List of Abbreviations | 第10-13页 |
| Introduction | 第13-18页 |
| 1. Background of the Study | 第13-14页 |
| 2. Purpose of the Study | 第14-15页 |
| 3. Significance of the Study | 第15-16页 |
| 4. Organization of the Thesis | 第16-18页 |
| Chapter One Literature Review | 第18-28页 |
| 1.1 Modality | 第18-20页 |
| 1.2 Previous Studies on Modal Verbs | 第20-23页 |
| 1.3 Previous Studies on Modal Verbs in Academic Discourse | 第23-28页 |
| Chapter Two Theoretical Framework | 第28-36页 |
| 2.1 An Overview of Halliday's Modality System | 第28-29页 |
| 2.2 Modality and Polarity | 第29-31页 |
| 2.3 Types of Modality | 第31-33页 |
| 2.4 Orientations of Modality | 第33-34页 |
| 2.5 Values of Modality | 第34-36页 |
| Chapter Three Research Methodology | 第36-42页 |
| 3.1 Research Questions | 第36页 |
| 3.2 Data Collection | 第36-38页 |
| 3.3 Tools Used in the Research | 第38-40页 |
| 3.4 Methods of Data Analysis | 第40-42页 |
| Chapter Four Results and Discussion | 第42-79页 |
| 4.1 Contrastive Analysis of General Distribution | 第42-57页 |
| 4.1.1 Distribution of Modal Verbs in Chinese Scholars' Papers | 第44-47页 |
| 4.1.2 Distribution of Modal Verbs in Native English Scholars' Papers | 第47-51页 |
| 4.1.3 General Features of Modal Verbs in the Chinese and the NativeEnglish Scholars' Papers | 第51-57页 |
| 4.2 Contrastive Analysis of Modal Values | 第57-67页 |
| 4.2.1 Distribution of Modal Values in Chinese Scholars' Papers | 第58-61页 |
| 4.2.2 Distribution of Modal Values in Native English Scholars' Papers | 第61-63页 |
| 4.2.3 Features of Modal Values in the Chinese and the Native EnglishScholars' Papers | 第63-67页 |
| 4.3 Contrastive Analysis of Modal Sequences | 第67-79页 |
| 4.3.1 Distribution of Modal Sequences in Chinese Scholars' Papers | 第68-71页 |
| 4.3.2 Distribution of Modal Sequences in Native English Scholars' Papers | 第71-74页 |
| 4.3.3 Features of Modal Sequences in the Chinese and the Native EnglishScholars' Papers | 第74-79页 |
| Conclusion | 第79-82页 |
| 1. Major Findings | 第79-81页 |
| 2. Implications | 第81页 |
| 3. Limitations and Suggestions | 第81-82页 |
| Acknowledgements | 第82-83页 |
| Bibliography | 第83-89页 |
| Appendix | 第89页 |
