| Acknowledgements | 第1-5页 |
| 摘要 | 第5-7页 |
| Abstract | 第7-10页 |
| Table of Contents | 第10-12页 |
| List of Tables and Figures | 第12-13页 |
| Chapter One Introduction | 第13-17页 |
| ·Background of the Research | 第13-14页 |
| ·Significance of the Research | 第14-15页 |
| ·Objectives of the Research | 第15-16页 |
| ·Organization of the Thesis | 第16-17页 |
| Chapter Two Literature Review | 第17-31页 |
| ·Review of Hedges | 第17-26页 |
| ·Study of Fuzzy Language and Hedges Abroad | 第17-22页 |
| ·Study of Fuzzy Language and Hedges at Home | 第22-24页 |
| ·Corpus-based Studies on Hedges | 第24-26页 |
| ·Review of News Reports | 第26-28页 |
| ·Characteristics of News Reports | 第26-27页 |
| ·Researches on Hedges in News Reports | 第27-28页 |
| ·Review of Adaptation Theory | 第28-31页 |
| Chapter Three Research Methodology | 第31-35页 |
| ·Research Questions | 第31页 |
| ·Corpora of the Present Research | 第31-32页 |
| ·Research Procedure | 第32-35页 |
| Chapter Four Data Analysis and Discussion | 第35-61页 |
| ·Overall Frequency of Hedges Used in Each Corpus | 第35-36页 |
| ·Distribution of Hedges in Each Corpus | 第36-40页 |
| ·Hedges in CN | 第36-38页 |
| ·Hedges in AN | 第38-40页 |
| ·Comparison Between Two Corpora | 第40-47页 |
| ·Comparison on the Distribution of Appoximators and Shields Between Two Corpora | 第41-42页 |
| ·Comparison on the Four Sub-categories of Hedges in Two Corpora | 第42-43页 |
| ·Comparison of Top Five Hedges of Each Category in Two Corpora | 第43-45页 |
| ·Discussion of Statistical Figures | 第45-47页 |
| ·Tentative Explanation of Hedges in News Reports from the Perspective of Adaptation Theory | 第47-56页 |
| ·Hedges as Adaptation to the Physical World | 第47-51页 |
| ·Hedges as Adaptation to the Mental World | 第51-54页 |
| ·Hedges as adaptation to the Social World | 第54-56页 |
| ·Pragmatic Functions of Hedges in English News Reports | 第56-61页 |
| ·Enhance Reliability and Credibility | 第57-58页 |
| ·Avoid Absoluteness and Achieve Self-protection | 第58页 |
| ·Improve Politeness and Efficiency | 第58-61页 |
| Chapter Five Conclusion | 第61-67页 |
| ·Major Findings | 第61-62页 |
| ·Implications of the Present Research | 第62-64页 |
| ·Limitations of the Present Research | 第64-65页 |
| ·Suggestions for Further Research | 第65-67页 |
| Bibliography | 第67-71页 |
| Appendix: List of Hedges Surveyed in Chapter Three | 第71-72页 |
