| Abstract | 第1-5页 |
| 摘要 | 第5-6页 |
| Contents | 第6-7页 |
| Chapter 1 Introduction | 第7-10页 |
| ·Research Background | 第7-8页 |
| ·Significance of the Study | 第8页 |
| ·Research Questions | 第8页 |
| ·Organization of the Thesis | 第8-10页 |
| Chapter 2 Literature Review | 第10-25页 |
| ·Rhetorical Structure Theory | 第10-23页 |
| ·Notions and Terminology | 第10-19页 |
| ·Rhetorical relations | 第10-11页 |
| ·Spans and Units | 第11页 |
| ·Nuclear-satellite Relations vs. Multi-nuclear Relations | 第11-19页 |
| ·Example of RST Analysis | 第19-20页 |
| ·Classification of Relations | 第20-21页 |
| ·Cross-linguistic Studies | 第21-22页 |
| ·RST Tool | 第22-23页 |
| ·Public Speeches | 第23-25页 |
| ·Brief Introduction to Public Speeches | 第23页 |
| ·Objectives of Public Speeches | 第23-24页 |
| ·Types of Public Speeches | 第24-25页 |
| Chapter 3 Research Design | 第25-28页 |
| ·Data Collection | 第25-26页 |
| ·Data Processing | 第26-28页 |
| Chapter 4 Data Analysis and Research Findings | 第28-42页 |
| ·Rhetorical Analysis of the Speeches | 第28-38页 |
| ·Analysis of the Speeches by American Students | 第28-34页 |
| ·Analysis of the Speeches by Chinese Students | 第34-38页 |
| ·Statistics Analysis of Rhetorical Features | 第38-42页 |
| ·Rhetorical Relations of Speeches | 第39-41页 |
| ·Arrow Directions of the Rhetorical Relations in the Speeches | 第41-42页 |
| Chapter 5 Discussion and Conclusion | 第42-47页 |
| ·Similarities and Differences in Rhetorical Structures | 第42-45页 |
| ·Choices of Rhetorical Relations | 第42-44页 |
| ·Cultural Effect on Rhetorical Representation | 第44-45页 |
| ·Conclusion | 第45-47页 |
| Bibliography | 第47-50页 |
| Appendices | 第50-66页 |
| Acknowledgements | 第66页 |
