| Acknowledgments | 第1-5页 |
| Abstract | 第5-7页 |
| 摘要 | 第7-11页 |
| Chapter One Introduction | 第11-14页 |
| ·Origin of the Study | 第11页 |
| ·Objective and Significance of the Study | 第11-12页 |
| ·The Approach to the Study | 第12-13页 |
| ·Organization of the Thesis | 第13-14页 |
| Chapter Two Literature Review | 第14-27页 |
| ·Politeness and the Cooperative Principle | 第14-15页 |
| ·An Overview of Major Politeness Theories | 第15-20页 |
| ·General Concepts in Contemporary Politeness Theory | 第20-22页 |
| ·Cultural Values Relating to the Perception of Politeness in English and Chinese | 第22-25页 |
| ·Current Research on Refusals | 第25-27页 |
| Chapter Three The Introduction of Business Letters | 第27-32页 |
| ·Introduction | 第27页 |
| ·Language Used in Business Letters | 第27-28页 |
| ·Business Letter Structure | 第28-32页 |
| ·Salutations | 第28-30页 |
| ·The Body of the Letter | 第30页 |
| ·Closing Greetings | 第30-31页 |
| ·Complimentary Close | 第31-32页 |
| Chapter Four Analysis of Rejection in American and Chinese Letters | 第32-51页 |
| ·The Style and Structure of American and Chinese Rejection Letter | 第32-37页 |
| ·Minimizing the Impact of Rejection | 第32-33页 |
| ·The Style and Structure of An American Rejection Letter | 第33-35页 |
| ·The Style And Structure of A Chinese Rejection Letter | 第35-37页 |
| ·Research and Analysis | 第37-38页 |
| ·Expectations and Hypotheses | 第37页 |
| ·Methods of Analysis | 第37-38页 |
| ·Results | 第38-51页 |
| ·Salutations | 第38-39页 |
| ·The Letter Opening - The Preparatory Phase for the Rejection | 第39-42页 |
| ·The Four Most Prevalent American Patterns | 第42-49页 |
| ·Explanation of Chinese Rejection | 第49-51页 |
| Chapter Five Conclusion | 第51-58页 |
| ·Major Findings of the Study | 第51-56页 |
| ·Limitations of the Study and Suggestions for Further Research | 第56-58页 |
| References | 第58-62页 |
| Publications | 第62页 |
