| Acknowledgements | 第3-6页 |
| Abstract | 第6-7页 |
| 摘要 | 第8-9页 |
| Chapter 1 Introduction | 第9-12页 |
| 1.1 Research background | 第9-10页 |
| 1.2 Research significance and purpose | 第10页 |
| 1.3 Research questions and hypotheses | 第10-11页 |
| 1.4 Framework of the thesis | 第11-12页 |
| Chapter 2 Literature Review | 第12-21页 |
| 2.1 Metaphor and its structure | 第12-13页 |
| 2.2 Metaphoric Competence | 第13-20页 |
| 2.2.1 Definition of metaphoric competence | 第14-15页 |
| 2.2.2 Theoretical and empirical studies of metaphoric competence | 第15-20页 |
| 2.3 Summary | 第20-21页 |
| Chapter 3 Methodology | 第21-25页 |
| 3.1 Research questions | 第21页 |
| 3.2 Subjects | 第21-22页 |
| 3.3 Instruments | 第22-24页 |
| 3.3.1 Metaphoric competence test | 第22-23页 |
| 3.3.2 English proficiency test | 第23-24页 |
| 3.3.3 Statistic tools | 第24页 |
| 3.4 Data collection and analysis | 第24-25页 |
| Chapter 4 Data analysis of non-English majors' Metaphoric Competence | 第25-33页 |
| 4.1 The overall picture of non-English majors' MC | 第25-27页 |
| 4.1.1 The overall picture of science majors' MC | 第26页 |
| 4.1.2 The overall picture of arts majors' MC | 第26-27页 |
| 4.2 Comparison of metaphoric competence in science and arts subjects | 第27-32页 |
| 4.2.1 Comparison of the overall MC in science and arts subjects | 第27-29页 |
| 4.2.2 Comparison of the ability to find meaning in metaphor in scienceand arts subjects | 第29页 |
| 4.2.3 Comparison of the fluency of metaphor interpretation in scienceand arts subjects | 第29-31页 |
| 4.2.4 Comparison of the originality of metaphor production in scienceand arts subjects | 第31-32页 |
| 4.3 Summary | 第32-33页 |
| Chapter 5 Data analysis of English Proficiency and Metaphoric Competence | 第33-39页 |
| 5.1 The overall picture of non-English majors' EP | 第33-34页 |
| 5.2 Correlation between non-English majors' EP and MC | 第34-38页 |
| 5.2.1 Correlation between non-English majors' EP and MC | 第34-36页 |
| 5.2.2 Correlation between non-English majors' RC and MC | 第36-37页 |
| 5.2.3 Correlation between non-English majors' EC and MC | 第37-38页 |
| 5.3 Summary | 第38-39页 |
| Chapter 6 Conclusion | 第39-45页 |
| 6.1 Major Findings of the Study | 第39-40页 |
| 6.2 Implications for Foreign Language Teaching and Learning | 第40-43页 |
| 6.2.1 Practical insight for foreign language teaching | 第40-42页 |
| 6.2.2 Practical implications for non-English majors' foreign languagelearning | 第42-43页 |
| 6.3 Limitations | 第43-44页 |
| 6.4 Suggestions for further research | 第44-45页 |
| Appendix A Metaphoric Competence Test | 第45-48页 |
| Appendix B English Proficiency Test | 第48-56页 |
| Bibliography | 第56-58页 |
