| Acknowledgements | 第1-9页 |
| Abstract | 第9-10页 |
| 摘要 | 第10-11页 |
| List of Tables | 第11-16页 |
| Chapter ⅠIntroduction | 第16-20页 |
| ·Background of the Study | 第16-17页 |
| ·Purpose and Significance of the Study | 第17-18页 |
| ·Research Questions | 第18-19页 |
| ·Organization of the Thesis | 第19-20页 |
| Chapter Ⅱ Literature Review | 第20-31页 |
| ·Definition of Modality | 第20-21页 |
| ·Studies on English Modality | 第21-26页 |
| ·English Modality System | 第22-23页 |
| ·Semantic Meaning of English Modality | 第23-24页 |
| ·English Modality within Certain Genres | 第24-26页 |
| ·Studies on Chinese Modality | 第26-27页 |
| ·Contrastive Studies of Modality in Chinese and English | 第27-31页 |
| Chapter Ⅲ Theoretical Framework | 第31-47页 |
| ·Overview | 第31页 |
| ·Classification of Modality | 第31-34页 |
| ·Classification of English Modality | 第31-33页 |
| ·Classification of Chinese Modality | 第33-34页 |
| ·Value of Modality | 第34-37页 |
| ·Value of English Modality | 第34-35页 |
| ·Value of Chinese Modality | 第35-37页 |
| ·Linguistic Realizations of Modality | 第37-40页 |
| ·Linguistic Realizations of English Modal Verbs | 第38-39页 |
| ·Linguistic Realizations of Chinese Modal Verbs | 第39-40页 |
| ·A Comprehensive Model of Modality for the Contrastive Study between English and Chinese Modality | 第40-47页 |
| ·Categorization of English and Chinese Modality | 第40-45页 |
| ·Value of English and Chinese Modality | 第45-47页 |
| Chapter Ⅳ Methodology | 第47-50页 |
| ·Editorial as a Genre | 第47-48页 |
| ·Data Collection | 第48页 |
| ·Procedures of Analysis | 第48-50页 |
| Chapter Ⅴ Data Analysis | 第50-81页 |
| ·Total Number and Frequency of Modal Expressions | 第50-51页 |
| ·Modal Verbs | 第51-63页 |
| ·Number and Frequency of Three Kinds of Modal Verbs | 第51-58页 |
| ·High-frequency Modal Verbs | 第58-63页 |
| ·Modal Affirmations and Negations | 第63-68页 |
| ·Number and Frequency of Modal Affirmations and Negations | 第63-67页 |
| ·High-frequency Modal Affirmations and Negations | 第67-68页 |
| ·Modal Adverbs | 第68-71页 |
| ·Number and Frequency of Modal Adverbs | 第68-69页 |
| ·High-frequency Modal Adverbs | 第69-71页 |
| ·Modal Values | 第71-73页 |
| ·Distribution of Modal Values | 第71-72页 |
| ·High-frequency Modal Expressions | 第72-73页 |
| ·Discussion | 第73-81页 |
| ·Linguistic Features | 第75-76页 |
| ·Cultural Orientations | 第76-77页 |
| ·Social Factors | 第77-81页 |
| Chapter Ⅵ Conclusion | 第81-85页 |
| ·Summary of Major Findings | 第81-82页 |
| ·Implications of the Study | 第82-83页 |
| ·Limitations and Suggestions for Further Study | 第83-85页 |
| References | 第85-89页 |
| Appendix Ⅰ The Titles and Number of words of English and Chinese Editorials | 第89-91页 |
| Appendix Ⅱ Normalization of the frequencies of Modal Expressions in English and Chinese Editorials | 第91-94页 |
