科学会从多个角度出现在雅思中。Writing Task 2 可能问：地球上还有许多未解决的问题，政府是否应该花钱探索太空；科学家是否应该只做能迅速产生实际效益的研究；动物实验是否可以接受；当发现被用于伤害他人时，谁应该负责。Speaking Part 3 会进一步讨论人们有多信任科学家、科学怎样影响日常生活，以及是否人人都应在学校学习科学。Academic Reading 中也经常出现科普文章。
考生在这里容易出错，不一定因为词汇少，反而可能因为说得太肯定。“Scientists have proved that…” 看起来是很自然的论证开头，但它会把审慎的研究发现变成容易被反驳的笼统断言：单项研究很少能够真正 prove 什么。Lexical Resource 看重准确表达，因此 research suggests 或 there is strong evidence that 往往更恰当。第二个陷阱是 research 本身：表示科研工作时，它通常不可数，写成 researches 就容易出错。
下面介绍适用于科学与研究话题作文和口语的 29 个搭配、最常见的误用，以及 LetsWords 如何反馈造句中的问题。电子设备、互联网和人工智能见科技话题词汇，其余话题见雅思话题词汇指南。
科学与研究：词汇和搭配
如何开展研究
| 表达 | 含义 | 例句 |
|---|---|---|
| conduct research into / on | 对某事开展研究 | Several universities are conducting research into the long-term effects of microplastics. |
| carry out an experiment | 进行实验 | The team carried out a series of experiments to check the original results. |
| test a hypothesis | 检验一个假设是否成立 | A good experiment is designed to test a hypothesis, not to confirm what researchers already believe. |
| collect / gather data | 为研究收集信息 | Volunteers helped scientists collect data on bird populations across the country. |
| a research project | 一项有计划的研究项目 | Most research projects take years before they produce anything useful. |
| a groundbreaking study | 改变人们对某个领域理解的开创性研究 | A groundbreaking study in the 1950s changed how doctors understood smoking. |
| publish findings | 公开发表研究结果 | Researchers are expected to publish their findings so that others can check them. |
| a peer-reviewed journal | 研究发表前经过同行专家审查的期刊 | A claim published in a peer-reviewed journal deserves more trust than a blog post. |
结果与证据
| 表达 | 含义 | 例句 |
|---|---|---|
| make a discovery | 发现此前未知的事物 | Some of the most important discoveries were made by accident. |
| make a breakthrough | 取得重大突破 | Scientists made a major breakthrough in treating this disease last year. |
| research suggests / shows that | 研究提示／表明 | Research suggests that regular exercise improves memory in older adults. |
| strong / conclusive evidence | 有力／确凿的证据 | There is strong evidence that air pollution shortens life expectancy. |
| the findings indicate that | 研究结果表明 | The findings indicate that the drug works better in younger patients. |
| draw a conclusion | 根据事实得出结论 | It is too early to draw any firm conclusions from a single study. |
| scientific consensus | 科学家之间的广泛共识 | There is a broad scientific consensus that the climate is warming. |
资金与优先事项
| 表达 | 含义 | 例句 |
|---|---|---|
| fund research / research funding | 资助研究／研究经费 | Governments fund research that private companies consider too risky. |
| allocate funds to | 为某个用途拨款 | The state should allocate more funds to medical research than to space programmes. |
| basic research | 由求知欲驱动、没有直接应用的基础研究 | Basic research rarely pays off quickly, but it creates the knowledge that applied science depends on. |
| applied research | 具有直接实际用途的应用研究 | Applied research aims to solve a specific practical problem. |
| space exploration | 通过航天任务、探测器与望远镜探索太空 | Critics see space exploration as a luxury that poorer countries cannot afford. |
| yield results | 产生结果 | Not every expensive project yields useful results. |
| long-term benefits | 长期持续或逐渐显现的益处 | The long-term benefits of science are often impossible to predict. |
| a waste of taxpayers’ money | 没有产生有价值回报的公共资金浪费 | Some people regard research with no obvious application as a waste of taxpayers’ money. |
伦理与信任
| 表达 | 含义 | 例句 |
|---|---|---|
| raise ethical concerns | 引发伦理方面的问题或疑虑 | Gene editing in humans raises serious ethical concerns. |
| animal testing | 在动物身上进行的实验 | Many cosmetics brands have stopped animal testing altogether. |
| the misuse of scientific knowledge | 利用科学知识造成伤害 | History shows that the misuse of scientific knowledge can have terrible consequences. |
| be held accountable for | 被要求对某事负责 | Should scientists be held accountable for how their discoveries are used? |
| public trust in science | 公众对科学及科学家的信任程度 | Conflicting headlines can undermine public trust in science. |
| a conflict of interest | 个人利益可能影响判断的利益冲突 | When a company pays for a study of its own product, there is a clear conflict of interest. |
常见错误
1. 把 research 写成复数
Scientists have made many researches on this virus.
Scientists have done a lot of research on this virus.
表示科研工作时，research 通常不可数：a lot of research、some research，不加 -es。开展研究用 do、conduct 或 carry out，不用 make。要数一项项具体研究，用 studies：several studies have shown。
2. Research of 应改为 research into
There has been a lot of research of cancer in recent decades.
There has been a lot of research into cancer in recent decades.
Research 后面用介词 into 或 on。学习者常把 a study of 中的 of 搬过来：它与 study 搭配没有问题，但 research of cancer 不自然。
3. Discover 还是 invent
Alexander Fleming invented penicillin by accident in 1928.
Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin by accident in 1928.
对于本来就存在的事物，例如行星、物质、自然规律，用 discover。对于此前不存在、后来创造出来的东西，例如望远镜、电话，用 invent。青霉素由霉菌产生，因此 Fleming 是发现了它。
4. “Scientists have proved”
Scientists have proved that social media causes depression.
Research suggests that heavy social media use is linked to depression.
第一句在语法上没有问题，但放在作文中，断言过强：研究通常显示的是关联，而不一定能证明因果。Research suggests、there is evidence that 和 is linked to 这类审慎表达更符合学术语气，也不容易被反驳。
LetsWords 如何解释这些错误
看表格时，每个词都很熟悉。真正动笔时，错误才会出现。下面是 LetsWords 中一道练习的过程。
假设你正在复习 conduct research into。LetsWords 用母语提示给出含义，你回想英文表达，再写一句关于科学的话：
Our government should make more research into renewable energy.
LetsWords 的反馈指出一处错误：make → conduct。开展研究要说 conduct、do 或 carry out research，make research 不是英语中自然的搭配。
Our government should conduct more research into renewable energy.
几天后，这个表达会再次出现在复习中，你需要换一个情境使用它，例如回答有关医学的问题。这样，词表中的搭配才会逐渐变成能凭记忆想起、并准确写出的表达。
注册时选择 IELTS 目标和水平，LetsWords 就会安排练习。付费前可以先体验反馈。
在 Writing Task 2 中使用这些搭配
一道考试风格的题目：
Some people believe that governments should only fund scientific research that has clear practical benefits. Others argue that research without any obvious application is just as important. Discuss both views and give your opinion.
下面的示例段落讨论第二种观点，并给出作者的看法：
Those who support basic research argue that its value often becomes clear only decades later. Many groundbreaking studies began as projects with no obvious use: researchers were simply trying to test a hypothesis about how nature works. For example, studies of how bacteria defend themselves against viruses were driven purely by curiosity, yet their findings later led to a powerful gene-editing tool. If governments allocate funds only to projects with guaranteed returns, such discoveries may never happen. In my view, research funding should therefore be divided between both types: applied projects deliver quick results, while basic science produces the long-term benefits that nobody can predict in advance.
这个段落为什么有效？第一句直接表明立场，随后给出解释和具体例子，而不是泛泛谈论“科学的价值”。每个搭配都用在恰当的位置：检验假设用 test，分配资金用 allocate，无法提前预测的长期益处用 long-term。最后一句回答了题目中的 “give your opinion”，并提出解决办法，而不是重复论点。连接词 for example、yet 和 therefore 清楚地引导逻辑，没有凑字数。
在 Speaking 中使用
一道 Part 3 问题：Do you think people trust scientists less than they used to?
I’d say it depends on the field. Most people still trust doctors and engineers, but on topics like diet, public trust in science has definitely suffered. One week coffee is harmful, the next week it’s healthy, so people assume researchers keep changing their minds. In reality, scientific consensus forms slowly, and the media rarely explain that a single study isn’t conclusive evidence.
回答先表明立场，再给出生活中的例子，并解释原因。表格中的三个搭配使用自然，并不是为了分数硬塞进去的。
免费练习
- do research：开展研究，以及为什么不用 make；
- carry out：开展实验、调查或检查；
- draw a conclusion：根据证据得出结论；
- look into：调查某个问题；
- data：事实与数字，以及怎样避免与 date 混淆；
- accurate：正确、精确的；
- affect vs effect：动词与名词的区别；
- have an impact：产生显著影响。
用于论证和结论的连接词见雅思 Writing 词汇指南。
从词表走向实际运用
考试中，你需要独立想起一个搭配，把它放进句子，并且用对动词和介词。可以通过 LetsWords 把词表变成实际练习：选择适合水平的 IELTS 词集，再把本页的搭配加入词集，例如 conduct research into 或 draw a conclusion。你根据提示回想表达，用它写一个句子；LetsWords 指出错误，用母语解释修改方法，并建议更准确的说法，间隔重复则安排表达再次出现，让用法逐渐自然。科学词汇同样能用于 Writing：IELTS Writing 专区提供科技、教育和健康话题的 Task 2 题目；完整回答会得到围绕四项评分标准的详细反馈。注册时回答几个关于目标和水平的问题，LetsWords 就会安排练习；付费前可以体验反馈。其他话题见雅思话题词汇指南。