• Willer, R., Wimer, C., & Owens, L. A. (2015). What drives the gender gap in charitable giving? Lower empathy leads men to give less to poverty relief. Social science research, 52, 83-98.
  Introduction 3
  The United States is unique among developed, Western democracies for maintaining a relatively small welfare state and offering relatively limited public assistance to the poor.
  开始用一个observation, 对于layman来说比较独特。了解后面内容的读者就会知道，这所说的是一个大的社会背景，用来凸显后面研究对于这样的一个社会的重要意义。
  Consequently, the U.S. is also distinct for its heavy reliance on non-governmental organization (e.g. churches, secular charities) for the funding and delivery of relief services to the poor.
  表达呈上启下的consequently, be distinct for 独特的 delivery of relief service to 都是比较地道的表达方法
  As a result, the well-being and life chances of the American poor are more influenced by contributions to the antipoverty organizations than in other advanced democracies.
  还在进一步凸显charity 在美国这样一种ZF下的重要性。
  Because of this reliance on non-governmental organizations for the provision of assistance to the poor, it is especially important to develop a strong understanding of the factors that elicit concern and support among American for the poor and the NGOs that provide for them.
  道出了研究的重要性。It is especially important to develop a strong understanding of the factors that ..
  总的来说，这是可以使用很多研究的万能范式，因为很多研究都是在探讨对一个重要事件的重要影响因素。首先前期要说明为什么这个事件很重要，Because of the reliance of ……然后就接着说 it is especially important to develop a strong understanding of the factors that …
  In contrast to this, past research on American’s poverty concern has overwhelmingly focused on support for governmental policy, while little research examines the factors influence support for non-governmental poverty relief.
  我觉得这个部分是作者异常高明的地方，虽然他的研究很普通，但是他把他的研究置身于这样的一个背景之下，就使得这个研究取向是非常重要的，而这个与对governmental policy导向研究的对比，来源于他对这块研究领域内文献的熟悉，通过调转方向，并且强调这个调转方向是非常有价值有意义的，因为美国ZF本身并不是靠的国家福利性政策来解决贫穷问题，而是非ZF组织，因而后面那个普通的研究才有了非常重要的意义。这对于很多人觉得自己的研究没有太大的价值，是一个很好的思考方向，想一想，你为什么要做这样的研究，一定是有原因的，只是你还没有把这个原因很好的挖掘，如果刨根绝底， 你也一定会发现更为深刻的原因。此外，对整个社会大背景，对整个研究领域的导向性的研究非常熟悉，这也是大师与初入门者的典型区别，大师总能把一个普通的研究上升到一个理论性的高度，而这是需要研究之外的功力的。
  However, such an understanding is essential if poverty relief is to be sustained, especially during difficult economic periods when demand for relief increases as contribution declines.
  对当前经济形势的描述，更加强了这样一个研究对于当前人们的一个重要性。 Such an understanding is essential , understanding 与之前提到的to develop a strong understanding for the concern 进行呼应，这个作者很喜欢用名称性的understanding。 Essential与important 置换，避免重复。