Some discourse devices to use for emphasis

The most important adaptation to flight is the wing.

A major factor in the reduction of mortality was the public health infrastructure.

A striking instance of aging in humans is hardening of the arteries.

Why x was so important was that…

Now this is critical because…

The important idea is…

Growing a sufficiently hard shell is especially/ particularly/ extremely important in the development of turtles, in that the shells allow turtles to protect themselves from predators.

Of particular importance is the ability of old female turtles to lay large numbers of eggs.

Some discourse devices to use for comparing and contrasting

Comparing:

What sharks and turtles have in common is..  它们的共同点是

A similar concept is…

Similarly, x is…

Equally important to mortality reduction is the contribution of nutrition.

Likewise,…  同样地

In the same way  同样地

By the same token, the professor agrees that…

Contrasting:

Alternatively

One way to talk about reptiles is in terms of their cold-bloodedness; another way is…

On the other hand, the evolution of sharks has taken a different path.

However, the professor proposes a different approach to the problem.

Unlike the author of the reading passage, the professor believes that…

In contrast to the reading passage, the professor…

By way of contrast, the professor thinks that…

This [strongly] resembles the point of view in the reading passage, which…

This can be distinguished from

This is a departure from the author of the passage, who maintains that…