8%Ru-5%Ce/gamma-Al2O3 catalyst exhibited excellent catalytic performance for low temperature activation of methane. Although the conversion rates of methane were 25.3% for exothermal partial oxidation of methane, and 0.8% for endothermal carbon dioxide reforming, whose activity was rather low, 38.8% of conversion rate of methane could be obtained for the obtained coupling reaction at 500 degrees C owing to the coupling intensification between endothermal carbon dioxide reforming reaction and exothermal partial oxidation of methane. The mechanism of coupling partial oxidation of methane and carbon dioxide reforming on supported Ru catalyst was investigated by in-situ DRIFTS. The adsorption of CO on 8%Ru-5%Ce/gamma-Al2O3 showed that two kinds of doublet peaks which were characteristic adsorption of the gaseous CO at 2167 cm(-1) (2118 cm(-1)) to form Ru(CO)2 at 2031 cm(-1) (2034 cm(-1)) to form Ce(CO)2 were observed. These CO adsorption species wee easy to be desorbed from the surface of the catalyst at high temperature. The results of in-situ DRIFTS showed that carbonate, formal (formate) and carbon monoxide formed on the surface of catalyst, and formal (formate) was intermediate for the methane partial oxidation. This intermediate was formed through the combination of the adsorption species of methane CHx and the lattice oxygen adsorption species on the surface of catalyst, and syngas was produced through the splitting of this intermediate. The DRIFTS researching on carbon dioxide reforming showed that there was no new adsorption species on the surface of the catalyst, which indicated that the mechanism for carbon dioxide reforming was through the dissociation of the adsorbed methane and carbon dioxide. During the reaction of the coupling of carbon dioxide reforming reaction and partial oxidation of methane, there was hydroxyl adsorption species on the surface of catalyst. The mechanism of coupling methane, carbon dioxide and oxygen might be composed of the above two reaction mechanism and the bridging hydroxyl group adsorption species Ru-(OH)2 might contribute to the coupling reaction.