A: The man in the next bed wants to buy your shoes.

21．"The British are planning to travel to the sun in a rocket next year," said a British scientist.

"But," said an American scientist, "as you get near the sun the heat will melt the rocket."

"We are not stupid," said the British scientist. "We are going to travel at night."

22．A: Waiter, will my pizza be long?

B: No, I expect it will be round as usual.

23．A: Tomorrow my name will be up in lights in every cinema in the country.

B: How are you going to do that?

A: Easy. I'm changing my name to Emergency Exit.

24．Two fish were swimming together in a river.

"Look," said the first one. "It's starting to rain."

"Quick. Let's swim under the bridge," said the second fish, "or we'll get wet."

25．A: The television will never replace the newspaper.

B: Why?

A: Because you can't swat a fly with a television.

3．用适当的将来时态形式填空。

26．A: This letter is in French, and I don't speak a word of French. Can you help me?

B: Sure. I______(translate) it for you.

27．A: It's cold in here.

B: I agree. I______(turn) the heater on.

A: That's a good idea.

28．A: Clint is in hospital.

B: Oh really? I didn't know. I______(go) and visit him.

B: Yes, I know. I've bought some flowers and I______(visit) him this afternoon.

29．A: Do you mind if I turn the TV off? I______(make) a long distance call, and it's hard to hear if the TV is on.

B: No, that's fine. I wasn't watching it anyway.

30．A: Why do you have an eraser in your hand?

B: I______( erase) the board.

31．A: The ceiling in this room doesn't look very safe, does it?

B: No, it looks as if it______(fall) down.

32．A: Did you post that letter for me?

B: Oh, I'm sorry. I completely forgot. I______(do) it now.

33．A: Where are you going? Are you going shopping?

B: Yes, I______(buy) something for my breakfast.

34．A: Why are you filling that bucket with water?

B: I______(wash) my car.

35．A: I've got a headache.

B: Have you? Wait here and I______(get) an aspirin for you.

36．John: Would you call a taxi to take me to the airport, Joe?

Joe: Call a taxi? I______(take) you myself. What time is your flight?

John: 8 o'clock this evening.

Joe: Ok, we______(leave) at about 6 o'clock.

Later that day, Ann offers to take John to the airport.

Ann: Do you want me to take you to the airport, John?

John: No, thanks. Joe______(take) me there.

4．用will或be going to的适当形式完成下列对话。

37．Dave: So, Stella, do you have any vacation plans?

Stella: Well, I______paint my apartment. The walls are a really ugly color. What about you? Are you going to do anything special?

Dave: I______rent a car and take a long drive.

Stella: Where are you going to go?

Dave: I'm not sure. I______probably visit my sister Joanne. I haven't seen her in a long time.

Stella: That sounds nice. I always like to visit my family.

Dave: Yes, and maybe I______go to the mountains for a few days. I haven't been hiking in months. How about you? Are you going to do anything else on your vacation?

Stella: I______probably catch up on my studying. I have a lot of work to do before school starts.

Dave: That doesn't sound like much fun.

Stella: Oh, I am planning to have some fun. I______relax on the beach. I love to swim.

写给读者的话



* * *



一、本章学习思路

一般时态是英语学习者最早接触到的英文时态，看似简单，其实不然。一般时态包括一般现在时、一般过去以及一般将来时。正如在前面7.2.1小节中说过，一般时态只有“时”的变化，没有“体”的变化，是“零”体态动作，所以这三个时态之间没有共同的“体态”特征，因而各自用法比较独立，联系不大。因此，读者在学习本章时，不需要对三个时态进行横向比较，而只需要掌握三个时态的各自意义和用法即可。

二、本章重点及难点

重点要掌握下列频繁使用的时态含义：

1．对于一般现在时态：

1）表示不受时间限制的科学事实、客观真理、谚语格言，常用于概括、结论、观点等（见7.3.1小节）。

2）表示经常发生的活动，常用来谈论日常生活习惯（见7.3.2小节）。

2．对于一般过去时态：

这是最容易被中国学生忽略的一个时态，尤其是在口语中。因此，对于一般过去时，最关键的是要真正能够根据上下文语境灵活使用（见7.4.8小节）。比如下面常见的口语语境中的一般过去时用法：

1）“我不知道”——"I don't know" or "I didn't know"? （见7.4.5小节）

2）“我忘记了”——"I forget" or "I forgot"? （见7.4.6小节）

3）“我以为”——"I think" or "I thought"? （见7.4.7小节）

此外，要掌握一般过去时的两个基本用法：

1）过去发生的短暂动作或状态（见7.4.2小节）。

2）过去发生的重复或延续活动（见7.4.3小节）。

最后，要求读者要能够分辨一般过去时和现在完成时用于“for＋时间段”的区别（见7.4.4小节）

3．对于一般将来时态：

重点是搞清楚will与be going to的用法区别，即掌握下面三节内容：

1）will表示将来——预测（见7.5.2小节）

2）be going to表示将来——预测（见7.5.3小节）

3）be going to表示“计划”与will表示“愿意”（见7.5.4小节）

此外还要求掌握在口语中常用现在进行时表示将来（见7.5.5小节）

最后，建议读者了解一下7.2节的内容。

三、本章学习时间安排

建议读者用10天左右的时间来研读本章内容，并做完所有的练习。



* * *



综合练习（Keys: 此处）

1．用适当的时态形式填空。

1．A: Nobody told me that Bill was in the hospital.

B: Sorry. I______(mean) to give you a call when I______(find) out but it______(slip) my mind.

2．A: Do you know if George is coming to the meeting?

B: Oh, no. I______(be) supposed to tell you that he is sick and can't come.

3．A: I thought you said you were going to call me last week about that car I'm selling.

B: Oh, I'm so sorry. It completely______(slip) my mind.

4．I'm sorry, Cathy. Just one more thing. I______(forget) to ask you if you could give me a ride to school tomorrow.

5．I almost______(think) you______(be) someone else with that short haircut.

6．A: Look, I'm sorry to bother you about this, but that music's really loud.

B: I______(not, realize) you could hear it.

7．A: Oh, no! I've spilled coffee on my shirt.

B: Just a minute. I______(get) a damp cloth for you.

8．I______(be) ready to confront him but when I saw how big he was, I______(get) cold feet.

9．I______(jog) every morning for the past two years.

10．A: Have you decided what to do during the summer break?

B: Oh, yes. Everything is planned. I______(take) a holiday for a few weeks and then I______(take) a grammar course in New Oriental School.

11．A: Do you want to go shopping with me? I______(go) to the shopping mall downtown.

B: Sure. What time do you want to leave?

12．A: Oh. I've just realized. I haven't got any money.

B: Haven't you? Well, don't worry. I______(lend) you some.

13．A: I've decided to repaint the room?

B: Oh, have you? What color______you______(paint) it?

14．A: This composition class______(not, be) supposed to be hard.

B: But it sure turned out to be, didn't it?

15．A: What would you like to buy, Sir?

B: I am going to buy a T-shirt for myself.

A: What do you think of this white one?

B: Oh, good! That's just what I want. I______(take) it.

16．A: Which color______you______(prefer), red or blue?

B: I______(like) blue better than red. Why?

A: According to this magazine article I am reading right now, people who______ (prefer) blue to red______(be) calm and______(value) honesty and loyalty in their friends. A preference for the color red______(mean) that a person______(be) aggressive and______(love) excitement.

B: Oh? That______ (sound) like a bunch of nonsense to me.

17．On April 14,1912, the "unsinkable" luxury ship Titanic______(hit) an iceberg and______(sink) to the bottom of the sea. Its final resting place______(remain) a mystery for 70 years. You probably already______(know) that tragic story. But______you______(know) the whole story? Do you know who finally______(discover) the wreck of the Titanic?

2．把下列中文句子译成英文。

18．我就知道你能得到这份工作。恭喜了！

19．我就知道你会考得很好。干得漂亮！

20．那是个星期天，而我在星期天是从不早起的，有时还会在床上一直躺到吃午饭时间。上个星期天我就起得很晚。

21．A：我本来打算下学期上日语课——but now it's been cut.

B: I hear the university's going to double the tuition, too.

22．A：我以为Sam病了。

B：我也是. But he seems to have recovered very quickly. He certainly doesn't seem to be sick now.

23．我弟弟每天上网，他要花大量的时间浏览许多不同的网站。





Chapter 8


第八章　英文时态（二）：进行时态


上一章中讨论了一般时态，在这一章里，我们来讨论进行时态的意义和用法。首先，我们将依次讨论现在进行时、过去进行时以及将来进行时，最后讨论进行时态的总体思维特征及其与一般时态的思维差异。本章内容安排如下：

8.1　引言

8.2　现在进行时——不一定正在进行

8.3　过去进行时——回顾过去讲故事

8.4　将来进行时——想象未来

8.5　难点：深入分析进行时的思维特征





8.1　引言

8.1.1　进行时态的构成

在英文中，进行时态（continuous tense）的构成是be＋doing。注意这里的be动词不是系动词，而是助动词，因而没有“是”的意思。我们可以通过对助动词be的变形来反映人称和时间的变化。

就时间的角度而言，有三种不同时间下的进行时态，即现在进行时（the present continuous tense）、过去进行时（the past continuous tense）和将来进行时（the future continuous tense）。它们的构成分别是：am/is/are doing，was/were doing和will be doing。这些不同形式的be动词对应于不同的主语人称和单复数。具体关系如下表所示：



从以上的表格我们看到，将来进行时will be doing没有人称和数的变化。这里的助动词be的具体变形，既反映了时间（如动作是发生在现在、过去还是将来），同时也反映了主语人称和数的变化，但表示进行动作的doing始终不变（对于这一点，读者将在8.5节中深入学习）。

8.1.2　进行时态的意义

对中国学生来说，进行时态应该是相对比较容易掌握的一个时态（比如它比完成时态易于理解），这是因为在我们的汉语思维表达里，我们也能找到进行时态的“语言标记（language mark）”——汉语通常采用语气助词“着”或词组“正在”等来表达。比如“他吃着饭”与“他吃了饭”，我们很容易理解前者是表示正在进行，而后者是表示完成的动作。我们还可以进一步添加具体的时间，如“他正在吃着饭”表示现在进行的动作，而“他当时在吃着饭”表示过去进行的动作。这很像英文里的进行时态的构成和意义，比如“正在”相当于英文里表示现在时间的is，“着”相当于doing，然后结合具体动词“吃（have）”，于是便有了He is having dinner. 这样的句子。同理，“当时在”相当于英文里表示过去时间的was，于是便有了He was having dinner.

通过上面中英文的例子，其实我们介绍了进行时态最典型的一个意义——表示正在发生的动作。具体来说，进行时是强调在某个特定的（现在、过去或将来）时间点，某项活动正在发生。比如：

1　I am watching CCTV news right now. 我现在正在看中央电视台的新闻。

2　I was watching CCTV news when he arrived yesterday. 他昨天到的时候，我正在看中央电视台的新闻。

3　I will be watching CCTV news at 7:15 pm tomorrow. 明天晚上7点15分，我将会正在看中央电视台的新闻。

因此，进行时态往往和某一特定的时间点连用，来表示某一个活动在该时刻正在进行，比如上文中的right now和7:15等。这个特定的时刻可以是直接给出具体的时间，也可以是另一具体的活动。

一、直接给出具体的时间

4　I am listening to the English program right now. 我现在正在收听英文节目。

5　I will be watching CCTV news at this time tomorrow evening.

明天晚上的这个时间，我将正在看中央电视台的新闻。

这里是直接给出具体的时间，如right now和at this time tomorrow evening。

二、通过另一活动表达这一特定时刻

6　I was watching CCTV news when he arrived. 他到的时候，我正在看中央电视台的新闻。

7　I will be studying English when you come tomorrow. 你明天来的时候，我将正在学习英语。

这里我们是通过引入时间状语从句来表达某一特定的时间点，如when he arrived和when you come tomorrow。

值得注意的是，进行时表示在特定的时刻正在发生的活动，这是中英文里都有的含义。但英文的进行时态be doing表达的意义远不止于“正在发生的活动”这一个意思，要比汉语的“着”所表达的意义多很多。也就是说，英文的进行时态并不总是表示正在发生的动作，它有更多其他的意义和用法。我们将在接下来的三节中详细地分析比较进行时的各种用法。

8.1.3　进行时态的使用语境

进行时态因为往往强调在说话的时刻某活动正在发生，所以常用进行时态表达生动、具体的场景。而进行时态因为其表现生动，所以在口语中出现的频率远远高于书面语。笔者曾经看到过一个对口头和书面语篇的研究统计，结果表明进行时态在那些表明相互作用和联系的语篇中（即口语中）的出现频率要比那些没有相互作用和联系的语篇高得多。下面是这项统计结果：



正是因为这个原因，所以在讨论进行时态的意义和用法时，我们主要是通过大量的口语对话的例子来说明。比如笔者选用了很多电影对白作为例子，因为电影里人物之间的对白就是生动的日常口语。





8.2　现在进行时——不一定正在进行

8.2.1　用法一：说话时刻正在进行的动作（action happening exactly now）

现在进行时态是英文中使用较多的一个时态，尤其是在口语中频繁出现，所以下面我们都是通过口语对话的形式来展现现在进行时的丰富用法。首先，我们来看看下面这段电话交谈，这是两个大学生在谈论“租房（apartment hunting）”的事：

1　Jenny: Hello?

Frank: Hi, Jenny. What are you doing?

Jenny: Oh, hi, Frank. I'm doing my laundry. You?

Frank: I'm going to go look for an apartment downtown.

Jenny: Really? You aren't content in the suburbs?

Frank: Well, this neighborhood is really booming. It's not really a suburb any more.

Jenny: Yeah, it is getting crowded. Where are you looking for an apartment?

Frank: Probably near the train station. I'd like to use public transportation to get around.

Jenny: Hmm. I think you'll be hard pressed to find an affordable place there.

Frank: Really? Is the area expensive?

Jenny: Yes. And I know while you're not living in poverty, a college student still can't afford an apartment by the train station.

Frank: Well, OK, thanks for the advice!

Jenny: You're welcome.

精品译文

珍妮：喂？

兰克：你好，珍妮，你在干什么？

珍妮：你好，弗兰克，我正在洗衣服。你呢？

弗兰克：我打算去城区找房子。

珍妮：是吗？你对在市郊不满意了？

弗兰克：哦，这周边真的是越来越繁荣了，不能说是市郊了。

珍妮：是呀，变得越来越拥挤。你准备在找公寓呢？

弗兰克：很可能就在地铁旁边吧。我喜欢乘坐公共交通工具出行。

珍妮：嗯，我觉得要想在城区找到一套负担得起的房子，压力大呀。

弗兰克：是吗？那里的房租贵吗？

珍妮：当然贵啦。而且我知道，虽然你现在的生活还算可以，但是一个学生要想租地铁附近的公寓，那负担还是比较重的。

弗兰克：哦，是这样，谢谢你的建议。

珍妮：不客气。

现在进行时最典型的用法是表示在说话的时刻正在进行的动作（action happening at the time of speaking or exactly now）。比如在上面的对话中：

Frank: Hi, Jenny. What are you doing?

Jenny: Oh, hi, Frank. I'm doing my laundry. You?

妙语点睛

这里弗兰克问的就是此时此刻珍妮在干什么，珍妮现在正在洗衣服。

显然这里的现在进行时都是表示在他们打电话的时候，两人正在从事的活动。此外，上述对话当中其他的现在进行时（比如is booming）表示的是其他意义，我们将在后文中具体讨论。

我们再来看看下面这两个学生谈论考试的对话场景：

2　A: Hi, Kevin. Your roommate told me that I could find you in the TV lounge. What are you doing here?

B: What does it look like I am doing?

A: Well, it looks like you are watching television. But we have a linear algebra midterm （线性代数期中考试）tomorrow, so I thought you would be studying for it and maybe I can study with you.

B: Oh, well, I was just taking a break. This linear algebra stuff gives me a headache if I work on it too long.

妙语点睛

同样，上面四句话中的黑体部分：现在进行时are doing, am doing, are watching和be studying，都是表示在说话的时刻正在发生的动作。注意最后一个进行时be studying有些特殊，因为其前面有个情态动词would，所以用了动词原形be构成进行时。

精品译文

A：嗨，凯文，你的室友告诉我说能在休息室找到你。你在这干什么呢？

B：你瞧我在干什么？

A：噢，看来你正在看电视啊，可我们明天线性代数就要期中考试了。我本来还以为你正在看书学习呢，所以我来找你想和你一起学。

B：喔，我刚刚休息。线性代数看久了，这东西就让我头疼。

比如你去朋友家，发现他正在看电视，于是你问他在看什么电视节目：

3　A: What program are you watching?

B: I am watching Friends.

精品译文

A：你在看什么节目？

B：我在看《老友记》（一部很流行的美国情景喜剧）。

比如你打电话到朋友的办公室找他时，别人告诉你他正在接听另外一个电话：

4　A: May I speak to Clint?

B: No, sorry. He is not available now. He is talking on another phone.

精品译文

A：你好，我要找克林特听电话。

B：哦，对不起，他现在没空，因为他在另一个电话上。

再比如电话铃正在响：

5　A: The phone is ringing.

B: I'll get it.

精品译文

A：电话在响。

B：我去接。

告诉别人不要太吵，因为你正在学习：

6　Please don't make so much noise. I am studying. I can't concentrate.

请不要那么吵好吗？ 我在学习，这么吵，我无法集中注意力。

有人正在敲门：

7　Someone is knocking at the door. Can you answer it? 有人在敲门，你能去开一下吗？