问英语｜英语常见问题解答

on²

a knock on/at

问

Just then there was a knock on the door.

我认为 a knock on the door 是错误的,应改为 a knock at the door。

答

a knock 之后通常接 at, 但有时也接 on。例如：

There was a knock at the door and in came Susan. 有敲门声,走进来的是苏珊。
She gave two knocks on the door. (CLD) 她在门上敲了两下。

on³

问

——Would you like to join our team? ——How many people are there ____ your basketball team?

A. on B. in C. with D. at

《新高考英语必考语法精析》(商务印书馆国际有限公司, p.71) 给的答案是 A, 并解释说“[on + 运动队]表示为该运动队成员”。我发现这个答案与我们课本上的用法相违背。

答

在现代英语中, in the team 与 on the team 意思相同。故选项 A 和 B 都是正确的, 建议今后不要再出此类试题, 见 team $^{2}$ 。

on⁴

问

Farmland is being lost for several reasons. First, it is being built on.

句中的介词 on 的用法和意义我感到很陌生,不知道它是怎么冒出来的,而且 on 之后又没有它的宾语。

答

当介词宾语变成被动句的主语时,这个介词必须保留下来(参见 agree on, look at $^{1}$ , subject of passive sentences):

They are building (houses) on farmland. → Farmland is being built on. (耕地上在搞建筑。)
The nurses are taking good care of the children. $\rightarrow$ The children are being taken good care of. (孩子们被很好地照料着。)

on⁵

问

On arriving at the shore, the girl struggled up the cliff towards the light she had seen. (New Concept English, Book 2, L. 33)

[原译 1] 当姑娘到了岸边后, 她奋力爬上悬崖, 朝她看见的灯光爬去。[《新概念英语》(2), 朗文出版公司、世界图书出版公司, 1993, p. 138]

[原译2]到达岸边后，姑娘朝着她看到的灯光方向挣扎着往峭壁上爬去。（《新概念英语》新版第二册，外研社，p.154）从译文看，on arriving = after arriving。是否可以这样理解？

答

不能这样来理解。on + 动名词(或表动作的名词)这个结构表示它所表达的动作刚一发生或完成,句子谓语所表达的动作便接着发生。它相当于 as soon as 引导的时间状语从句。例如：

On reaching the city, he called up Lester. (Dreiser) 他一到达那个城市，就给莱斯特打了电话。
I shall write to A. P. Watt on hearing from you. (Yeats) 我一收到你的来信, 将立即给 A. P. 瓦特写信。
On arriving in England, they were taken to the Crystal Palace by train. (New Concept English, Book 2, L.80) 他们一到英国便乘火车去水晶宫。
On entering a shop, he would ask for a new perfume called 'Scented Shadow' or for 'insoluble bath cubes.' (New Concept English, Book 3, L. 52) 一走进商店，他就立即询问叫做“香影”的新型香水或是“不溶浴皂”。
On his return from Europe, Lester set to work in earnest. (Dreiser) 莱斯特刚一从欧洲回来，便开始认真地工作。
On his arrival at the airport he was greeted by the Prime Minister. 他一到达机场便受到总理的欢迎。
We demand cash on delivery. (RCD) 我们要求货到付款。

而 after + 动名词结构只表示“在……之后”，而不表示另一动作紧接其后发生。例如：

After sending you that letter I recollected how stupid I was. (Yeats) 当我把那封信寄给你之后我才想到自己有多傻。
She put forward the suggestion to the director, who, after discussing it with other comrades, decided to accept. 她将建议交给了主任，主任与其他同志讨论后决定采纳。
After crossing the equator, the captain called in at a port to have a new rudder fitted, but by now the Thermopylae was over five hundred miles ahead. (New Concept English, Book 3, L.25) 越过赤道后，船长让船进港装新舵，但此时瑟摩皮拉号已经领先五百多英里了。

练习

____ entering the hall he found everyone waiting for him.
1. A
  At
2. B
  While
3. C
  On
4. D
  In(Nelson,300C)
____ seeing the damage he had done, the child felt ashamed.
1. A
  By
2. B
  On
3. C
  At
4. D
  For(全国四级,99.1-52)

on⁶

问

Like Lenin, Mao Zedong, on coming to power, continued to develop his ideas in a context different from that within which he had operated while in opposition.

[原译1]如同列宁一样，在夺取政权的过程中，毛泽东不断地发展着自己的思想。先前的思想，后来由于条件变得相反了，他便发展它。（《剑桥中华人民共和国史》，海南出版社版）

[原译2]像列宁一样,为了夺取政权,毛泽东在继续发展他的思想。以前的条件下形成的思想,后来情况不同了,变得相反了,他就发展它。(中国社科出版社版)

原译 1 将 on coming to power 译为“在夺取政权的过程中”，原译 2 则将其译为“为了夺取政权”，请问哪个译法是正确的？

答

上面两个译文都误解了介词短语 on coming to power 的含义。正确的译法应当是：“一取得政权”。详细的情形，见 on $^{5}$ 。

[试译]毛泽东,同列宁一样,一取得政权,便在与在野时不同的环境下继续发展他的思想。①

on/about 见 about $^{2}$

on/in the street 见 street