Chapter 4 不定式
4.3 不定式的作用（二）：作宾语(动词+to do)
4.3 不定式的作用（二）：作宾语(动词+to do)
我们在这里重点探讨的是不定式作宾语时在句中的位置特点。不定式作宾语，一般具有三种可能的结构：一是“动词+to do”，二是“动词+疑问词+to do”，三是“动词+it+宾语补足语+to do”。
4.3.1 结构一：动词+to do
不定式可以直接跟在一个及物动词后面作宾语，这时句子有以下两个特点：
第一，句子的主语和不定式的逻辑主语是一致的，即两个动词所表示的动作都是由全句主语发出的。
第二，这时句子的谓语动词多是描写态度，不定式的动词则说明行为。
1 I hope to see you again.
2 This company refused to cooperate with us.
3 He promised not to tell anyone about it.
在各类考试中，经常会考查动词的后面是接不定式还是接动名词，比如：
4 Why should anyone bother ______ his treasure to help a stranger?
A. risking to lose B. to risk losing C.risking losing D.to risk to lose
正确答案 B。
妙语点睛 bother后面须接不定式，而risk后面须接动名词，故B正确。
英语中常需要接不定式作宾语的动词有（具体词义和用法请查词典）：afford, agree, appear, arrange, ask, attempt, beg, begin, bother, care, choose, consent, dare, decide, determine, expect, fail, forget, happen, hate, help, hesitate, hope, intend, learn, like, love, manage, mean, neglect, offer, prefer, prepare, pretend, promise, propose, refuse, regret, remember, seem, start, swear, trouble, try, want, wish等。
4.3.2 结构二：动词+疑问词+to do
在一些动词之后，可以在连接代词（what, who, which）或连接副词（how, when, where）及连词whether后面接一个带to的不定式，我们可以将这种结构看成是连词引导的宾语从句的简略形式。事实上，这些连词都是由相应的疑问词转化而来的，其中whether对应于一般疑问句。请看例句：
1 I wonder who to invite (=who I should invite).
2 I don't know whether to answer his letter.
以上例句中的不定式充当动词的宾语。有时不定式充当动词的直接宾语，比如：
3 Show us what to do (=what we must do).
在一本书的前言里，作者这么写道：
4 Wherever you are in life, your habits determine 95% of your thoughts, feelings and actions. This book shows you how to develop the lifelong habits for great success.
妙语点睛 这里的不定式短语how to develop the lifelong habits for great success是在谓语动词show后面充当直接宾语，you作间接宾语。
5 Every aspect of our life is determined by our habits, including relationships with those we love. This book teaches you how to acquire new habits that can help improve your relationships automatically!
妙语点睛 这里的不定式短语how to acquire new habits...在谓语动词teach后面充当直接宾语，you作间接宾语。
类似的动词（短语）还有：ask, consider, decide, discover, explain, forget, find out, guess, imagine, know, learn, observe, remember, see, tell, teach, think, understand, wonder等等。
4.3.3 结构三：动词+it+宾语补足语+to do
在“谓语动词+宾语+宾语补足语”这样的结构中，如果宾语由一个不定式充当，此时的不定式不能直接放在谓语动词后面，而需要变成这样的结构：“动词+it+宾语补足语+to do”。也就是说此时作宾语的不定式被后置，放在了宾语补足语的后面，而用it作形式宾语放在谓语后面作宾语。请看例句：
1 I think it hard to answer the question in one go.
妙语点睛 这里的it是形式宾语，它指代不定式短语to answer the question in one go这个真正的宾语。形容词hard是宾语补足语。
2 He feels it challenging to be a marketing supervisor.
妙语点睛 这里的it是形式宾语，它指代不定式短语to be a marketing supervisor这个真正的宾语。形容词challenging是宾语补足语。
3 Every reader finds himself. The writer's work is merely a kind of optical instrument that makes it possible for the reader to discern what, without this book, he would perhaps never have seen in himself.
妙语点睛 在这个that引导的从句（that makes it possible for the reader to discern...）中，it是形式宾语，它指代不定式短语for the reader to discern...这个真正的宾语。形容词possible是宾语补足语。
类似的结构还有：
4 There are over 100 night schools in the city, making it possible for a professional to be re-educated no matter what he does.
我们再来看一道TOEFL考题：
5 Using many symbols makes ______ to put a large amount of information on a single map.
A. possible B. it is possible C.it possible D.that possible
正确答案 C。
妙语点睛 本题考查的就是作宾语的不定式后置的结构。D选项中的that不正确，因为不能用that来指代不定式。
请读者再来看下面这个例句：
6 The computer makes possible a marvelous leap in human proficiency.
妙语点睛 我们看到，这句话的谓语makes后面没有形式宾语it。为什么呢？原来后面的宾语不是不定式，而是一个名词短语a marvelous leap in human proficiency。由此得出结论：被后置的宾语如果是不定式，则需要it作形式宾语；如果被后置的宾语是名词短语，则不需要it作形式宾语。
再来比较：
7 1） The development of steel nibs makes it possible to develop pens.
2） The development of steel nibs makes possible the development of pens.
妙语点睛 在例句1）中，宾语是to develop pens这个不定式，且被后置了，所以在原来宾语的位置需要有一个形式宾语it。在例句2）中，宾语是the development of pens这个名词短语，且被后置了，所以在原来宾语的位置不需要有形式宾语it。
8 1） The development of steel nibs makes it possible that people can develop pens.
2） Many people consider impossible what really is possible.
妙语点睛 在例句1）中，that引导的从句that people can develop pens充当make的宾语，被后置了，此时原来宾语的位置有一个形式宾语it。在例句2）中，what引导的从句what really is possible充当consider的宾语，被后置了，此时原来宾语的位置没有形式宾语it。
综上所述，我们可以得出这个结论：在“动词+宾语+宾语补足语”的结构中，当宾语被后置，即变成“动词+宾语补足语+宾语”这样的结构时，在动词后面是否需要形式宾语it，取决于宾语的构成形式。如果宾语是动词不定式或that引导的从句，则需要形式宾语it；如果宾语是名词短语或what引导的从句，则不需要形式宾语it。请认真分析下列例句：
9 This calls into question all of our cultural assumptions that gay men are feminine.
妙语点睛 这里calls的宾语是名词短语all of our cultural assumptions that gay men are feminine，介词短语into question作宾语补足语，所以在calls后面不需要形式宾语it。
10 Thus, the anthropological concept of “culture”, like the concept of “set”in mathematics, is an abstract concept which makes possible immense amounts of concrete research and understanding.
图解难句
妙语点睛 这是考研翻译真题。这里makes的宾语是名词短语immense amounts of concrete research and under-standing，所以在makes后面不需要形式宾语it。
在下面的例句中都需要形式宾语it：
11 They want to make it clear to the public that they do an important and necessary job.
妙语点睛 这里make的宾语是that引导的从句that they do an important and necessary job，所以在原来宾语的位置需要有代词it来指代这个宾语。形容词短语clear to the public作宾语补足语被提前，从而分隔了动词与其宾语。
12 There are those who consider it questionable that these defense-linked research projects will account for an improvement in the standard of living or, alternately, do much to protect our diminishing resources.
妙语点睛 这里consider的宾语是从句that these defense-linked research projects will account for an improvement in the standard of living or, alternately, do much to protect our diminishing resources，所以在原来宾语的位置需要有代词it来指代这个宾语。形容词questionable作宾语补足语被提前，从而分隔了动词与其宾语。
13 The panel has not yet reached agreement on a crucial question, however, whether to recommend legislation that would make it a crime for private funding to be used for human cloning.
妙语点睛 这里make的宾语是不定式短语for private funding to be used for human cloning，所以在原宾语的位置需要有代词it来指代这个宾语。名词a crime作宾语补足语被提前，从而分隔了动词与其宾语。
思维总结
本节讨论了不定式作宾语时在句中的三种位置关系，这三种结构都是非常常见的，尤其是第一种和第三种结构更为常见。
思维训练4.2-4.3 Key
一、选择最佳答案填空。
1. Sometimes ______ to place physics and chemistry into separate categories.
A. that is difficult B. is difficult C.it is difficult D.that it is difficult
2. The teachers don't know ______ to start and run a school.
A. what it takes B. what they take C.what does it take D.what takes
3. Because air is highly compressible, ______ to define a clear upper boundary of the atmosphere.
A. it is impossible B. impossible is C.so the impossible D.is the impossibility
4. The Homestead Act of 1862 ______ to acquire land at a small cost.
A. made possible B. made it possible C.made the possibility D.possibly made
5. To what extent will future scientific discoveries ______ possible the lengthening of the human life?
A. be made B. make it C.make D.be made it
6. X-rays are able to pass through objects and thus make ______ details that are otherwise impossible.
A. it visible B. them visible C.visibly D.visible
7. Digital recording has made ______ a significantly wider dynamic range in recorded music.
A. for the possibility B. the possibility is C.it is possible D.possible
8. The discovery of the halftone process in photography in 1881 made ______ photographs in books and newspapers.
A. the possible reproduction B. possible to reproduce
C. it possible to reproduce D.possibly reproduced
9. She was glad that her success would ______ for the women who would follow.
A. make things easier B. make it easier C.be easier D.be easier to make
10. Moreover, inaccurate or indefinite words may make ______ difficult for the listener to understand the message which is being transmitted to him.
A. that B. it C.so D.this
11. The specialized nature of anthropological research makes ______ that various groups of people be studied to determine their similarities and differences.
A. imperative B. it imperative C.it is imperative D.it is an imperative
二、辨别改错。
12. The invention of fresh【A】 metaphors today continues to【B】 make it possible【C】 the vivid expression【D】 of emotions.
13. A microphone enables musical【A】 tones to be amplified【B】, thus making it possible【C】 the gentle renditions of soft【D】 songs in large halls.
14. Government money appropriated for art【A】 in the 1930's made it possible【B】 hundreds of murals and statues still admired【C】 in small towns all over【D】 the United States.
三、分析下列句子结构，并译成中文。
15. All these made it impossible for the individual scientist to deal with the huge mass of new data, techniques and equipment that were required for carrying out research accurately and efficiently.