Chapter 5 动名词
5.1 动名词的作用（一）：作主语
5.1 动名词的作用（一）：作主语
与不定式作主语不同，动名词作主语一般直接放在句首，谓语动词用单数。只有在某些特定的句型中才会出现把动名词放在句末作主语，句首用it形式主语来指代的情况，这类似于不定式作主语的结构。在这一节里我们将分别对这两种情况进行讨论。
5.1.1 动名词位于句首作主语
动名词作主语一般直接放在句首，谓语动词用单数。请看例句：
1 Hating people is like burning down your own house to get rid of a rat.
妙语点睛 这个句子的主语是hating people这个动名词短语，而不是people这个名词，所以谓语动词要用单数形式的is。
讲到生别人的气，有一次我和一个外国朋友在网上聊天时，他说的一句话很有哲理，给我的印象非常深刻。他说：
2 Getting mad at others means other people are getting control of my emotions!
所以，下次当你要对某人生气的时候，你就在心里问问自己：我宁愿让别人来控制我的情绪吗？如果不愿意，那我为什么还如此“惦念”他呢？因此要赶快把那个让你憎恨的人从你的大脑里赶走（take him/her out of your mind），不要让他占据你的心灵，把他忘掉（Forget）！如果实在不能忘掉，那怎么办？那就努力做到第二个“F”——Forgive（宽容，宽恕）。戴尔·卡耐基（Dale Carnegie）说：Instead of getting mad at people, let's try to understand them. Let's try to figure out why they do what they do. That's a lot more profitable and intriguing than criticism; and it breeds sympathy, tolerance and kindness. “To know all is to forgive all.”（与其对别人生气，不如我们尽力去理解他们，搞清楚他们为什么这么做。这远比批评他们要有利和有意思得多，可以让我们去同情、容忍和仁慈，因为“理解一切，就能宽容一切”。）所以，当自己要生气、发怒的时候，我们不妨记住这两个“F”——Forget 和 Forgive，让自己学会忘记，不要让愤怒的坏情绪占据自己的心灵，哪怕只是一分钟！同时让自己学会宽容。真正做到“我的快乐，我做主”！
近几年，中国在环境污染、气候变化等问题上，经常遭到西方国家的指责。下面这句话是英国一个非政府组织代表批评西方政府在气候变化问题上对中国的态度。2007年12月3日，联合国气候变化大会在印尼的巴厘岛开幕，就在会议开幕的当天，这个组织发布的报告认为，在气候变化问题上指责中国实际上是在转移话题，分散人们对于西方自身责任的注意力。关于这个问题，请看下面的例句：
3 Using the mass media to point the finger at China will not help get the global deal we need to avert climate change disaster. Not only have rich countries historically caused the problem, but they are also importing emissions from the developing world.
下面这句话道出了外语学习的关键：
4 A: I studied French in high school but I never really learned it until I spent the summer in Paris.
B: Really using a language makes all the difference, doesn't it?
妙语点睛 这个句子的主语是really using a language这个动名词短语，这是动名词具有名词特征的一个体现。另外，using前面带有一个修饰语，即副词really，这又是动名词具有动词特征的一个体现，即动词可以被副词修饰。
其实，学习外语的关键在于“运用”，这里的“运用”不仅仅是用它来阅读，更重要的是用它来进行口头及书面的交流，否则学了也会很快忘记或荒废，这就叫“Use it or lose it!”。
我们再来看其他例句：
5 Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength; while loving someone deeply gives you courage.
妙语点睛 这里第一个句子是动名词的被动结构作主语，副词deeply修饰动名词，同样是动名词具有动词特征的体现。
6 No man is an isolated island. Your circle of friends is there to give you moral support. Spending time and engaging in worthwhile activities with them could give you a very satisfying feeling. Nothing feels better than having group support.
此外，在各类考试中经常会出现动名词作主语的考题，比如下面这两道TOEFL题：
7 ______ by transferring the blame to others is often called scapegoating.
A. The eliminated problems B. Eliminating problems
C. Eliminate problems D.Problems are eliminated
正确答案 B。
妙语点睛 谓语动词是单数的is，选项A是复数的主语，因此排除。C和D都有谓语，是一个完整的句子，但我们这里只缺主语。所以B正确，即动名词短语作主语。
8 ______ to inanimate objects, such as machines, is a form of animism.
A. When attributing emotion B. Attributing emotion
C. Emotion is attributed D.If emotion is attributed
正确答案 B。
妙语点睛 谓语动词是单数的is，句子缺少主语，因此空格处要填入一个名词性短语来充当主语。选项A有连词when，C是一个完整的句子，D有连词if，所以均不正确。因此B正确，即动名词短语作主语。
5.1.2 动名词位于句末作主语
上面刚刚讲过，作主语的动名词通常直接放在句首，这样的位置关系与习惯于放在句末作主语的不定式不同。不过，有时候我们也可以把动名词放在句末作主语，但这一般仅限于某些特定的句型。英文中有几个动名词后置作主语的固定句型，现列举如下：
一、句型一：it is no good/no use doing sth.
表示“干某事没有用”。这里的it只是形式主语，真正的主语是句末的动名词短语doing sth.。其中，no good可替换为any/some good, any/some/no use以及a waste of time等。请看例句：
1 It's no use crying over spilt milk.
妙语点睛 本句的字面意思是“牛奶被打翻了，再去哭是没有用的”，就相当于汉语说的“覆水难收（Spilt water cannot be gathered up again.）”或“后悔没用”。
再看下面这个笑话：
2 When Helen was visiting an old aunt she had not seen for years, she saw a parrot on a perch in the corner of the room.
“Oh, what a lovely parrot you’ve got. Hello, Polly. Who's a pretty boy, then. Hello, Polly.”
“It's no use talking to that parrot.”
“Why?”joked Helen. “Is it tongue-tied （结巴的）?”
“No,”said the aunt. “It's stuffed!”
3 Is it any good trying to explain?
4 It's not much use my buying salmon if you don't like fish.
5 It's simply a waste of time and money seeing that movie.
再来看下面这两个笑话：
6 Bobby: You’re impossible, Claire. It's a waste of time talking to you. You’re so stupid.
Dad: Stop upsetting your little sister. Say you’re sorry.
Bobby: OK. Claire?
Claire: What?
Bobby: I’m sorry you’re stupid!
妙语点睛 我们看到，这里的it's a waste of time后面接有动名词talking。这个笑话通过sorry的双关意思来制造幽默：sorry既可以表示“向某人道歉”，也可以表示某人因为某事而感到遗憾或失望。所以，say you’re sorry是父亲要求Bobby向妹妹道歉，而Bobby说I’m sorry you’re stupid! 则是表示“我很遗憾你竟然这么笨！”
7 A: For goodness sake! You are SO stupid. It's a waste of time trying to explain it to you. You’re the closest thing to a complete idiot!
B: Oh! So you want me to move away from you, do you?
妙语点睛 我们看到，这里的it's a waste of time后面接有动名词trying。理解这个笑话的关键在于the closest thing to a complete idiot。A的意思是“你几乎是一个十足的白痴”，即把closest理解成“接近，几乎是”；B则是按字面意思理解成“你现在是离一个大笨蛋最近的人”，这就是说A是complete idiot，所以B问道：“你是想让我离你远点？”
二、句型二：there is no point/use/good (in) doing sth.
表示“干某事没有必要/没有意义”，“干某事没有用”。请看例句：
8 There is no point in my going out to date someone. I might really like if I met him at the time, but who, right now, has no chance of being anything to me but a transitional man.
9 There is no use your arguing with him.
再看下面这两个笑话：
10 A boy fell from a tree and hit his head. In the ambulance, the doctor asked him his name.
“What's your name, young man?”
“Why?”asked the boy.
“So that we can tell your family.”
“But there's no point in doing that. They already know my name!”
11 A giant American car sped into a sleepy English village. The driver rolled down his window and shouted to a villager.
“Tell me. Am I on the right road to William Shakespeare's house?”
“Yes, but there's little use in hurrying to get there.”
“Why?”
“He's dead! He died years ago.”
三、句型三：there is no doing sth.
意思相当于it's impossible to do sth. 或we can't do sth.，表示“不可能做某事”。请看例句：
12 There is no telling what will happen tomorrow.
13 There's no knowing the future.
=It's impossible to know the future.
=We can't know the future.
此外还有：there is no denying the fact that...，there is no gainsaying the fact that...，意思都是“毋庸置疑”。
思维总结
本节介绍了动名词作主语的两种结构：一是放在句首，此时的谓语要用单数形式；二是放在句末，此时只适用于特定的句型结构中。读者需要记住这些句型结构。
思维训练5.1 Key
1. 把下面括号中的汉语句子译成正确的英文。
“Eye-Q”quiz
When caring for your eyes, it's important to know the facts. Try taking this short quiz to discover your “eye-Q”.
True or False?
1. ______________________________ （长时间看电脑屏幕） damages your eyes.
False. Prolonged use of computer screens can certainly cause tired eyes and headaches, but it will not damage your eyesight.
2. _____________________________________（吃胡萝卜） will improve your eyesight.
False. Carrots do not improve existing eyesight. They do contain vitamin A, which your eyes need, but an overall balanced diet is more essential for good eyesight.
3. _______________________________________（在昏暗的灯光下看书） will harm your eyes.
False. __________________________________ （在昏暗的灯光下看书） can cause your eyes to become irritated and tired, but no permanent damage will occur. Try resting your eyes from time to time and read in good lighting.
4. If you start wearing glasses, your eyes will get worse.
False. Some people claim that ______________________ （戴眼镜） has made their eyes worse. No evidence exists for this concern. Some far-sighted people, however, may depend on their glasses more than other eyeglass users.
5. _____________________________________（长久阅读小字会伤眼） will hurt your eyes.
False. ________________________ （长久阅读小字会伤眼） will only cause eye fatigue, not lasting damage. To rest your eyes, try looking out the window or at something far away.
6. ________________________（不戴眼镜） can make your eyesight worse.
False. You will not harm your eyes by forgetting to use your eyeglasses. Young children with strong prescriptions, however, should always wear their glasses. This helps their eye muscles develop correctly.
二、选择最佳答案填空。
7. It's no use ______ me not to worry.
A. you tell B. your telling C.for you to have told D.having told
8. It's no good ______ money on make-up.
A. of you to waste B. for you to waste C.to waste D.your wasting
9. It's no good ______ me. You’d better ______ someone else.
A. to ask/to try B. to ask/try C.asking/tried D.asking/try
10. ______ what John will be doing next.
A. No saying B. There's no to say C.There's no saying D.Not to say
11. There is ______ that this has been a difficult year for the company.
A. not to deny B. not denying C.no denying D.without denying
12. It's a waste of time ______ with such a silly fellow.
A. trying to reason B. tried to reason C.for trying to reason D.to trying reasoning
13. There was ______ telling how much work we had done by the time you came that morning.
A. not B. hardly C.no D.not any
14. It is ______ for him any longer; we might as well go without him.
A. not use to wait B. no use of waiting C.no use waiting D.no use to wait