作者：趙忠西
1. How does nature form a danger to people in the world and how can science help reduce that threat?
[問] reduce的主要用法有哪些?
[答] reduce意為"把......減少"、"降低（價格）"、"縮�。ǔ潭取⒊叽绲龋�"，是及物動詞。例如：
She reduced her weight by 6 kilograms. 她的體重減輕了6公斤。
The bike was reduced from 300 yuan to 200 yuan. 這輛自行車的價格從300元降到200元。
You must reduce your expenses. 你必須減少你的開支。
reduce還表示"使成為"、"使處于（某種狀態(tài)）"，多用于被動語態(tài)，且與介詞to連用。例如：
The house was reduced to ashes. 房子被燒成灰燼。
In the past, she was reduced to begging. 在過去，她被逼得去討飯。
2. Some people got into a total panic, when the typhoon pulled the roofs off their houses and cars went up in the air.
[問] get into a panic表示什么意思?
[答] get into a panic意為"進入恐慌狀態(tài)"，是固定搭配，可與about連用，引出原因。例如：
They got into a panic about the fire in the building. 他們因大樓起火而變得慌亂起來。
He got into a panic when he thought he'd forgotten the passport. 他想起忘了帶護照時，驚慌起來。
3. The sight of it awoke the scientist in my uncle to go and see it from closer at hand.
[問] at hand能用by hand替代嗎?
[答] 不能。 at hand意為"在近處"，是介詞短語，而by hand則表示"用手"。例如：
We live close at hand. 我們住在附近。
Fortunately there was someone at hand. 幸好附近有人。
This desk was made by hand. 這張桌子是手工制作的。
at hand還表示"在手邊"、"即將來到"，作狀語或表語。例如：
I haven't my dictionary at hand. 我的詞典不在手邊。
The examination is at hand. 考試即將來到。
4. With a tearing crash, tons of water fell upon the deck, as though the ship passed under a waterfall.
[問] as though的主要用法是什么?
[答] as though表示"好像"、"仿佛"，是連詞，引導方式狀語從句或表語從句。通常用來表示主觀想象或夸大性的比喻，從句謂語動詞常用虛擬語氣。該用法在本報第14期《貌似錯誤卻有理，別有用意表虛擬》中已講過，不再贅述。
as though引導表語從句時，若從句中的情況發(fā)生的可能性很大，從句謂語動詞用陳述語氣。例如：
The meat tastes as though it has already gone bad. 肉嘗起來好像已經壞了。
It looks as though we'll have to walk.看來我們得步行了。
第十單元易混詞語辨、練、析
作者：陳光明
一、escape; flee
1. Only two of the revolutionaries ________ from the prison.
2. The enemy ________ in disorder on hearing our guns.
3. No gas ________ from the pipe, but I still smelled something unusual.
4. We go south to ________ the winter.
5. Lu Zhishen killed his enemy and ________ his hometown to be a monk.
6. Luckily, there were a lot of people around and he ________ being drowned.
7. I'm afraid your name ________ me.
Key: 1. escaped 2. fled 3. escaped 4. escape 5. fled 6. escaped 7. escapes
【簡析】escape指安然"逃脫（走）；跑掉"，強調結果，一般為不及物動詞(如1)。用作及物動詞時，表示"逃避；避開危險或不愉快的事"（如4和6）或"被疏忽；遺漏；泄漏"（如3和7）。flee指"逃奔；逃走"，側重指逃走時的急促狀況，強調動作本身，不表明其結果。既可用作不及物動詞（如2），也可用作及物動詞（如5）。
二、awake; wake
1. I walked in quietly because I was afraid of ________ him.
2. Some students ________ read in bed.
3. His letter ________ old memories.
4. His father sat in the chair ________ all night.
5. When I ________ the sun was shining into the room.
6. You must stay ________ while you are on duty.
Key: 1. waking / awaking 2. awake 3. awoke 4. awake 5. woke / awoke 6. awake
【簡析】awake 用作形容詞時, 一般用作補足語、表語(如6)或表示伴隨狀況（如4），也可用作后置定語（如2）；用作動詞時，既可用作及物動詞，又可用作不及物動詞，但都不與up連用(如1和5)；作"醒來；弄醒"解，通常可與wake換用；作"喚起對......的回憶"解，不能用wake或wake up代替（如3）。wake較為通俗，既可作及物動詞，又可作不及物動詞，單獨使用或與up連用均可（如1和5）。
三、serious; severe
1. She was in ________ pain.
2. The bad harvest led to ________ food shortage.
3. Do you think that he is ________ about leaving his wife?
4. The underwater trials will provide the ________ test of the engine's capabilities.
5. Nothing ________ . Just a cold. Don't worry about me.
Key: 1. severe 2. severe 3. serious 4. severest 5. serious
【簡析】severe指"（傷害、痛苦、擔心、不舒適等的程度上）嚴重的；激烈的；劇烈的"(如1和2)，也可指（處理方式上、標準要求上）"嚴厲的；嚴格的；苛刻的"（如4）。serious作"嚴重的；嚴肅的"解時，強調須認真對待（如5）；也表示"認真的；并非開玩笑的"（如3）。
四、knock about; knock on; knock into
1. He returned home after he had ________ for ten years in Africa.
2. Please ________ the door before entering.
3. The old typewriter ________ the house for three years. It is of no use at all.
4. He ________ an old lady while walking in the street and fell over.
5. The prisoners are said to ________ there.
6. This kind of sense ________ their heads when they were children.
Key: 1. knocked about 2. knock on 3. has been knocking about 4. knocked into 5. have been knocked about 6. was knocked into
【簡析】knock about 既可作不及物動詞，表示"閑逛；漫游"（如1）或"放置在（不引人注意的地方）（如3）"；也可用作及物動詞，作"虐待"解（如5）。knock on中的on表示"敲打"的方向，可與at換用（如2）。knock into 表示"撞上"（如4），也表示"強行灌輸"（如6）