Unit 24

1. I'd also like to congratulate you on your good work
in these two years. 我也想祝贺你这两年来所作出的成就。
congratulate sb. on sth. 意为“因为……祝贺某人；暗
自庆幸”，如：
We congratulated Michael on his success.
我们祝贺迈克尔的成功。
I congratulated myself on escaping being knocked
down by the car.
我暗自庆幸自己没被那辆车撞倒。
比较名词congratulation的用法：
Let's offer Eileen our congratulations on her
winning the first prize.
让我们祝贺艾琳获得一等奖。(注意congratulation常用复
数形式)

2. I'm afraid I'm still not very good at it, though.
虽然如此，恐怕我的汉语还是不太好。
过去我们学习过though作为从属连词引导的让步状语从句。
在本句中though是副词，意为“虽然；但是”。试比较两种
though的用法：
Though it was raining hard, the players didn't stop
the game.
虽然雨下得很大，球员们没有停止比赛。
It was raining hard. The players didn't stop the
game, though.
雨下得很大。虽然如此，球员们并没有停止比赛。
He didn't attend the ceremony though he said he
would.
虽然他说他要参加开幕式，但是他并没有来。
He said that he would attend the opening ceremony,
he didn't, though.
他说他将参加开幕式，可他没来。
Though it is already autumn, it is rather hot.
虽然已是秋天了，还是很热。
It is autumn already; it is rather hot, though.
早已是秋天了，可是还相当热。
注意though作为副词使用时需用逗号与前面的句子隔开，
一般放在句末。

3. It's a pity you missed the sports meeting last
night. 真可惜，你没看昨天晚上的运动会。
It's a pity... 用于对可惜或遗憾的事发表感叹，后面常
接动词不定式或that从句，如：
It's a pity for us to have wasted so much time.
It's a pity that we wasted so much time.
我们浪费了这么多的时间，真可惜。
It's a pity to be kept in the house in such fine
weather.
这样好的天气不能出去，真可惜。
It's a pity that he can't swim.
他不会游泳，真可惜。

4. I'd like to invite you to dinner before you go.
我想邀请你吃了饭再走。
invite sb. to do sth. 意为“邀请某人做某事”，如：
The chairman invited me to give my opinion.
主席让我发表意见。
He was invited to stay for supper.
他被邀请留下来吃晚饭。

5. I read about you in the newspaper.
我在报纸上看到了你的情况。
read about 意为“读到有关……的内容”，如：
I've read all about the accident in the newspaper.
我已在报纸上读到了有关这次事故的所有内容。
about表示有关某方面，常见的类似的结构有：
know about 了解有关
learn about 得知有关
hear about 听说有关
forget about 忘记有关
talk about 谈论有关

6. I've travelled many miles and I'm very glad I made
the effort.
我远道而来，但是我很高兴我没有白跑。
make...effort 努力，此句中the effort指努力的结果、
做成的事。如：
Finishing the work in one day is an great effort.
一天干完这活是很了不起的事。
effort既是可数名词，也是不可数名词，它可以构成许多
词组，如：
She is sure to make a special effort for you.
她肯定会为你作出特殊努力的。
I'll make no effort to help Sophia.
我不会努力去帮助索菲娅。
We will spare no efforts to prevent them from
taking this step.
我们会不遗余力地阻止他们采取这一步骤。
The old dying woman wrote down her will with (an)
effort.
垂死的老妇人艰难地写下了她的遗嘱。
The weight-lifter lifted the rock without effort.
举重者轻而易举地举起了大石头。
He crawled and crawled with difficulty in an effort
to save the boy in danger.
他艰难地爬啊，爬啊，为的是救出险境中的那个男孩。

7. At present I'm giving a lot of concerts.
现在我还要开许多场音乐会。
at present意为“现在；眼下”。present是一个名词、形
容词，也是动词。作为名词和形容词，其读音为[}prezDnt]；
作为动词，其读音为[pri}zent]。作为名词意为“礼物”，与
gift同义，也可以表示“现在”，如本课的词组 at present。
作为形容词，意为“现在的”、“ 到场的”、或“出席的”。
作为动词使用，意为“授予”、“给”。如：
He was pleased to see so many people present at his
lecture.
看到这么多的人出席他的讲座他很高兴。
Carbon is present in many minerals.
碳存在于许多矿物之中。
Up to the present day I haven't found the solution
to this problem.
直到现在我还没有找到这个问题的答案。
We should live in the present, not in the past.
我们应该生活在现在，而不是过去。
Upon graduation, they presented the school with a
big mirror.
临近毕业时，他们送给学校一面镜子。
Some Young Pioneers presented some flowers to the
visiting president.
一些少先队员向来访总统献了鲜花。
在本单元中，at present是一个固定词组，相当于now，又
如：
I cannot meet him at present.
我眼下不能见他。
At present they are living in Cairo.
他们现在住在开罗。

8. I'm planning to start a school, so I'm trying to
save as much as possible. 
我打算开办一所学校，所以我在尽可能地努力节省钱。
1) 注意planning双写n。
2) 句中的as much money as possible也可以写成money
as much as possible。因为money 是不可数名词，所以用as
much as possible。如果是可数名词，常用as many as。如果
强调“少”，与之对应的有as few as possible, as little
as possible，同样要注意可数与不可数的区别，如：
You should spend as much time as possible in
studying now.
你现在应该尽可能在学习上多花时间。
At that time I always bought as many books as
possible.
那时，我总是尽可能地多买书。
As I'm going on a diet, I have to eat as little as
possible.
我正在节食，得尽可能少吃。
It's not a good policy to speak as few words as
possible.
尽量少说并不是上策。

9. Unfortunately it will cost a lot of money.
遗憾的是，这要花很大一笔钱。
此句中cost是动词，意为“花费；使付出代价”。cost 是
一个不规则动词，其过去式和过去分词还是 cost。cost不可用
于被动语态。cost 作动词使用时主要接名词、代词作宾语，也
可接双宾语结构，如：
It costs them too much money to run a car.
他们使用一部小汽车的费用太高。
I think the drinks cost too much.
我认为饮料太贵了。
Careless driving may cost you your life.
粗心开车会使你丧生。
His uncle was in charge of his living costs after
his parents died.
父母过世后，他的叔叔负责他的生活费。
Let's share the cost, shall we?
我们共同分担费用，好不好?

10. ...but none of the banks I spoke to were interested.
但我所去的银行都不感兴趣。
none 作为代词可指代可数名词或不可数名词，其后面的谓
语动词需注意前后一致，如：
None of the telephone sets is/are working.
电话机全坏了。
None of his family members are teachers.
他们家没有一个教师。
None of the books is a good one.
这里没好书。
None of the food is delicious.
这食品一点都不好吃。

11. Could I drop in at your house after the concert,...
我可不可以在音乐会后去你家拜访……
drop in意为“顺便拜访”。drop in at 表示拜访某地，
drop in on表示拜访某人，暗含不打招呼便拜访的意思，如：
My husband's friends often drop in to have a meal.
我丈夫的朋友常来吃便饭。
I dislike dropping in on others.
我不喜欢不打招呼便去拜访人家。
On the way to the suburbs, we dropped in at a
bookstore.
在去郊区的路上，我们顺便去了书店。

12. He just asked me to come round for supper.
他只是叫我过来吃晚饭。
come round意为“非正式地访问；绕弯路；再次来临；改
变观念”，是一个多义词组，如：
The streets were blocked, so we had to come round
through lanes.
街道被封锁了，我们只好绕小巷过来。
Will you come round and see me sometime next week?
你下周什么时候顺路来看我好吗?
Thanksgiving Day will soon come round.
感恩节就要来临了。
He will never come round to others' way of thinking.
他从不会屈从于别人的观点。

13. Dad, when you sent me to Paris to see if I could
really earn a living as a painter, I stayed at Zhang 
Jie's flat for three months.
爸爸，你把我送到巴黎，想看看我能否真正以绘画谋生，
那时候我就住在郑杰的那套房间里，住了三个月。
earn a living意为“谋生”，与make a living同义，也
可以说earn/make one's bread，如：
He earned his living as a fisherman.
他靠打鱼为生。
David began to make/earn his bread/living by
delivering newspapers in his neighbourhood.
大卫是通过给邻居送报纸开始谋生的。

14. I didn't have any money the last time I saw you.
上次我看见你时我身无分文。
the last time引导的是一个时间状语从句。具体用法请参
阅Unit 18 Lesson 71，7。

15. Now let's drink to the success of your school!
现在，咱们为你办学成功，干杯!
drink to意为“为……干杯；为……祝酒”，如：
Let's drink to our host.
让我们为主人干杯。
I'll drink to your good luck.
我为你干杯，祝你好运。
The guests drank (a toast) to his good fortune.
客人们为他的好运干杯。
如果是为某人的健康干杯，既可用drink to one's
health，也可以用drink one's health，如：
We must drink (to) the health of the bride and
bride-groom.
我们必须为新郎新娘的健康干杯。