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）"、"縮小（程度、尺寸等）"，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）"，多用于被動語態，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"，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）