第一节 名词用法、实例与分析

英语中有些名词通常只有单数形式,即为不可数名词,考生切不可受汉语的影响。下列名词为不可数名:

advice/anger/applause/baggage/cake/chalk/chocolate/cloth/bread

/dama6e/equipment/truit/furniture/gold/informa- tion/ink/jewellery/luggage/mail( 邮 件 ) /money/ news/ paper/ protectionsoap/sugar/toothpaste/weaponry/machinery/scenery/personn el/work/ 如 果 要 表 达 汉 语 的 数 量 , 我 们 可 以 加a(n)piece(sheet,tube,item,bar,etc.)以表示一件(片,管,项,条,块等)

不可数名词可以与表示量的可数名词连用,借以表示“可数”的概念, 如:

a piece of advice( 一个建议) /a basket of fruiit/an item of information(一则信息)/a kind of protection。

  1. Ten years had passed.I found she had .

    1. a little white hair B)some white hair C)much white hair D)a few white hairs

D)为正确答案。有些不可数名以复数形式出现时,其含义会发生变化。“hair”本来是不可数名词,泛指“头发”,但变复数后意为“(可数的) 若干根头发”,其他的如 fruit 和 danage 等也有类似的用法

He bought apples, oranges and other fruits.("fruits"在此处意为“多种水果”)

The insurance company paid $10000in damages for the accident.("damage"本来为不可数名词“损害”,变复数后意思是“损失赔偿费”。)

单复数含义不同的名词还有:communication(通讯)——communications

(通讯系统,通讯工具);content(内容)——contents(目录);convenience

(便利)——conveniences(便利设备);humanity(人类)——humanites

(人文科学):necessity(需要)——necessities(必需品);pain(疼痛)——pains(辛劳);ruin(毁灭)——ruins(废墟,遗迹);sand(沙子)——sands(沙地);wood(木材)——woods(树林);work(工作)

——works(工厂,著作)。

另外,有些名词通常只用复数形式,如:fundamentals(基本原则), goods,means,rapids(急流),shorts,sweets,valuables(贵重物品)。

英语里有些名词的单复数变化较为特殊,需特别注意: analysis- analyses,hacterium-bacteria,crisis-crises,criterion- criteria,formula-formulae(或 formulas ) ,fungus-fungi,phenomenon-

phenomena

  1. In the 20th century chemists have learned to make of new compounds

    that never existed before.

    1. the thousand B)thousans

C)a thousand D)one thousand “thousand”以及“hundred”和“million”前若没有其他限定修饰时

(如“a few”、“one”、“ten”等),则要用复数形式,后面再加“of”, 表示不定数。“thousands of compounds”意为“数以千计的化合物”。再如:They were killed by thousands.他们被数以千计地杀害。

  1. Take an umbrella with you in case of .

    1. it rains B)the rain

C)rain D)raining

C)为正确答案。定冠词一般表特指,但本句中的“rain”并不专指哪一场雨,故不必在前加“the”。试比较:They walked out in the rain.

(特指那场雨)/a heavy rain(一场大雨)当数词和名词(有时后面再加表长短、大小的形容词)一起构成合成词修饰后面的名词时,其中的名词应用单数。比较:a three-year-old boy,three-mile-long walk。

  1. It is widely believed that the pull of gravity on a falling raindrop

    changes round shape into a teardrop shape 。

    1. of the drop B)the drop's C)drop of D)drops their

    2. 为正确答案。本句空白处缺限定词,和“round”一起修饰名词“shape”。 “drop”在此处为名词(水滴),它和后面的“(round)shape”有所属关系,故用所有格。