2．Before从句中谓语不用否定式。（同样也可理解成“在…..之前”）

Texan: Back home on my ranch（大农场） I can get in my car at dawn, drive all day,

and it’ll be dark before I reach the end of my property.（财产）

Vermonter: I had a car like that once.

Texan：在我老家里的大农场里我一大早上车，开一整天，还没到达另一边前天就会黑下来。

Vermonter：我也曾经有一辆那样的汽车。

注：本来想吹自己农场大，对方却说自己的车破。

3．It will be + 段时间 + before…..多久之后才…..（在…..之前）

"It will be years -- not in my time -- before a woman will become Prime Minister." -- Margaret Thatcher, 1974.

还要过很多年女人才能当上首相，但我是看不到了——撒其尔＿1974

注：这是英国首相撒其尔年轻时的言论，后来她不仅看到了，而且是自己成了英国女首相。

4．Since从句的谓语动词一般是非延续性动词，主句的谓语动词是延续性的或者是反复发生过的。Since从句的时态若是一般过去式，相应地，主句中的时态是现在完成时或现在完成进行式。如：

Angry librarian: Please be quite. The people near you can’t read.

Little boy: Why, they ought to be ashamed of themselves. I’ve been able to read since I was six.

生气的图书管理员：请安静。挨着你的人看不了书了。

小男孩：他们真应该感到害羞，我六岁时就能读了。

A young man hadnt handed in one homework assignment since they started the class.

“Won’t you please do tonight’s assignment?”

“What? And ruin a perfect record?”

从开课以来，有个年轻人从没交过作业。

“你不做今晚的作业吗”？

“什么？要毁掉一个完美的记录吗”？

5．在“it is + 段时间 + since从句”句型中，时间的计算一律从since从句的动作完成或状态结束时算起。

It is three years since the war broke out.

It is three years since she was in our class.

It is three years since she lived here.

It is three years since I smoked a cigar (=since I stopped smoking a cigar)

It is three years since I began to smoke.

五、every time, each time, next time, the first time, any time, all the time等名词短语用来引导时间状语从句，表示“每当…..，每次…..；下次……”等。

Employer to applicant: "In this job we need someone who is responsible."

Applicant: "I\'m the one you want. On my last job, every time anything went wrong,

they said I was responsible."

雇主对应聘者说：“我们需要一个负责任的人”。

应聘者：“我就是你们要找的人，我上一个工作每次出了差错，他们都说我负责”。

Teacher: Bob, can you explain inflation?

Bob: Sure. Every time my dad pays the bills, he blows up. That’s inflation[通货膨胀].

老师：Bob，你能解释一下通货膨胀吗？

Bob：当然。我爸爸每次付帐单时，他就发脾气（爆炸），那就是通货膨胀。

注：blow up：爆炸；发脾气。

场景再现：演讲时调节气氛：

I dont want to brag, but the last time I made the speech it brought the audience to its feet. And they didnt sit down again until they reached their cars.

我不想吹牛，但上次我演讲时所有的观众都站起来（欢呼），他们再也没有坐下，直到到达他们的汽车。

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