clear conscience

原文

The whole village soon learnt that a large sum of money had been lost. Sam Benton, the local butcher, had lost his wallet while taking his savings to the post office. Sam was sure that the wallet must have been found by one of the villagers, but it was not returned to him.

Three months passed, and then one morning, Sam found his wallet outside his front door. It had been wrapped up in newspaper and it contained half the money he had lost, together with a note which said: 'A thief, yes, but only 50 per cent a thief!'

Two months later, some more money was sent to Sam with another note: 'Only 25 per cent a thief now!' In time, all Sam's money was paid back in this way. The last note said: 'I am 100 per cent honest now!'

译文

整个村子很快就知道丢了一大笔钱。当地的屠夫萨姆·本顿在把他的积蓄送到邮局的时候丢了钱包。萨姆确信钱包一定是被村里某个人捡到了,可是并没有还给他。

三个月过去了,有一天早上,萨姆在自家门口发现了他的钱包。它被用报纸包着,里面有他丢失的一半钱,还有一张字条,上面写着:“小偷,是的,但只是50%的贼!”

两个月以后,又有一些钱连同一张字条寄给了萨姆,字条上写着:“现在只是25%的贼了!”就这样,萨姆的钱都一点一点地还了回来。最后的一张字条上写着:“我现在是100%诚实了!”

词汇表

learnt

动词
英:/lɜːnt/
美:/lɝːnt/
定义
1. 学习(过去式) - Past tense and past participle of 'learn', meaning to gain knowledge or skill.

例子: She learnt a new language during her travels.

例子: The children learnt about history in school today.

近义词
acquired: 强调通过努力获得知识或技能,较正式,常用于专业语境,而 'learnt' 更侧重于教育过程。
mastered: 表示完全掌握某技能,强度大于 'learnt',常用于成就描述。
absorbed: 侧重于自然吸收信息,与 'learnt' 的主动学习相比,更被动。
反义词:
forgot, ignored, unlearned
用法
常用于英国英语中作为 'learn' 的过去式,在美国英语中更常用 'learned';常见搭配如 'learnt from experience'(从经验中学习),适用于教育或个人成长语境。
形式:
原形: learn, 过去式(美式): learned, 现在分词: learning, 复数形式不适用: N/A

关键句型 "must have been + past participle"

定义

此句型用于表达对过去事件的强烈推测或推断,结构为:must have been(一定已经)+ 过去分词(past participle)。例如,在文章中,“must have been found”表示说话者推测钱包已经被某人发现。根据《剑桥英语语法手册》,这是一种情态动词 must 与完成时结合的表达方式,用于表示根据证据得出的逻辑结论,强调可能性几乎是肯定的。它常用于描述过去发生的事件,并推测其结果或原因。

这个句型帮助学习者处理不确定性的过去情景,使语言表达更精确和自然。

用法

此句型主要用于推测过去已经完成的事情,常出现在叙述故事、推理或解释事件时。规则:must 表示强烈的可能性,have been 是完成时的形式,后接过去分词,形成被动结构(如 "must have been found")。在语法体系中,它属于情态动词的推测用法,与其他情态动词如 could have(可能已经)或 might have(或许已经)相关联。

横向比较:与 must be(对现在推测)相比,此句型专注于过去;与 had to have been(表示必要性)不同,它更侧重于推测。例如,与 could have been 相比,must have been 语气更肯定,适合用于有证据支持的场景。跨语法联系:它连接了情态动词、完成时和被动语态,学生可以扩展到主动语态如 "must have done"(一定已经做了),从而建立更全面的时态系统理解。

在实际应用中,此句型常用于侦探故事或日常对话中表达后悔或分析,如 "He must have left early because his coat is gone."

注意事项

学生容易犯的错误包括:误用 must have been 与其他情态动词混淆,导致语气不准确,例如说 "could have been found" 时本应是强烈的推测。另一个常见偏误是忽略时态一致性,比如在叙述过去事件时错误使用现在时形式。纠正建议:总是检查上下文中的证据强度,如果是几乎确定的,就用 must;练习时,避免直接翻译成母语,以防结构错误。

具体例句展示:

错误示例:He must found the wallet.  (缺少 have been,结构不完整)
正确示例:He must have been found by someone.  (但在文章中是 "must have been found",用于推测钱包被发现)

此外,学生可能忘记被动语态的使用,导致句子主语错误,如说 "Someone must have found it" 而非被动形式,但后者更强调事件本身。

练习

一个原创例子:假设你在讨论一个失物事件,你可以说:“The keys must have been left on the table because they're not in my bag.” 学生可以替换关键词,比如将 "keys" 换成 "phone" 或 "book",并调整场景,例如在朋友聚会后说:“She must have been invited to the party since her name was on the list.”

通过这种替换练习,学生能将句型应用到日常生活,如分析新闻事件或个人经历,从而加深对推测语气的掌握,并鼓励他们在对话中自然使用。

额外内容

背景知识:这个句型源于英语中情态动词的演变,must 最初表示义务,但现在常用于推测,特别是在英式英语中更常见。对比分析:与汉语的 "一定已经..." 类似,但英语通过语法结构(如情态动词 + 完成时)来表达精确度,而汉语更多依赖词汇。其他语言如法语的 "doit avoir été" 也有类似结构,但英语的灵活性更强,因为它能轻松与其他时态结合。

了解此句型还能帮助学生在阅读悬疑故事时更好地把握情节,例如文章中的村民事件,丰富他们的文化和文学欣赏。