1. How does nature form a danger to people in the world and how can science help reduce that threat?

　　[问] reduce的主要用法有哪些?

　　[答] reduce意为“把……减少”、“降低(价格)”、“缩小(程度、尺寸等)”，是及物动词。例如：

　　She reduced her weight by 6 kilograms. 她的体重减轻了6公斤。

　　The bike was reduced from 300 yuan to 200 yuan. 这辆自行车的价格从300元降到200元。

　　You must reduce your expenses. 你必须减少你的开支。

　　reduce还表示“使成为”、“使处于(某种状态)”，多用于被动语态，且与介词to连用。例如：

　　The house was reduced to ashes. 房子被烧成灰烬。

　　In the past, she was reduced to begging. 在过去，她被逼得去讨饭。

　　2. Some people got into a total panic, when the typhoon pulled the roofs off their houses and cars went up in the air.

　　[问] get into a panic表示什么意思?

　　[答] get into a panic意为“进入恐慌状态”，是固定搭配，可与about连用，引出原因。例如：

　　They got into a panic about the fire in the building. 他们因大楼起火而变得慌乱起来。

　　He got into a panic when he thought he'd forgotten the passport. 他想起忘了带护照时，惊慌起来。

　　3. The sight of it awoke the scientist in my uncle to go and see it from closer at hand.

　　[问] at hand能用by hand替代吗?

　　[答] 不能。 at hand意为“在近处”，是介词短语，而by hand则表示“用手”。例如：

　　We live close at hand. 我们住在附近。

　　Fortunately there was someone at hand. 幸好附近有人。

　　This desk was made by hand. 这张桌子是手工制作的。

　　at hand还表示“在手边”、“即将来到”，作状语或表语。例如：

　　I haven't my dictionary at hand. 我的词典不在手边。

　　The examination is at hand. 考试即将来到。

　　4. With a tearing crash, tons of water fell upon the deck, as though the ship passed under a waterfall.

　　[问] as though的主要用法是什么?

　　[答] as though表示“好像”、“仿佛”，是连词，引导方式状语从句或表语从句。通常用来表示主观想象或夸大性的比喻，从句谓语动词常用虚拟语气。该用法在本报第14期《貌似错误却有理，别有用意表虚拟》中已讲过，不再赘述。

　　as though引导表语从句时，若从句中的情况发生的可能性很大，从句谓语动词用陈述语气。例如：

　　The meat tastes as though it has already gone bad. 肉尝起来好像已经坏了。

　　It looks as though we'll have to walk.看来我们得步行了。

　　(文/赵忠西； 英语辅导报高二版 04~05学年度第17期；版权归英语辅导报社所有，独家网络合作伙伴新浪教育，未经许可，不得以任何形式进行转载。)