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Lesson 2 In the Laboratory
I.Language Points in the Text
A. 词汇（Vocabulary）
1. enroll: vt, vi (cause to) become a member (使)成为会员或社员；登记，注册
He enrolled himself in the army. 他从军了。
The university enrolled five thousand new students this year. 今年这所大学招受了五千新生。
2. specimen: n.
1) one or a piece of something for being shown, tested, etc. 标本；抽样
They gathered rock and plant specimens. 他们收集矿石和植物的标本。
The doctor wanted a specimen of his blood. 医生要他的血样。
2) a simple typical thing or example 范例；样本；样品
It is a good specimen of 15th –century advertising. 这是十五世纪广告的一个好样本。
He’s still a fine specimen of heath. 他仍就是健康的模范。
These animals are good specimens of their kind. 这些动物是同类动物中很有代表性的。
3. disappointed: adj. unhappy at not seeing hopes come true 失望的，沮丧的
He was disappointed to learn you couldn’t come. 听说你不能来他很失望。
Pleased don’t be too disappointed if I can’t do it. 如果我做不了，请别太失望。
4. gaze 和stare 的区别
gaze 的意思是“（满怀兴趣地、长时间地）注视；远眺”，而stare 则表示“瞪着眼看；盯着看；凝视”。例如：
He gazed at her beauty. 他久久地注视着她的美貌。
The children were gazing at the toys. 孩子们盯着那些玩具。
She stared at him in surprise. 她惊奇地瞪着眼看着他。
He was staring out to sea. 他凝视着大海。
5. challenge: n.
1) an invitation to complete in a flight or competition 挑战
The prince accepted his enemy’s challenge to fight. 王子接受了敌人的挑战。
2) the quality of demanding competitive action, interest, or thought 挑战性
The universe is full of challenge. 宇宙间充满了挑战。
3) something with this quality 有挑战性的事物
To build a bridge in a day was a real challenge. 一天之内造好一座桥确实是一件富有挑战性的工作。
vt.
1) call (someone) to compete against one, esp. in a fight, match, etc. 向…挑战
I challenge him to a game of cards. 我邀他打一盘纸牌比比高低。
Bob challenged Tom to fight. 鲍勃向汤姆提出挑战。
2) demand official proof of the name and aims of someone 盘问（姓名，事由）
The soldier challenged the stranger as soon as she appeared. 陌生人一出现，士兵便喝令她站住，加以盘问。
3) question the lawfulness or rightness of (someone or something) 对…表示异议
She challenged the justice of the new law. 她对新法令的公正性提出异议。
She looked at him with strange staring eyes. 她以奇异的眼神瞪着眼看他。
6.set: vt. vi
1) cause (sb./sth.) to be in, or reach, a specified state 使（某人或某物）处于或达到某种特殊的状态
He opened the cage and set the bird free. 他打开笼子把鸟放飞了。
His jokes set everyone laughing. 他的笑话让每个人都大笑起来。
Her words set me thinking. 她的话使我陷入沉思。
2) put into a position, esp. into order for use 调整；布置
Set the camera for a long-distance shot. 调好相机，拍一张远距离的照片。
He set the table for dinner. 他摆好桌子准备吃饭。
7.beneath: adv. prep
1) in or to a lower position; below 在……下面
What you drop will fall upon the spot beneath. 你掉下的东西会落在下面那地点。
We live beneath the same roof. 我们住在一起。
2) not suitable to the rank of; unworthy of 与…不相称
Such behaviour is beneath you. 这种行为与你的身份不相称。
That remark is beneath my notice. 那种话不值得我注意。
8.field: n. a branch of knowledge or activity （研究、活动的）领域；范围；方面
What field does he work in? 他从事哪方面的工作？
She is a famous lawyer in her own field. 她是法律界一位有名的律师。
9.desperation: the state of being without hope 绝望
He kicked at the locked door in desperation. 他绝望地踢那扇锁着的门。
In desperation he jumped out of the window when he saw that the stairs were on fire. 看到楼梯着了火，他便不顾死活地从窗口跳出去。
10.strike: vt.
1) impress; have an effect upon the mind 给予…的印象；引起（感觉，情绪等）
He strikes me to be a difficult person. 他给我的印象是，他是一个不易相处的人。
The plan strikes me ridiculous. 我觉得那计划很可笑。
2) come to the mind of 突然想起
It struck me that we ought to make a new plan. 我忽然想到我们应该制定一个新计划。
An idea suddenly struck me. 我突然想到一个主意。
11.feature: n. an important quality in or part of something 特点，特征
There are several features in this plan which I don’t like. 这个计划有几个特点我不喜欢。
The district has two important geographical features. 这个地区有两个重要的地理特征。
12. brief: adj. (formal) short, esp. in time 简洁的，简短的
His letter was brief and to the point. 他的信简短而又一针见血。
Life is brief. 人生短暂。
He had a brief look at the newspaper. 他很快浏览了一下报纸。
13. air和atmosphere 的区别
air 有很多意思，在有些语境下它表示一个人的神态，有时表示一个地方的气氛；而atmosphere 表示的是由环境所造成的气氛。例如
He walked with an air of importance. 他走起路来一副了不起的样子。
There was an air of excitement at the meeting. 会议的气氛很热烈。
I like the atmosphere in that restaurant. 我喜欢那家餐馆里的欢乐气氛。
There was a strange atmosphere in that house. 那座房子里的气氛有点异乎寻
常。
14. visible: adj. that can be seen 看得见的；可见的
The aircraft got smaller and smaller in the distance until it was no longer visible to the people on the ground. 飞机在远处变得越来越小，地面上的人们终于完全看不见它了。
The shore was barely visible through the fog. 在雾里海岸几乎看不见。
15. wretched: adj.
1) miserable, unfortunate; of poor quality, bad 悲惨的；可怜的；不幸的
Can’t we help the wretched woman in some ways? 我们难道不能给那个不幸的女人一点帮助吗？
They live in a wretched little house with no electricity or running water. 他们住在一间拙劣的小屋子里，没有电也没有水。
2) disliked and annoying 讨厌的；恼人的
Please tell that wretched man to go and bother someone else! 请叫那个讨厌的人走开，找别人去吧！
16.close: n. the end, esp. of an activity or of a period of time 终场；完毕；结束
At the close of the party there were a few guests who weren’t drunk. 宴会结束
时，宾客不醉的已寥寥无几。
She always prays at the close of the day. 她每天晚上都要祈祷。
The day reached its close. 天已黑。
17.inquire: vt. vi. ask; seek for information询问；打听
I inquired the reason for coming. 我询问他为什么要来。
I inquired what he wanted. 我问他需要什么。
I’ll inquire about the trains. 我要打听一下火车的运行时刻。
We must inquire into the matter. 我们必须调查此事。
18. repay: vt. pay back 回报；偿还
I can never repay you for all the things you have done for me. 我永远无法报答你为我所做的一切。
When can you repay the money I lent you? 你什么时候可以把我借给你的钱还给我？
19. wakeful: adj.
1) not sleeping or able to sleep; sleepless 不眠的；不能入眠的
She spent a wakeful night worrying about him. 她一夜未合眼，一直在为他担忧。
2) awake and watchful 醒着的；警觉地戒备的
The guards were wakeful all night in case of attack. 卫兵们通宵都警惕地戒备着，以防遭到袭击。
20. artificial: adj.
1) made by man; not natural 人工的；人造的；非天然的
There were some artificial flowers on the table. 桌上有几朵假花。
2) lacking true feelings; insincere; unreal 虚假的；不真诚的
She welcomed him with an artificial smile. 她装出笑容来欢迎他。
21. orderly: adj. liking everything kept or done in the proper place, at the proper time, etc 有条理的；有秩序的；整齐的
He has an orderly approach to life. 他生活很有规律。
The room looked neat and orderly. 这个房间看上去干净整齐。
22.urge: vt. try hard to make someone (do something); persuade strongly; press upon 催促；力劝; 力言
I urged her to go. 我催她走。
He needs no urging; he’ll do it willingly. 不必催促他，他自会乐意去做的。
He urged on his pupils the importance of hard work. 他向学生们力言用功的重 要。
B. 短语、句型（Set Phrases and Sentence Patterns）
1. seem to: appear to 好象，似乎
I seem to have caught a cold. 我好象感冒了。
She always seems to be sad. 她似乎老是满面愁容。
There seems to be every hope that business will get better. 生意看来大有好转的希望。
2.wish to do: want to do, desire to do 希望做某事
Do you wish to leave now? 你想现在就走吗？
I wish to eat alone. 我想单独用餐。
3.by and by: before long; soon 不一会;不久
Please read this article; by and by I will ask you a few questions. 请阅读这篇文章，过一会儿我问你几个问题。
By and by the bright moon began to appear. 不久明月开始出现。
4.start to do: begin to do 开始做某事
It’s starting to rain. 开始下雨了。
He started to repair the window. 他开始修理窗户。
5.do sth. with a will: be determined to do sth. 决心做某事
He went to work with a will to qualify himself. 他为获得资格干得很起劲。
She worked with a will to get a high score in GRE. 她下决心要在GRE考试中取得高分。
6.point out: show or make clear指出
He point out the house I was asking for. 他指出我正在找的那幢房子。
She pointed out that the form has not properly filled in.. 她说表格填得不对。
7.forbid sb. to do: order sb. not to do sth. 禁止某人做某事
I forbade him to go. 我禁止他去。
The teacher forbade us to leave our seats. 老师禁止我们离开座位。
The rain forbade them to go out. 大雨使得他们不能出去。
8.be content with: be satisfied with 满足于
She’s very content with what she has. 她对自己已有的感到心满意足。
Are you content with your present salary? 你对现在的薪水感到满足吗？
9.put away:
1) put (something) in some place so as not to be seen, etc. 把（物品）收起
来，放好
Put your books away, children; we have finished today’s work. 孩子们，把书收 起来吧，今天的功课到此结束。
Put your toys away. 把你的玩具收起来。
2) put aside, give up 搁到一边；放弃
He has had to put away all ideas of becoming a concert pianist. 他只好将做钢琴 演奏家的一切念头搁到一边。
10.give an account of: make a description of; make an explanation of 叙述，陈述
She gave them an account of what happened in her own words. 她用自己的话向他
们描述了所发生的事情。
Please give me an account of your trip to England. 请把你的伦敦之行给我讲一
讲。
11.part with: give up, give away放弃；舍弃
He could not bear to part with his money. 他舍不得把钱花掉。
She parted with her house before she went abroad. 她出国前把房子卖了。
12.be convinced that: believe or feel certain that 确信
My wife is convinced that we can afford a new car. 我妻子相信我们能买得起一部
新车。
I’m convinced that he is innocent. 我相信他是清白的。
C. 难句理解（Sentence Comprehension）
1. This seemed to please him, and with an energetic “Very well!” he reached from a shelf a huge jar of specimens in yellow alcohol.
——He seemed to be satisfied with my reply and said vigorously “Very well!”. Then he took a huge jar of specimens in yellow alcohol from a shelf. 这好象让他很高兴，他精神饱满地说了一句“好极了”，就伸手从架子上取下一只大瓶子，里面的黄色酒精中浸泡着标本。
句中的a huge jar of specimens in yellow alcohol 为reach 的宾语, with an energetic “Very well!” 在句中作状语，修饰reached。
2.I was disappointed, for gazing at a fish did not seem to be challenging enough to an eager student, and the alcohol had a very unpleasant smell.
——I was disappointed, because looking at a fish fixedly for a long time did not seem to be interesting and sufficiently competitive for a student who was eager to learn, and the alcohol had a very bad smell. 我很失望，因为对于一个求知欲强的学生来说，盯着一条鱼看似乎并不富有挑战性，而且酒精也发出一股难闻的气味。
这里的for 是一个并列连词，表示原因，它引导的分句解释“我为什么失望”。
3.I must not use a magnifying glass, nor instruments of any kind.
——I was not allowed to use a magnifying glass or any other kind of instruments. 我不准用放大镜，也不准用其它任何工具。
must not 表示“不准”；nor 在这里表示“也不准”，语气强烈；of any kind 作后置定语。
4….it seemed a most limited field of study.
——it seemed to be a very narrow field of study. 这好象是一个非常狭窄的研究范围。
most 在这里不是最高级，它的意思是“非常”，前面用“a”；study 在这里是“研究”的意思。
5.I began to count the scales in the different rows, until I was convinced that was nonsense.
——I started to count the scales in the different rows, until I believed that was meaningless.
我开始一排一排地数鱼鳞片，直到我确信这样做毫无意义。
scale 有许多意思，在这里是指“鱼鳞片”；that 指上文中数鱼鳞片这件事。
6.At last a happy thought struck me…
——At last I had a good idea… 最后我想起了一个好主意。
strike 的这种用法见词汇部分。
7. “ a pencil is one of the best of eyes.”
——“drawing with a pencil is one of the best ways of observation.” 用铅笔画是最好的观察方式之一。
eyes 在这里指“observation with one’s eyes”(“用肉眼观察”)。形容词最高级后面跟“of”，再接一个名词，是英语中一种常见的表达方法。再比如：Stratford-upon-Avon is a popular place for tourists from all over the world, even though many of them would have the greatest of difficulty in understanding Shakespeare’s Elizabethan English. 尽管许多游客很难懂莎士比亚那伊丽莎白时代的英语，但他的出生地斯特拉特福对于来自全世界的游客来说，还是一个很热门的旅游去处。
8.When I finished, he waited as if expecting more, and then, with an air of disappointment.
——When I finished, he waited as if he were expecting more, and then with a facial expression of disappointment… 我说完后，他等了等，好象在期待着我继续说下去，然后脸上显露出失望的表情说……
本句中as if 所引导的是一个状语从句，其中省略了he were；air 在句中作“表情”讲。
9.and he left me to my misery.
——and then he left me alone to face my suffering. 接着他就不管我了，让我一个人去面对烦恼。
leave 表示“使…保持某一状态”（allow or cause to remain in a certain place or condition），再比如：
The window was left open. 窗户留着没关。
The book left me sad. 那本书让我读得心里难受。
10. But now I set myself to my task with a will, and discovered one new thing after another, until I saw how just the Professor’s criticism had been.
——But now I began to work hard at my task, and discovered one by one many new features in the fish, until I finally realized how correct the Professor’s criticism had been. 但现在我开始努力工作，有了一个接一个的新发现，直到终于明白教授的批评是多么地有道理。
do sth. with a will的用法请参阅短语部分；saw 在本句中是“明白”的意思；just用作形容词，意为“合理”，“正确”。
11. Not only must I think of my fish all night, studying, without the object before me, what this unknown but most visible feature might be, but also, without reviewing my discoveries, I must give an exact account of them the next day.
——I not only must go over the fish in my mind all night, trying to work out its as yet unrevealed but most obvious feature in its absence, but also have to tell my discoveries to the professor the next day without reviewing them. 我不但必须整夜去想那条鱼，鱼不在跟前得反复琢磨出那未知而又极其明显的特征是什么，而且在无法重温已经发现的特征的情况下，还要在第二天准确地把那些特征描述出来。
这是 “not only…but also…” 句型，由于not only 放在句首，该句进行了倒装，must 提到主语“I”之前。what this unknown but most visible feature might be是studying的宾语从句；the object在这里指the fish；but 是并列连词，连接并列的unknown 和most visible；most 在这里意为“非常，极其”；them 指上文中的my discoveries。
12. He seemed to be quite as anxious as I that I should see for myself what he saw.
——Like me, he seemed to be very anxious that I should see by my own efforts what he saw. 他好象与我的心情一样，急切希望我能看到他所看到的一切。
这是一个as…as…和 that从句结合起来的句型，重复的部分已被删掉，再比如：
We are as sure that he can reach the Cape of Good Hope by sailing west as we are that he is a sailor. 我们确信他向西航行能到达好望角，就象确信他是一名水手一样。
13. His thoroughly pleased “Of course!” repaid the wakeful hours of the previous night.
——He said “Of course!” very happily, and that made me feel it was worth while to have stayed up late the night before. 他非常高兴地说了声“对！”，这让我感到头天夜里好几个小时的思考没有白费。
repay 在这里是比喻用法，再比如：
I can never repay you for all the things you have done for me. 我永远无法报答你为我所做的一切。
He repaid her love with hate. 他用恨来回报她的爱。
14. It was something the Professor gave me, which we could not buy, with which we could not part.
——It was an invaluable present the Professor gave me, which we could not buy, nor could we give up. 这是教授给我的无价的礼物，是用金钱无法买到的，是一笔不能丢弃的财富。
with which we could not part 是由“介词+关系代词”引导的定语从句，这种从句的关系代词通常情况下是which，也可以是whom，比如：
They tried to think of a plan by which they could fulfil their task ahead of time. 他们试着想出一个能提前完成任务的计划。
The man with whom I talked just now is Professor Stewart from Australia. 刚才我跟 他讲话的那个人是来自澳大利亚的斯图亚特教授。
II.Translation of the Text
在实验室里
我走进阿加西斯教授的实验室，告诉他我已经在自然科学学院报了名，专业是生物学。
“你想什么时候开始？”
“就现在，”我答道。
这好象让他很高兴，他精神饱满地说了句“好极了”，就伸手从架子上取下一只大瓶子，里面的黄色酒精中浸泡着标本。“把这条鱼拿去，”他说，“仔细观察观察，过一会我再问问你看到了些什么。”说完他就离开了。我很失望，因为对于一个求知欲很强的学生来说，老盯着一条鱼看并不富有挑战性，而且酒精也发出一股难闻的气味。但我什么话也没说，立即开始了工作。
我用十分钟就把鱼身上能看到的东西全看了，然后开始找教授，然而他已经离开了。半个小时，一个小时，再一个小时过去了， 那条鱼显得叫人厌恶。我把它翻过来，转过去，再正面看看，毫无气色，死一样的苍白；从后看，从下看，从上看，从侧面看都一样。我不准用放大镜，不准用任何仪器。只有我的两只手，两只眼睛，还有鱼，这个研究范围似乎太狭窄了。带着无可奈何的心情我再次去看那条鱼。我把手伸进鱼的嘴巴，看看它的牙齿有多锋利。我开始一排排地数鱼鳞片，直到我确信这样做毫无意义。最后我忽然想起了一个好主意——我把鱼画出来。令我惊奇的是，我开始在这家伙身上发现了新的特征。就在这时，教授回来了。
“做得对，”他说，“使用铅笔是最好的观察方法之一。”说完这鼓舞人心的话，他又接着说，“嗯，它象什么？”
他认真地听着我简单的描述。我讲完之后，他等了等，好象在期待着我继续说下去，然后脸上显露出失望的表情说：
“你没有仔细观察，”他接着认真地说，“你甚至连鱼身上最明显的特征都没看到，它就象那条鱼本身一样清清楚楚地摆在你的面前。再看！再看！”
交代完之后，他就不管我了，让我陷入苦恼之中。
我的自尊心受到了伤害。还得继续去面对那条讨厌的鱼！但现在我决心好好地完成我的任务，于是便有了一个一个的新发现，直到最后我终于明白教授的批评是多么地有道理。下午很快就过去了。快到黄昏时，教授问我：“看出来了吗？”
“没有，”我回答道，“没有看出来，但我已认识到原来看出来实在是太少了。”
“那也不错，”他认真地说。“不过现在我不听你讲，你把鱼放好回家去吧，也许明天早晨有更好的答案，在你看鱼只前我要考考你。”
这真叫人紧张。我不仅必须整夜去想那条鱼，鱼不在跟前得反复琢磨出那未知但极其明显的特征是什么，而且在无法重温已经发现的特征的情况下，还要在第二天准确地描述那些特征。
第二天早晨，教授友好地向我打招呼，这令我感到安慰。他好象与我的心情完全一样，急切希望我看到他所看到的一切。
“你的意思或许是说，”我问道，“鱼的两边对称，器官成队？”
他十分满意地说了声“对！”，让我感到头天夜里好几个小时的思考没有白费。在他象平常那样非常高兴而又充满热情地谈了这一点的重要性后，我问他下一步该怎么做。
“噢，看你的鱼吧！”说完，他又离开了，就留下我一个人。一个小时多一点，他再次回来，听了我的新发现。
“很好！很好！”他连连说，“但这还没完，继续看。”就这样，他把鱼放在我的面前整整放了三天，不让我看任何其它东西，也不让我使用任何仪器。
“观察，观察，再观察，”他再三地指示。
第四天，另一条同属的鱼摆放在第一条鱼的旁边，而且要我指出它们之间的相同点与不同点。然后，又是一条，接着另一条，直到同科所有的鱼都摆到了我的面前。
这是我上过的最好的一课。自那以后，我的一切学习和研究方法无不受益于这一课。这是教授给我的无价的礼物，是用金钱买不到的，是一笔不能丢弃的财富。
在训练学生观察事物及其规律性的排列时，阿加西斯教授鼓励他们不要仅仅满足于事实。他常说：“事实本身意义不大，只有与某一自然法则联系起来时才有意义。”
III.Keys to the Exercises
Questions on the text
1. Yes, he had. He was particularly pleased that Scudder wished to begin learnin immediately.
2. Professor Agassiz’s first assignment for Scudder was to look at a fish in a huge jar of specimens in yellow alcohol.
3. No, he didn’t, because it seemed to him so easy and the alcohol had a very unpleasant smell.
4. The Professor forbade Scudder to use any artificial aid because he wanted to train Scudder the proper way to observe facts.
5. No, he didn’t. In ten minutes he had seen all that could be seen in the fish, and started to look for the Professor. Failing to find him, he began to observe the fish from different angles with desperation.
6. The attitude began to change when he drew the fish and discovered new features in the fish.
7. The Professor said, “That is right, a pencil is one of the best of eyes.”
8. He was disappointed because Scudder hadn’t looked carefully and had failed to discover the most obvious features in the fish. No, he didn’t.
9. Yes, he did. The most visible feature was that it had symmetrical sides with paired organs.
10.For three days.
11.On the fourth day, the Professor told him to point out the similarities and differences between two fish of the same group.
12.Scudder looked upon this observation the best lesson he ever had because it had influenced the way he had studied ever since. He learned the methods of observing facts and how to bring the facts into connection with some general law.
Vocabulary Exercises
1.1) dialectal 方言的
central 中心的，中央的
cultural 文化的
managerial 管理的
regional 地区的，区域性的
2) expectant 期待的
hesitant 犹豫的，踌躇的
urgent 紧急的，急迫的
attendant 出席的；伴随的
resistant 抵抗的，反抗的
2.1)(1) The little dog seems to know his master’s wishes.
(2) He gazed at the photo for a long time, recalling those past years.
(3)Although the general manager knew that he would meet with many difficulties, he set himself to his work with a will.
(4)Suddenly an idea struck me------why not beep him right now?
(5)The newspaper devoted two pages to giving an account of the princess’ funeral.
(6) The Chinese government urged the United Nations to solve the problem in the region peacefully.
(7)She is not content with her present English, so she has enrolled in the evening classes.
(8) We should put away the differences and work hard to achieve our common goal.
(9) High school boys are forbidden to wear long hair in this country.
(10)The doctor was convinced that there was no need for her to lose weight.
2)(1)We tried to keep him talking.
(2)The joke set me laughing.
(3)I smelt something burning.
(4)I heard my parents quarrelling in their bedroom.
(5)The old man was watching the children playing football.
3.1) from 2) before, in, in 3) about, as
4) over, around 5) of, in 6) in
7)To, on 8) in 9) of
10) in 11) With 12) after, before, out
4.(1) set (2) noise (3) examined
(4) continued (5) following (6) further
(7) as (8) parked (9) hurried
(10) passenger
Grammar Exercises
1. 1) May, could 2) may 3) could
4) must 5) may 6)must
7) must 8) May
2. 1) may have come
2) must have been
3) needn’t have done
4) can’t have seen
5) must have been
6) must be swimming
7) needn’t have bought
8) must have gone
9) might have left
10) can’t see, must be
3. 1) If you had told me earlier, I might have already solved the problem for you.
2) It’s already 8 o’clock. He must have left home.
3)The old man can’t have seen anybody walk into the victim’s room. He is blind.
4) A: May I use your telephone?
B: No problem. You can use it any time.
5) They must be dancing in the Youth Club right now.
6) You needn’t have watered the roses. It’s going to rain soon.
7)The room is so clean. Someone must have cleaned it yesterday evening.
8) A: I told him to turn left, but he turned right.
B: He must have misunderstood you.
IV.Grammar
情态动词：must, can, could, may
1. must 和have to
Must 用来表示义务或推断。当它表示义务时，must 暗含着权威或者强调听话人的义务；而have to 则用来表示外界所施加的义务。
比较下面的两个句子：
You must come to the office at three in the afternoon. 你下午三点必须到办公室来。
You have to produce your pass when you come in. 你进来时必须出示通行证。
表示推断时，must 比may, might 的可能性更大。例如：
He may be over eighty. 他可能八十多了。
He must be over eighty. 他肯定八十多了。
2. can, could 和be able to
Can 用来表示能力，许可和可能性。在表达能力时，can 有时可以be able to 互换。在将来时态中，will be able to 代替can。
Can you swim to the bridge? 你能游到那座桥？
He said he could help me. 他说他能帮我。
Monica will be able to walk in a few weeks. 莫尼卡几个星期以后就会走路了。
在表示许可时，could 比can 更委婉。试比较：
You can come to our party if you like.
You could come to our party if you like.
Can在下列句中表示可能性：
He can be a policeman. 他可能是警察。
He can’t be in the classroom at noon. 他中午不可能在教室里。
3. May 和might
May 用来表示许可和可能性。在表示许可时，may比can 更正式。比较下列句子：
May I use your computer?
Can I use your computer?
You may watch TV when you’ve finished your homework.
You can watch TV when you’ve finished your homework.
Might是 may 的过去式，但它也可以用来表示现在和将来。当用来表示可能性时，might比may 的可能性小，例如：
He may (might) be in the other room. 他可能在另外一个房间里。
Tom may (might) know her address. 汤姆可能知道她的地址。
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