作者：刘柳
数词在高考中虽然不像其它词类那么"热",但也有其考查的重点和难点,须引起同学们的注意。
一、考查基数词的用法
1. 基数词hundred, thousand, million等表示确切数目时,其词尾不能加-s,其前面可用数词或several, some等修饰;当表示笼统数目时,其词尾要加-s,可跟of连用,其前不能用数词,但可以用several, some等修饰。
【原题再现】
________ people in the world are sending information by e-mail every day.
A. Several million
B. Many millions
C. Several millions D. Many million
【解析】 million前可用several修饰,此时其后不能加-s,many不能修饰million。表达"几百万"也可用millions of。答案为A。
2. dozen和score的用法要注意以下几点:
1) dozen与数词或many, several等连用时,不加-s,所修饰的名词前常省去of。如two (many, several) dozen pencils。但是,在a dozen of these / those people, two dozen of them等短语中应加of,这是习惯用法。
2) two score of people中应加of,但在three score and ten people(70人)中,不加of。
3) 表示"几十;许多"时,可使用dozens of; scores of形式。
【原题再现】
Mr. Smith ________ me to buy several ________eggs for the dinner party.
A. asked; dozen
B. suggested; dozens of
C. had; dozen
D. persuaded; dozens
【解析】 dozen前有具体数字或some, several等修饰时要用单数形式;have作使役动词时,应该用省略to的动词不定式作宾补。答案为A。
3. 注意年龄、年代的表达法。表达"在某人几十岁时"用"in one's +逢十的基数词复数";表达"在几十年代"时,用"in the +逢十的基数词复数"。
【原题再现】
It is not rare in ________that people in ________ fifties are going to university for further education.
A. 90s; the B. the 90s; / C. 90s; their D. the 90s; their
【解析】根据题意,第一空应表示"年代"; 第二空表示"在50多岁的时候"。答案为D。
二、考查序数词的用法
序数词一般由基数词+th构成。以y结尾的基数词构成序数词时,先把y变为i,再加eth。如twentieth; fiftieth。常用的不规则的序数词有:first, second, third, fifth, eighth, ninth, twelfth。序数词前通常要加定冠词the,但序数词不表示顺序而表示"再一;又一"时,前面要用不定冠词a(an)。
【原题再现】
The cakes are delicious. He'd like to have ________ third one because ________ second one is rather too small.
A. a; a B. the; the C. a; the D. the; a
【解析】从句意可知,第一空表示"再一",应填a;第二空表示顺序"第二",应填the。答案为C。
三、考查分数和百分数的用法
表示几分之几或百分之几的人或物时,须在分数或百分数和人或物之间加of。若充当主语,谓语动词的数须与of后的名词保持一致。
【原题再现】
________ of the land in that district________ covered with trees and grass.
A. Two fifth; is B. Two fifth; are C. Two fifths; is D. Two fifths; are
【解析】"五分之二"应为"two fifths";land是不可数名词,谓语动词应使用单数形式。答案为C。
四、考查倍数的表达法
英语中表达倍数常用下列句型:
1. A is three / four...times the size / height / length / width...of B.
2. A is three / four...times as big / high / long / wide...as B.
3. A is three / four...times bigger / higher / longer / wider...than B.
用times表示倍数时,一般只限于三倍或三倍以上的数,表示两倍常用twice或double。
【原题再现】
It is reported that the United States uses ________ energy as the whole of Europe.
A. as twice B. twice much C. twice much as D. twice as much
【解析】倍数应位于as...as结构之外。答案为D。