Unit 4 Trouble with Propositions 介词问题
A new student was just finding his way around Harvard University.
一位哈佛大学新生正在熟悉校园环境。
“Excuse me,” he asked an upperclassman, “can you tell me where the library’ s at?”
“对不起，”他问一位高年级学长“，您能告诉我图书馆在哪里吗？”
“What appalling diction,” sneered the older student. “I can’t imagine how you could have been admitted to Harvard. Don’t you know better than to end a sentence with a preposition.”
“好可怕的用字喔！”那名学长嘲弄他道“。不知道你老弟是怎么获准进入哈佛的。难道你不知道介词不要放在一个句子后面吗？”
“O. K. Can you tell me where the library’s at, asshole?”
“好吧！你能告诉我图书馆在哪里吗，驴蛋？”
英语知识点解说：
1.find one's way around+地方 熟悉某地
例：You need a guide book to find your way around the Vatican.
熟悉梵蒂冈，你需要一本旅游指南。）
2.upperclassman n. 学长；高年级学生
3.本文中“Can you tell me where the library's at?' ，为一错误用法，因为 where 为地方副词，不可当 at 介词的宾语。正确说法为"Can you tell me where the library is?"
4.appalling a. 吓人的
appall vt.使惊吓
例：The condition of this road is appalling.
（这条路的路况好可怕。）
5.diction n.措辞；用字（=word usage）
6.sneer vi. 嘲笑
sneer at... 嘲笑……
例：Only ignorant people sneer at what they don't understand.
（只有无知的人才会嘲笑他们所不懂的事物。）
7.admit vt.许可
admission n.准入；入学许可
admittance n.进入；入场权
No Admittance 非公莫入；闲人免进（标语；告示）
例：The price of admission to the museum is NT ＄50.
（这家博物馆的门票是台币五十元。）
Children under 18 are not admitted to this theater.
（十八岁以下的小孩不准进入这家戏院。）
8.know better than to V 聪明得不会做 ……（不会笨得去……）
例：I know better than to ask him a favor when he's in this kind of mood.
（当他是这种心情时，我不会傻得去求他帮忙。）
9.asshole n. 肛 门；驴 蛋
文中的新生故意在问句句尾置此一词，如此句尾就无介词，但也骂了那位学长，真是高明。