🔍 A cold welcome

新概念英语第二册 Lesson 9 · 语法精读与固定搭配分类

NCE Book 2 · Lesson 9（课本印刷页 44-47）· 7 个生词和短语 · 课文 11 句

一全文逐句语法解读

本课是「市政厅大钟停了」的记叙短文，语言点集中在 过去完成时 had gathered、过去将来时 would strike、at five to twelve 这类钟点表达与 refuse to do 的拟人用法。

句子	语法点
On Wednesday evening, we went to the Town Hall.	on + 具体某天的上午/晚上 · 有明确过去时间 → 一般过去时 went
It was the last day of the year and a large crowd of people had gathered under the Town Hall clock.	过去完成时 had gathered 表在「我们去时」之前就已聚集 · a crowd of people 表一群、一大群
It would strike twelve in twenty minutes' time.	过去将来时 would strike 表当时看「将要」敲响 · in twenty minutes' time 表「再过二十分钟」

句子	语法点
Fifteen minutes passed and then, at five to twelve, the clock stopped.	at five to twelve 即 11:55，to 表「差几分到几点」· 连用过去式叙述一连串动作
The big minute hand did not move.	hand 指钟表指针 · did not move 用助动词 did 构成否定
We waited and waited, but nothing happened.	waited and waited 用重复强调「等啊等」· nothing 作主语时动词用单数

句子	语法点
Suddenly someone shouted, 'It's two minutes past twelve! The clock has stopped!'	shout 意为「喊叫」· 直接引语里用现在完成时 has stopped 说明现在的状态
I looked at my watch.	look at 意为「看」· 过去式 looked
It was true.	true 作表语，用省略句收束上一段的悬念
The big clock refused to welcome the New Year.	拟人 refuse to do 表「不肯做」· welcome 作动词，意为「迎接」
At that moment, everybody began to laugh and sing.	at that moment 表「就在那一刻」· begin to do sth. 开始做某事

短语	用法与例句
at five to twelve	11 点 55 分；to 表「差…分到…点」，past 表「过…分」。
a crowd of people	一大群人；crowds of 表「成群的」。
refuse to do sth.	拒绝做某事：The clock refused to welcome the New Year.
at that moment	就在那时，常作叙述的时间标记。

过去完成时

had + 过去分词，表更早发生的动作（had gathered）

过去将来时

would + 动词原形，从过去看将来（would strike）

钟点表达

at five to twelve（11:55）· two minutes past twelve（12:02）

不定式

refuse to do · begin to do · try to do

to 与 past：分钟数 ≤30 用 past（a quarter past six），>30 用 to 加下一个钟点（twenty to seven）。
nothing / everybody 作主语：视为第三人称单数 → nothing happened · everybody began。
过去完成时的参照点：had gathered 的参照点是 we went（比它更早发生），不能单独成立。