5 后置定语用born还是to be born(表示已出生)

Port Lympne Reserve, which runs a breeding (繁育) programme, has welcomed the arrival of a rare black rhino calf (犀牛幼崽). When the tiny creature arrived on January 31, she became the 40th black rhino to be born at the reserve. And officials at Port Lympne were delighted with the new arrival, especially as black rhinos are known for being difficult to breed in captivity (圈养).

上面一段摘自2021年英语高考全国卷II(全国甲卷)阅读理解B。请问这里为什么用 to be born 而不用 born 呢?这个“出生”不是已发生了吗?用不定式应该是指还没出生或是将要出生吧?对于已发生的动作为什么还可以用不定式呢?

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最佳答案 2021-06-25 17:00

这里用不定式主要是因为其前有序词 the 40th 修饰。比如用序数the first修饰就是最典型的用法(大家比较熟悉)。如:

The school was the first one to be built in our town. 这是我们镇修建的第一所学校。

That is the first site to be excavated in here. 那是首次在这里发掘的一处遗址。

The family of the deceased were the first to be told. 死者的家人是最先被告知的。

网友的句子意思:

When the tiny creature arrived on January 31, she became the 40th black rhino to be born at the reserve.

当这只小家伙于131出生时,她成为了在保护区出生的第40头黑犀牛。

不过,网友的句子不用不定式的被动式,直接用过去分词也是可以的。比如就在2021年英语高考全国卷II(全国甲卷)阅读理解B这同一篇文章就有这样一句,用的是过去分词 born(虽然前面有序数词 second 修饰):

The adorable female calf is the second black rhino born this year at the reserve. 这只可爱的雌性小牛是保护区今年出生的第二只黑犀牛。


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其它 1 个回答

王汝涛   - 英语教师
擅长:英语翻译,词法问题,英语考试

这里使用不定式是由 the 40th所决定的,Michael Swan PEU284.3词条写道:

first,second, third,etc...以及next,last only后使用不定式。例句:

Who was the first person to climb Everest without oxygen?

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  • 褚军   提出于 2021-06-18 10:20