She seldom took the plane. She was afraid of flying.
这里的She was afraid of flying 可否改成She was afraid to fly ? 为什么?
表示“害怕做某事”或“不敢做某事”,be afraid 之后可接不定式,也可接 of doing sth。如:
She was afraid to tell [of telling] you. 她害怕告诉你。
She is afraid to go [of going] out alone late at night. 她很怕深夜独自外出。
但若要表示担心可能会发生某事,则只能用 be afraid of doing而不能用 be afraid to do。如:
She is afraid of lagging behind the others. 她怕落在别人后面。
She didn’t tell him because she was afraid of upsetting him. 她没有告诉他,因为怕他不安。
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