高三課本第十五單元，INTER GATING SKILLS 和 WORKBOOK READING部分有如下的句子：

⒈The shop was successful，but it was about sixty years before people started to buy jeans for fashion as well as for work.

⒉However，it probably will not be long before the other mountainous areas of China such as Sichuan，Xinjiang and Yunnan are developed，and as more facilities become available，prices will almost certainly fall.

其中涉及到before的用法，下面就其用法進行總結。

一、可以用作介詞

⒈)指時間上早于，在……之前，如：

She has lived here since before the war.

她從戰前就一直在這兒住。

⒉)指位置在前面，如：

We knelt down before Grandma’s grave.

我們在奶奶的墓前跪下。

⒊)指順序或排列在之前，如：

Your name comes before mine on the list.

名單上你的名字在我之前。

⒋)在某人面前，如：

She said it before the witness.

他是當著證人的面說的。

二、作為連詞

其基本含義是“在……之前”，又可以根據不同語境靈活翻譯成“才”、“還沒來得及就……”、“趁……”、“就”等。具體用法如下：

⒈)與情態動詞can/could連用

這時候從句雖為肯定形式，根據漢語表達習慣譯成“還沒來得及就”，如：

Before I could get in a word，he had measured me.

我還沒來得及插話他就為我量好了尺寸。

Before she could move，she heard a loud noise，which grew to a terribl eroar.

她還沒來得及邁步，就聽見一聲巨響，接著就是可怕的隆隆轟鳴。

⒉)用于肯定句中強調主句所表達的時間，距離長，或花費的精力大，譯成“才”

We had sailed four days and four nights before we saw lands.

我們航行了四天四夜才看到陸地。

We waited a long time before the train arrived.

我們等了很長時間火車才到。

⒊)用于否定句中，強調主句所表達的時間，距離短，或花費的精力小，譯成“不到……就”如：

We hadn’t run a mile before he felt tired.

我們跑了還不到一英里他就累了。

⒋)主句含有hardly，scarcely等半否定副詞時可以譯為“剛……就”

這時候主句應用過去完成時態，從句用過去時，還可以用when替代before如：

We had scarcely reached the school before/when the bell rang.

我們剛到學校鈴聲就響了。

⒌)有時還有“寧愿”的意思

I’d shoot myself before I apologized to him.我寧死也不向他道歉。

⒍)用于It+be/take+時間段+before句型

在這一句型中又可以根據主從句的時態分成兩種情況。

若主句是一般時將來時態，從句是一般現在時.若主句是肯定句意思是“要過多長時間才”;若主句是否定形式翻譯成“用不了多久就”。

It will be two weeks before everything returns to normal.

兩周之后一切才能恢復正常。

It will be many years before the situation improves.

這種狀況或許要過許多年才能得以改善。

It won’t be long before we meet again.用不了多久我們就會再見面的。

這時若主句是一般過去時從句也是一般過去時。若主句是肯定句翻譯成“多長時間之后才”，若主句是否定形式翻譯成“沒過多久就”。如：

It was some time before I realized the truth.

過了很長一段時間我才了解到真相。

It wasn’t long before she became a brave solider.

沒過多久她就成了一名勇敢的戰士。

After that it still took seven years before they got married.

他們又過了七年才結婚。

注意：當主句的謂語動詞為延續性動詞時，before與until有時可以互換。It was an hour before/until the police arrived.

■鞏固練習

⒈(2004天津)It was evening ________ we reached the little town of Winchester.

Athat B.until C.since D.before

2.(2004全國)Several weeks had gone by ________ realized the painting was missing.

A.as B.before C.since D.when

3.(2005廣東)The America Civil War lasted four years ______ the North won in the end.

A.after B.before C.when D.then

4.(2005山東)It was some time _______ we realized the truth.

A.when B.until C.since D.before

5.(2006四川)-Why didn’t you tell him about the meeting?

-He rushed out of the classroom _______ I could say a word.

A.before B.until C.when D.after

6.(2006福建)-How long do you think it will be __ china sends a manned spaceship to the moon?

-Perhaps two or three years.

Awhen B.until C.that D.before

參考答案：DBBDAD