A：I havent seen your brother lately．Has be gone away？
甲：我近来一直没见到过你的兄弟。他是否到别的地方去了？
B：Yes，hes／he has been sent to America．
乙：是的，他被派到美国去了。
A：When did he go？
甲：他什么时间走的？
B：He went last month．
乙：他是上个月走的。
A：Have you had any letters from him？
甲：你收到他的来信了吗？
B：I havent，but his wife has been hearing from him regularly1．
乙：我没收到，但他的老婆常收到他的来信。
A：Does she intend to go out and join him？
甲：她想出去跟他团聚吗？
B：Theyve been thinking about it but havent quite decided2 yet．Unfortu－nately theyve had a lot of expense lately and perhaps havent got themoney for her fare．
乙：他们正在考虑这件事，可还没最后决定。但不巧得非常，近期他们开销非常大，或许没钱给她买票。
Tom：What have you done with my knife？
汤姆：你如何动我的小刀了？（你把我的小刀放在哪儿了？）
Ann：I put it back in your drawer．
安：我把它放回你的抽屉里了。
Tom（taking it out）：But what have you been doing with it？The blades alltwisted！Have you been using it to open tins？
汤姆（拿出小刀）：可你用这刀子做什么来着？刃都卷了！你用它开罐头了吧？
A：Do you see those people on that little sandy island？Theyve been wav－ing handkerchiefs for the last half hour．I wonder why．
甲：你看见小沙洲上的那些人了吗？半小时了，他们一直挥舞着手绢。我不知是什么问题。
B：They need help．The tides coming in and very soon that little islandwill be under water．Have you been sitting here calmly and doing noth－ing to help them？
乙：他们需要救援。潮水正在上涨，不一会儿那小岛就要被淹没。你难道一直在这里无动于衷地坐视不救吗？
A：Ive never been here before．I didnt know about the tides．
甲：我以前从来没来过这里。我不知道潮水的状况。
