Unit 1

Grammar
Overview of tenses1:present tenses

Present tenses are used to talk
about the present time. These
tenses include:
simple present
present continuous
present perfect
present perfect continuous
 we
use the simple present tense to
talk about things that:

are true now or are always true.
1.I am at a comedy show.
2.The sun rises in the east.
occur regularly
3.The Academy Award show is on
television every year.
4.Every time a prop comedian tells a
joke, he or she uses a thing, called a
prop.
1这里很少下雪
2他喜爱体育运动
3太阳从东方升起
4他总是乐于助人
1.It seldom snows here.
2. He loves sports.
3.The sun rises in the east.
4.He is always ready to help others.
Time marker:
usually; always; seldom; often; sometimes;
frequently; every day; every week; on sundays
Note 1:
1.He is always making trouble.
2.He is constantly leaving his things about.
3.You are always changing your mind.
Eg.他总是想着别人
He is always thinking of others.
Note 2
meet
1.It’ll be a long time before we ______(meet)
again.
rains
2.Even if it ______(rain)
tomorrow, we’ll go.
rains
3.I’ll call on you unless it ______(rain)
tomorrow.
is
4.I’ll stay with you so long as there_______(be)
is
a room free.
在时间，条件，让步,方式状语从句中，用一般
现在时代替一般将来时，现在完成时，代替
将来完成时 eg.公共汽车未停稳，别下车。
Don’t get off the bus until it has stopped.
Note 3
1.The plane takes off at 10 a.m.tomorrow.
2.We leave for Beijing next week.
3.The film starts at 7 p.m. this evening
4.My birthday is in two week’s time.
表按照安排，计划或时刻表，
用一般现在时代替一般将来时
Eg. 早班车7点
The early bus leaves at 7 a.m.
Note 4
1.Look! Here comes the bus!
2.There goes the bell!
在here/there引导的倒装句中，
用一般现在时代替现在进行时
1.= The bus is coming here.
2.=The bell is ringing

We use the present continuous tense
to talk about actions that:
1.are happening or in progress now.
are being planned now, but will
happen in the future.
2.happen repeatedly, used with
always, usually with a negative
connotation.
1看！猴子正在爬树。
2你的学习进展如何？
3你笑时很可爱
1.Look! The monkey is climbing the tree.
2.How are you getting on with your study?
3.You look lovely when you are smiling.
---time marker:
now; right now; at present; at the present time;
for the moment; these days/years
Note 1
1.How many of you are coming to
the party tonight?
2.A foreigner is giving a lecture in English
this afternoon.
1表位置移动的动词可用进行时表将来时。
2表预计将要发生的事情也可用进行时表将来时
 We
use the present perfect
tense to talk about how the
past and present are connected.
We use it for:
1. experiences that are repeated.
2.things that happened in the
past, but have an effect on the
present .
3.things that started in the past
and are still happening now.
1. experiences that are repeated
① He has hosted the show eight times.
② Bill Crystal has been in many films and
television shows.
2. things that happened in the past,
but have an effect on the present
① Doctors have found that people who
laugh a lot live longer!
② Some stand-up comedians have
became famous as television and film
actors later on in life .

3. things that started in the past and
are still happening now.
① People have always enjoyed laughing .
② Comedians have always told jokes and
performed comic acts.
time marker:
----already; never; ever; just; before;
recently; lately; yet; so far; by now;
up till now; up to the present;
for; all the time; since;several times
Sentence structures
It’s the first/second…time that+现在完成时
这是我第三次给你们讲这个语法点
It’s the third time that I have explained the
language point.
=I have explained the language points
three times so far.
were
1.In the past there _________(be)
no trees
in or around the village.
haven’t seen
2.In the past three weeks, I ___________
(not see) him.
3.我读完这本书后将给出我的观点
I’ll give my opinion after I have finished
reading the book.
Correct the following sentences:
1. He has arrived in China for 5 years.
￣↘
been
2.He has joined the army for 5 years.
￣↘
been in
Can you tell me the tenses of the
next two sentences?
1. Doctors have been researching that
question.
2.The curtains finally open—the
audience have been waiting an hour
for the show.
We use the present perfect
continuous tense to talk about actions
that started in the past, have lasted
up to now and will probably continue
to happen.

Finish the sentences by writing the
correct forms of tenses.
1.I will tell her when he ______(come)
comes
tomorrow.
is measuring
2.She ___________(measure)
the hall.
(她正在测量大厅)
3.I haven’t
____________
finished (not finish) reading the
book yet, so I can’t return it to the
library.
moves
4.The earth ______(move) round the sun.
5. In the future I shall do as she
says
______.(say)
6.She was sleepless many nights. She
has been
__________(be)
very tired and can’t
concentrate at all. So she decides to go to
see the doctor.
not have (have) many
7.As the city does
___________
entertaining places to go, we treated the
foreign friends to some real Chinese food.
lives
8.Ma Ling ________(live)
in Shanghai, but she
is living
___________(live)
in Beijing at the moment.
stands (stand) in
9.A big department store _________
standing
the centre of the town. A girl is
__________(stand)
at the gate of the store.
leaving
10.I am
_________(leave)
for Shanghai this Monday.
My plane________(leave)
at 9 in the morning.
leaves
11.I ____________(always
have) a cup of coffee
always have
am always forgetting
in the morning, but I _________________
(always forget) to wash the cup afterwards.