VOA慢速英语2020 Beyond和Behind辨析

Beyond and Behind

Today we answer a question from Ahmed in Egypt. He writes:

今天，我们将回答来自埃及的艾哈迈德的提问。他写道： 

I would like to know the exact meaning of beyond and its uses and the difference between it and behind. Thanks in advance.

我想知道“beyond”一词的的确切含义和用途，及其与单词“behind”之间的区别。先谢谢了。 

Dear Ahmed,Thank you for writing.

亲爱的艾哈迈德：感谢您的来信。 

While the words "beyond" and "behind" are similar, there are important differences between them.

尽管单词“beyond”和“behind”相似，但它们有重要的区别。 

"Beyond" can be an adverb – a word that changes the meaning of a verb, or a preposition¹, a word that shows location.As an adverb, it means at a further distance, as in this example:

“beyond”可用作副词，用来改变动词或介词的含义，还可以表示位置。用作副词时，“beyond”的意思是距离较远，例如：

"From my window, I can see the city lights and the mountains beyond."

“从我的窗户望去，我可以看到城市的灯光和远处的群山。” 

It can also mean to or until a later time, or in the future, as in this sentence:

“beyond”还可以表示直到以后的某个时间或将来，例如： 

"People need to know math through their school years and beyond."

“人们在整个上学期间甚至以后的时间都需要懂数学”。 

In the "Toy Story" movies, the astronaut Buzz² Lightyear has a favorite saying,

在电影《玩具总动员》中，宇航员巴斯光年有句口头禅: 

"To infinity³ and beyond!"

“飞向宇宙，浩瀚无垠！” 

That expression means he is willing to go very far in exploring space.

该表达的意思是他愿意深入探索太空。 

As a preposition, you can use "beyond" to talk about a place or location at a greater distance than when using the word "behind."

“beyond”用作介词时，可以用来谈论比单词“behind”表示的距离还要远的地方。 

"There was a dog barking behind the fence,and beyond him two children were playing.

“篱笆后有一条狗在叫，更远处两个孩子在玩耍。” 

"Behind" can be used as an adverb, preposition, or noun⁴.As an adverb, it means in or toward⁵ the back of something.For example, you may have seen a family of ducks walking in a line:

“behind”可以用作副词、介词或名词。用作副词时，“behind”表示在某物的后面。例如，你可能看到过一群鸭子排成一行走路：

"The mother duck came first, with the baby ducks following behind."

“母鸭走在最前面，小鸭子跟在后面。” 

But note that you could not use "beyond" in that sentence.Another use of "behind" is when describing something that is not happening on time.

但要注意，不能在该句中使用“beyond”一词。“behind”的另一种用法是描述未按时发生的事情。 

"During the pandemic, many people got behind on their rent."

“大流行期间，许多人拖欠了房租。” 

That is, the rent payments⁶ were arriving late.You probably are familiar with the use of "behind" as a preposition, meaning at the back or rear⁷ of something.But it can also mean in the past, as in these examples:

也就是租金交晚了。你可能熟悉“beyond”的介词用法，即表示在某物的背面。但“beyond”还可表示在过去，例如：

"After winning the lottery⁸, her financial problems were all behind her."

“中彩票后，她的财务问题全都成为了过去。” 

"Your old clothes are just behind the times."

“你的旧衣服太过时了。” 

Now, let me test your understanding of "behind" and "beyond" in a quiz.Choose the right words to complete this sentence:

现在，让我来给你出个小测，测试你对“behind”和“beyond”的理解。选择正确的词语完成句子： 

Mail deliveries⁹ usually fall ______ around the winter holidays, but they improve ______ the new year.

快递业务通常在寒假前后有所滞后，但新年过后会有所改善。 

Are you ready? If you chose "behind" for the first blank and "beyond" for the second blank, you know the difference.

准备好了吗？如果你两个空格分别选择单词“behind”和“beyond”，那么你肯定知道它们的区别。 

I hope that helps to answer your question, Ahmed.

我希望这对回答你的提问有帮助，艾哈迈德。 

What question do you have about American English?Send us an email at [email protected].

你对美式英语有什么疑问吗？请给我们发送电子邮件至[email protected]。 

And thats Ask a Teacher for this week.

以上就是本周《名师答疑》的全部内容。 

1 preposition   

n.介词

参考例句：

• You should cancel this preposition in the sentence.你应该删去句子中的这个介词。
• We use different preposition to talk about time,days,months and seasons.我们用不动的介词来谈论时间，日，月和季节等。

2 buzz   

v.充满了激动或活动的声音，发出低沉的声音

参考例句：

• My brain was in buzz.我的脑袋嗡嗡响。
• A buzz went through the crowded courtroom.拥挤的法庭里响起了一片乱哄哄的说话声。

3 infinity   

n.无限，无穷，大量

参考例句：

• It is impossible to count up to infinity.不可能数到无穷大。
• Theoretically,a line can extend into infinity.从理论上来说直线可以无限地延伸。

4 noun   

n.名词

参考例句：

• What kind of noun is this?这是哪类名词？
• This word is a collective noun.这个词是个集体名词。

5 toward   

prep.对于，关于，接近，将近，向，朝

参考例句：

• Suddenly I saw a tall figure approaching toward the policeman.突然间我看到一个高大的身影朝警察靠近。
• Upon seeing her,I smiled and ran toward her. 看到她我笑了，并跑了过去。

6 payments   

n.支付，付款，缴纳，报酬( payment的名词复数 )；付出的[要付出的]款项；报答，报偿

参考例句：

• Welfare payments cease as soon as an individual starts a job. 一旦就业，即停发福利救济。
• The law can compel fathers to make regular payments for their children. 这项法律可强制父亲定期支付子女的费用。

7 rear   

vt.抚养，饲养；n.后部，后面

参考例句：

• We had to rear it in a nursery and plant it out.我们不得不在苗棚里培育它，然后再把它移植出来。
• The hall is in the rear of the building.礼堂在大楼的后部。

8 lottery   

n.抽彩；碰运气的事，难于算计的事

参考例句：

• He won no less than ￡5000 in the lottery.他居然中了5000英镑的奖券。
• They thought themselves lucky in the lottery of life.他们认为自己是变幻莫测的人生中的幸运者。

9 deliveries   

投递( delivery的名词复数 )； [法律]（正式）交付； 分娩； 表演

参考例句：

• Deliveries of mail could be delayed because of cost-cutting. 由于削减成本，邮件的递送可能会延迟。
• We have developed rapid order processing to expedite deliveries to customers. 我们已创造了快速处理订单的方法以便迅速将货物送达顾客。