《朗文英语正误词典》(安徽科技出版社, p. 9; 朗文出版公司、上海译文出版社, p. 7) 说:
“× The road to the airport was very busy and we were afraid to miss the plane.
The road to the airport was very busy and we were afraid of missing the plane.
到机场的路很拥挤,我们担心要误飞机。
(说明)be afraid to do something = be unwilling to do something because you are frightened (因为害怕而不想去做某事), 如: She was afraid to eat it in case it was poisonous. (她怕有毒不敢吃。) be afraid of doing something = be worried or anxious about something which might happen (担心某事会发生)。”
但是我手头有这样的例句: I'm afraid of flying. (我害怕乘飞机。)(PEU), 似乎不能用 be worried or anxious about something which might happen(担心某事会发生)来解释。
该书把 were afraid to miss 改为 were afraid of missing 是完全正确的(见 afraid of doing)。该书将 be afraid of doing something 解释为 be worried or anxious about something which might happen(担心某事会发生)，基本上也是正确的。但是这里应当补充的是，be afraid of doing something 除经常作“担心某件不称心的事情会发生”之外，有时也可作“害怕做某事”或“不 敢做某事”解，亦即跟 be afraid to do something 的意思相似。例如：
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She was afraid of waking him. 她不敢叫醒他。
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I'm not afraid of hurting you. (Greene) 我不怕伤害你。
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I'm afraid of telling her. (PEU) 我不敢告诉她。
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I'm afraid of diving into the swimming pool. (= I don't want to do it.) (PEU) 我害怕在游泳池里跳水。
这里应当强调指出, be afraid to do 绝不可用来代替作“担心或害怕某件不称心的事会发生”解的 be afraid of doing。
请做下面的英语试题：
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I don't like to speak Spanish because I'm afraid ____ mistakes. A. making B. to make C. of making D. to making
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Let's not be afraid ____.
A. to finish when we have attained the end
B. to end when we have achieved the end
C. of ending when the end has been completed
D. to end when we have reached the end (TOEFL)