“Tomorrow I want you to give us a talk, Jim. Please give us a short talk. Nothing difficult!” “A talk? What subject should I talk about?”(《初中英语教科书》第三册,人教社,p.2) 该书在《课文注释》(p.97)中说:
“should 作为情态动词和疑问词连用时,常常表示意外、惊奇、不能理解等,有‘竟会’的意思。又如:
How should I know? 我怎么知道?
‘Give me that photo.’ ‘Why should I?’ ‘把那张照片给我。’ ‘为什么(要)给你?’”
请问在我所提问的句子里 should 是表示“意外、惊奇、不能理解”吗?
虽然 should 与疑问词 (why, how 等) 连用有时含有“惊奇、意外”等含义, 但是不能认为 should 凡与疑问词连用便具有“惊奇、意外”等含义。例如, 你所提问的句子里的 should 就没有“惊奇、意外”的含义, 而仅仅是表示“应该”“应当”, 相当于 ought to。请看下面的实例:
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Who should we invite? /Who ought we to invite? 我们应当邀请谁呢?
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The housekeeper considered how she should answer. 管家在考虑她应该如何回答。
[试译]……讲话?我应当讲什么题目呢?
请做下面的英语试题:
- You can't imagine that a well-behaved gentleman ____ be so rude to a lady.
A. might B. need C. should D. would(上海高考,01-34)
- ——How's your tour around the North Lake? Is it beautiful?
—It ____ be, but it is now heavily polluted.
A. will B. would C. should D. must(全国高考卷 I, 07-27)