一般过去时：

功能：

（1）表示过去某个特定时间或某一段时间发生的动作或情况。
►. We visited the school last spring.
►. I went to school by bike when I was in middle school.
►. China was founded in 1949.

（2）在表示时间或条件等的状语从句中代替过去将来时。
►. She told me that she would not go with us if it rained the next day.
►. They would not leave until she came back.
►. My friend promised to marry me once she made her final decision.

一般过去时，现在时和过去时的几组差异：（别以为这很简单，下面的差异你不一定明白。）

►. Her brother was a chemist.（已去世）
►. Her brother is a chemist.（尚健在）

►. That's all I had to say.（话已说完）
►. That's all I have to say.（言之未尽）

►. It was so nice to see you.（离别时用）
►. It is so nice to see you.（见面时用）

►. Jane did a lot of work this morning.（已是当天下午或晚上）
►. Jane has done a lot of work this morning.（仍是上午）［本句现在完成时，此乃后话！］

测试精编I：（用所给动词的正确进态填空）。

1. Yesterday I ________ (think) that you were not in Beijing.

2. Alice usually ________ (sit) in the front of the classroom, but she ________ (sit) at the back this morning.

3. He ________ (tell) the news to us three days ago.

4. He________ (begin) to teach Chinese in 1990. 5. she would not telephone me if she ________ (have) no time.

测试精编II

1. They ________ the trip until the rain stopped.
A. continued             B. didn't continue
C. hadn't continued        D. would continue

2. The local peasants gave the soldiers clothes and food without which they ________ of hunger and cold.（without 在这里表条件，你知道吗？）
A. would die       B. will die      C. would be dead       D. would have died

3. It was not until then that I came to know that the earth ________ around the sun.
A. moved       B. has moved      C. will move       D. moves

4. When all those present ________ he began his lecture.（重点题）
A. sit       B. set       C. seated       D. were seated

5. If I had had time, I would have written to you. But in fact I ________ not.
A. have      B. would have      C. had       D. had had

KEYS

1. thought      2. sits, sat      3. told      4. began      5. had
1. B    2. A    3. D    4. D    5. C