(一)年 月 日表示法
1.年代 年代前用 in.
( in )897 读作(in) eight hundred and ninety-seven
( in )1961 读作(in) nineteen sixty-one (或 in nineteen hundred and sixty-one)
( in )1905 读作(in) nineteen and five
( in )1800 读作(in) eighteen hundred
2.月份 月份开头第一个字母须大写,表示“在某月”时,月份前面用 in.下面月份后附有缩写式。
( in )January Jan.(in) March Mar.(in) December Dec.
3.日期 用序数词(前需要加the)表示;“ 在某日”,前面用介词on.
(on)the first(on)the eighteenth(on)the thirty-second
4.某年 某月 某日
in Sep.1954 on May 17,1960 on Oct.1,1949(读作on October the first,nineteen forty-nine)
注:当年月日完全用数字表示时,美国人把月放在日前。8,6,79在英国表示June the eighth (79年6月8日),但是在美国却表示August the sixth (79年8月6日)。
(二)时刻表示法
1.英语通常用at所引导的表示时刻。如:
(at)six or six o‘clock
(at)eight or eight o‘clock
2.如说几点几分,用下面的方法
a)表示几点过几分,用介词,但分数须在半小时以内包括半小时。如:
eleven past seven
a quarter past eight
half past nine
b)表示几点差几分,用介词to,但分数需要在半小时以上不包括半小时。 如:
two to seven
a quarter to eight
eighteen to nine
注:上午可以用am表示,下午用pm表示,例如:
9.50am 11.05pm
(三)分数词表示法
1.分数词是以基数词和序数词合成的,基数词代表分子,序数词代表分母,除了分子是“1”的情况外,序数词都是用复数,(分子用基数词,分母用序数词,分子大于“1”,分母则加“s”)如:
1/4 one-fourth 2/3 two-thirds 7/9 seven-ninths 5/12 five-twelfths
2.另外还有下面一些表示法:
1/2 (one) a half 1/4 a (one ) quarter 3/4 three-quarters
(四)小数的表示法
7.8 ——seven point eight
0.4——zero point four
0.125—— zero point one two five
603.09——six hundred and three point oh nine
小数作定语时较多:
Its total industrial output value was up 5.6 times in these years.
Our grain output is now 2.4 times that of 1970.
(五)百分数的表示法
百分数由per cent 表示,常常和by连用,作状语也可单独作状语:
Its total output value increased by 11.5 per cent over the previous year.
The output of cars in the U.S.last year was 24 per cent less than in 1973.
有时用作定语 宾语等:
The loss of metal has been reduced to less than 20%.
The March figure for output value registered a 37% increase over February.
(六)倍数的表示法:
一倍用once,两倍用 twice,两倍以上用基数词+times.如:5倍five times.
(七)一些数学公式的读法:
3+8=11 Three plus eight is eleven.
9-7=2 Nine minus seven is two.
a>b a is more than b.
(八)约数的表示法
⑴ “多于”用more than 或over
This room can hold more than (=over) 500 people.这间屋子能容纳500多人。
⑵ “少于”用less than
There are less than thirty balls in the basket.篮子里不到三十个球。
⑶ “或……以上”用or more
The music hall can hold 7000 people or more.音乐厅能容纳7000人或7000人以上。
⑷ “或……以下”用or less
The house can hold 50 people or less.这座房子可容纳50人或50人以下。
⑸ “大约”用about,around,nearly等
The box weights about 50 pounds.这个箱子重约50磅。
⑹ “左右”用or so
In the past ten years or so ,they have changed a lot.在过去的十年左右的时间里,他们改变了许多。