the suburbs/a suburb
 【问】 英汉词典大都注明suburb多用复数，例如：
 I live in the suburbs. (LASDE)
 我住在郊区。
 但是，我在英语教科书中却读到了a suburb的用法：While I was waiting to enter university，I saw advertised in a local newspaper a teaching post at a school in a suburb of Lon-don about ten miles from where I lived.
 请解释这两种不同的用法。
 【答】 当suburb泛泛地指相对于“市中心”、“市内”而言的“市郊”、“郊区”、“郊外”时，常常用复数，并且带定冠词：
 1. I do not live in London. I live in the suburbs. (JED)
 我不住在伦敦市内，我住在郊区。
 2. People who work in the town or city often live in the suburbs. (EED)
 在镇上或市内工作的人通常住在郊区。
 但是，即使在这个意义上，suburb也不是非用复数不可，偶而也可用单数：
 1. in a London suburb
 在伦敦郊外(NAECD)
 2. A suburb of a town or city is an area of it which is not close to the centre. (EED)
 郊区是指不靠近市中心的地区。
 当suburb作“郊区的某一区”解时，应当使用单数，此时常常跟不定冠词连用：
 They entered a quiet suburb situated beneath a wooden hill. (Cronin)
 他们进入了位于山林下面的寂静的郊区。
 请做下面的英语试题：
 “Does Ron's brother live near the downtown area? ” “ No，he lives_________. ”
 A. out in the suburbs B. in the out suburbs C. out in suburbs D. in suburbs(TOEFL，80. 1)