【问】 陈忠诚先生在《谈谈“中国日报”有关英语写作问题的几点意见》一文(《福建外语》)提到了下面的句子: The 1983 National Games for the Disabled,the first to be held in China,opened at the in-door stadium here Saturday night.他指出:“在执笔当时,1983年全国残废人运动会或者已经召开或者尚未召开。但是该句却提供了两个矛盾的信息:一个是‘尚未召开’(tobe held);另一个却是‘已经召开’(opened)……”。 我的问题是:在the first to be held这个结构里,不定式to be held是表示“尚未召开”吗? 【答】 大家都知道,当动词不定式充当后置定语时大都隐含着时态意义或情态意义: 1. I've brought a book to read(a book to read=a book that I will read). 我买了一本书来读。 2. Is he really a man to be trusted? (to be trusted=who can be trusted) 他真是一个可信赖的人吗? 3. The procedure to be followed…(to be followed=that must (should或者 will) be fol-lowed) 下面的程序…… 但是,当充当主语的先行词含有first,next或者last这样的词语时,则充当定语的动词不定式并不含有将来意义或情态意义,而含有过去时意义: 1. He was the first man to fly across the Atlantic (to fly=who flew). (RBE) 他是第一个飞越大西洋的人。 2. He was the first to be there (to be there=who was there), 他第一个到达到那里。 3. They were the last guests to arrive (to arrive=who arrived). (CGEL) 他们是最后到达的客人。 4. He was one of the first to collect Picasso paintings. (LCD) 他是最早收集毕加索画的人之一。 5. I arrived first. The next (one) to arrive was James. (GPU) 我是到达的第一个人。第二个到达的是詹姆斯。 6. Ameria Earhart,the first woman to make a solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean,wasborn in 1898. (TOEFL) 阿美丽娅·埃尔哈特,第一个单独飞越大西洋的妇女,生于1898年。 7. The great racing driver,Sir Malcolm Campbell,was the first man to drive at over 300miles per hour. (New Concept English,Book 2,L. 72) 著名的赛车手马尔科姆·康佩尔爵士是驱车时速超过300英里的第一个人。 由此可见,在the first to be held这个结构里,to be held并不是表示“尚未召开”,而是表示“已经召开”,因而上面提到的China Daily中的结构the first to be held是正确的。 请做下面的英语试题: 1. The last man____the sinking ship was the captain. A. left B. to be leaving C. to leave D. leaves 2. An innovator,ballerina Augusta Maywood was____a traveling company. A. to form the first B. the first to form C. who formed the first D. forming the first(TOEFL,91.10)