2017高考英语易错知识点(2)
2017高考英语易错知识点：名词的用法
◆典型陷阱题分析◆
1. I found her sitting in the corner, reading _____ newspaper, with _____ in her eyes.
A. a, tear B. a piece of, tears
C. a, tears D. a piece of, tear
【陷阱】误选D，许多学生错误地认为，既然news(消息)和 paper(纸)均为不可数名词，那么newspaper(报纸)也应是不可数的;同时认为“眼泪”即“泪水”，“水”不可数，“泪水”和“眼泪”也应该不可数。
【分析】最佳答案为C。newspaper和 tear均为可数名词，它们不仅可以连用不定冠词、可以用复数，而且还可以连用数词。
Her eyes filled with tears. 她热泪盈眶。
She dried her tears with a handkerchief. 她用手帕擦干了眼泪。
The newspapers were full of lies. 报纸上一片谎言。
A newspaper is a publication. 报纸是一种出版物。
顺便说一句，若不是将 newspaper 当作是供阅读或传递信息的一种东西，而只是把它当成一种“纸”来看待，也可用作不可数名词，如：
Wrap it in (a sheet of) newspaper. 把它用张报纸包起来。
2. Her father works as a ______ in a hotel and her mother a ______ in a private company.
A. cooker, typewriter B. cook, typist
C. cooker, typist D. cook, typewriter
【陷阱】误选A，许多同学想当然地认为：cook 用作动词，表示“煮饭”，所以 cooker 应是其相应的名词，表示“煮饭的人”，即“厨师”;type 用作动词，表示“打字”，所以 typewriter 应表示“打字员”。
【分析】而事实是：cook=厨师，cooker=炊具;typist=打字员，typewriter=打字机。即此题正确答案为B。
3. “Why couldn’t they meet us at five o’clock?” “Because they were delayed by ________.”
A. heavy traffic B. heavy traffics
C. crowded traffic D. crowded traffics
【陷阱】B、C、D三项均容易误选。
【分析】对于此题，首先要明确traffic为不可数名词，没有复数形式，故排除B和D。另外，汉语习惯说“交通拥挤”，而英语习惯上却不能用crowded 来修饰 traffic，要表示汉语的“交通拥挤”，英语通常说heavy traffic，即选A。如下面一题也是选A：
She is not a competent driver and can’t cope with driving in _______.
A. heavy traffic B. heavy traffics
C. crowded traffic D. crowded traffics
4. In fact, _______ one cause that leads to the problem.
A. cattle is B. cattle are
C. cattles are D. the cattles are
【陷阱】此题容易误选A，想当然地认为cattle是单数，并且空格有表单数的one，自然谓语动词用is。
【陷阱】其实，正确答案为B。cattle(牲畜，牛)为集合名词，尽管它不带复数词尾-s，却永远表示复数意义，若用作主语，谓语要用复数。又如：
For this many cattle were killed. 为此宰了不少牲畜。
The prisoners were herded like cattle. 囚犯像牲口一样被赶到一起。
类似地，police(警察)，people(人)，police(警察)，poultry(家禽)等也具有同样用法，即只有单数形式，但却表示复数意义;用作主语时谓语通常也用复数;不与 a(n) 连用，但可与the连用(表示总括意义和特指)。如：
The poultry have been fed. 家禽已经喂过饲料了。
In Britain police do not usually carry guns. 在英国警察通常不带枪。
It annoys me when people forget to say “thank you”. 遇到有人忘记道谢的时候，我就不痛快。