本单元课文中有这样一句话:Creating a new festival may seem an unusual way to celebrate history and culture, but we are in fact all creating new festivals every year.句中涉及到seem一词,其用法很多,它的后面可以接形容词、介词短语和从句,还可以接名词、不定式等。seem是连系动词,意思是"好像"、"似乎"、"看来好像"、"觉得似乎"。seem表示说话人主观的判断或表示主语可能的情况。其常用结构如下:
1. seem+形容词
Everything seems easy.一切似乎很容易。
2. seem+名词
He seemed an honest man.他看上去像是个老实人。
This seemed to us an ideal plan.我们感到这是个完美的计划。
3. seem+不定式
The maths problem seems to be very difficult to work out.这道数学题似乎很难解决。
I seem to have caught a cold.我好像是感冒了。
4. seem+过去分词
Our teacher seemed stopped by the question.我们的老师似乎是被那个问题难住了。
His story seemed revealed.他的谎言似乎已被揭露。
5. seem+doing
No one seemed thinking that way.似乎没人那样想。
She seemed lacking in enthusiasm when we were talking about that film.我们谈论那部电影时,她看来好像没多大热情。
6. seem+like+n./ V-ing,意思是"看起来像……"
It seems like years since I last saw you.自从我上次见到你以后,好像是过了好几年。
Those cards seemed like so many little flags dotted about the schoolroom.那些卡片好像许多面小旗点缀着教室。
7. There seems to be...,意为"似乎有;好像有……"
There seems to be no work for you to do now.看来现在没有工作需要你做了。
8. It seems/seemed +that从句
It seems that he is lying.看来他在撒谎。
It seemed that no one knew what happened.看来没有人知道发生了什么事。
9. It seems/seemed + as if从句
It seems as if he were in a dream.看来他像是在做梦。
It seemed as if the good man were trying to teach us all he knew at this last lesson.这个好心人仿佛要在最后这一堂课上把他的全部知识教给我们。
【注意】在It seems/seemed as if...句型中,从句的谓语动词常用虚拟语气来表示所设想的事情不可能发生。例如:It seems as if she had read this novel.看来她好像看过这本小说。但如果句中的情况可能发生或可能被设想为真实,则仍然用陈述语气。例如:It seems as if our team is going to win.看来我们队要胜了。It seems as if he has learned by heart a speech written by someone else.看来他像是背了一篇由别人写的演讲稿。