Machiavelli was a kind of political junkie, you could say, in things happening in Italy and else where.

马奇亚维利曾经几乎是政治弱能，可以这样说，关于发生于意大利及其它地方的事务。

耶鲁公开课 - 政治哲学导论课程节选

Years ago, there was some crime here.

几年前，这里曾经有一些罪案发生。

最美丽的公园 - SpeakingMax英语口语达人

Broom meant to make a clean sweep of things, a clean sweep of what had come before.

扫帚》的寓意是将事情做个彻底的了结，对曾经发生过的事情一扫而空。

耶鲁公开课 - 现代诗歌课程节选

I have to believe that whoever came up with that theory for the first time was aided in coming to it by thinking about the end of the Roman Empire, when something precisely like that did happen.

我想任何人第一次接触该理论,都会自动联想到罗马帝国的衰亡,进而支持该理论,因为类似的事情确实曾经发生过

耶鲁公开课 - 古希腊历史简介课程节选