It had been a long trip from the south back to their homes in the north.

VOA: special.2009.12.12

As you can imagine, it had long been out of fashion in Milton's own day.

可以想象，就算是在弥尔顿时期这种诗也早就过时了。

耶鲁公开课 - 弥尔顿课程节选

It has been tempered in a celestial fire in ether, and it was the ether of the ethereal heavens that had always been thought -throughout the Renaissance and long before, of course -- to be the most perfect substance imaginable.

它是在广阔苍穹的天国之火中被锻造出，也是飘渺的天堂中的以太,不断地被提及,-贯穿于文艺复兴的始终，当然--是可想见的最完美的物质。

耶鲁公开课 - 弥尔顿课程节选

It had been a long concert. Yet the crowd kept calling for more.

VOA: special.2009.01.25

It was a long time since Missus Sommers had been fitted with gloves.

VOA: special.2009.09.05

It was very long and when it was new it had been gray.

VOA: special.2010.06.12

"We had been training long and hard for the mission, and we knew the baby was coming so it was easy to go on and do my tasks,"

VOA: standard.2009.11.30