before /bɪˈfɔː/ CET4 TEM4

• 1. 

  PREP If something happens before a particular date, time, or event, it happens earlier than that date, time, or event. 在 (某日、某时、某事件) 以前

  例：

  Annie was born a few weeks before Christmas.

  安妮在圣诞节前几个礼拜出生。

  例：

  Before World War II, women were not recruited as intelligence officers.

  二战前，女性不被征募为情报官。

• 2. 

  CONJ Before is also a conjunction. 在 (某日、某时、某事件) 以前

  例：

  Stock prices have climbed close to the peak they'd registered before the stock market crashed in 1987.

  股票价格已经快爬升到了1987年股市崩溃前的最高纪录。

• 3. 

  PREP If you do one thing before doing something else, you do it earlier than the other thing. 在 (做某事) 之前 [PREP -ing]

  例：

  He spent his early life in Sri Lanka before moving to Canada.

  移居加拿大前，他早年生活在斯里兰卡。

• 4. 

  CONJ Before is also a conjunction. 在 (做某事) 之前

  例：

  He took a cold shower and then towelled off before he put on fresh clothes.

  他穿上干净衣服之前，冲了个冷水澡，再擦干身子。

• 5. 

  ADV You use before when you are talking about time. For example, if something happened the day before a particular date or event, it happened during the previous day. (某时、某事) 以前 [n ADV]

  例：

  The war had ended only a month or so before.

  战争大约在一个月前才结束。

• 6. 

  PREP Before is also a preposition. (某时、某事) 以前 [n PREP n]

  例：

  It's interesting that he sent me the book twenty days before the deadline for my book.

  有趣的是，在距离我书的截止日期20天前他把那本书寄给了我。

• 7. 

  CONJ Before is also a conjunction. (某时、某事) 以前

  例：

  Kelman had a book published in the U.S. more than a decade before a British publisher would touch him.

  科尔曼在美国已经出版了一本书，十多年后英国的出版商才愿意出版他的作品。

• 8. 

  CONJ If you do something before someone else can do something, you do it when they have not yet done it. 在 (某人能做某事) 之前

  例：

  Before Gallacher could catch up with the ball, Nadlovu had beaten him to it.

  在加拉赫能接住球之前，纳德洛夫就已经比他先接到了。

• 9. 

  ADV If someone has done something before, they have done it on a previous occasion. If someone has not done something before, they have never done it. 以前 (做过某事) [ADV after v]

  例：

  I've been here before.

  我以前来过这儿。

  例：

  I had met Professor Lown before.

  我以前见过劳恩教授。

• 10. 

  CONJ If there is a period of time or if several things are done before something happens, it takes that amount of time or effort for this thing to happen. 经过 (一段时间或努力) 才

  例：

  It was some time before the door opened in response to his ring.

  他按过门铃后好一会儿门才打开。

• 11. 

  CONJ If a particular situation has to happen before something else happens, this situation must happen or exist in order for the other thing to happen. 在 (某事发生) 之前 (另一情况必须发生)

  例：

  There was additional work to be done before all the troops would be ready.

  在全军准备就绪之前还有些事情要做。

• 12. 

  PREP If someone is before something, they are in front of it. 在 (某物) 前面 [正式]

  例：

  They drove through a tall iron gate and stopped before a large white villa.

  他们开车穿过一扇高高的铁门，然后停在了一幢白色大别墅前。

• 13. 

  PREP If you tell someone that one place is a certain distance before another, you mean that they will come to the first place first. 在 (某地) 前方 (某距离处)

  例：

  The station is on the right, one mile before downtown Romney.

  车站在右侧，罗姆尼市中心前方一英里处。

• 14. 

  PREP If you appear or come before an official person or group, you go there and answer questions. 在 (人或组织) 面前 (回答提问)

  例：

  The governor will appear before the committee next Tuesday.

  这名行政官员将于下周二面对该委员会回答提问。

• 15. 

  PREP If something happens before a particular person or group, it is seen by or happens while this person or this group is present. (发生) 在 (某人、某组织) 面前

  例：

  The game followed a colourful opening ceremony before a crowd of seventy-four thousand.

  紧随一场精彩的开幕式，该比赛在7.4万名观众面前拉开了帷幕。

• 16. 

  PREP If you have something such as a trip, a task, or a stage of your life before you, you must do it or live through it in the future. (必须经历的事情) 在 (某人) 面前 [PREP pron]

  例：

  Everyone in the room knew it was the single hardest task before them.

  屋子里每个人都知道这是摆在他们面前的一项最艰巨的任务。

• 17. 

  PREP When you want to say that one person or thing is more important than another, you can say that they come before the other person or thing. (重要性) 以…为先 [v PREP n]

  例：

  Her husband and her children came before her needs.

  她的丈夫和孩子们比她的需要更重要。

• 18. 

  before long →see long