内容简介
听众 Evelyne 想知道单词 “being” 的含义和用法。“Being” 既可以作名词，也可以作动词。作名词时用法多样，比如，在搭配 “human being”、“came into being” 和 “my entire being” 当中，“being” 的意思都不同。此外，“being” 还是助动词 “be” 的现在分词。听节目，学习 “being” 的常见用法。
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（关于台词的备注: 请注意这不是广播节目的逐字稿件。本文稿可能没有体现录制、编辑过程中对节目做出的改变。）
Jiaying
大家好，欢迎收听 BBC英语教学的 “你问我答” 节目。I'm Jiaying.
Roy
And I'm Roy. Welcome!
Jiaying
本期节目的问题来自听众 Evelyne，问题是这样的：
Question
你好！能否讲解一下 “being” 的意思和用法？谢谢！
Roy
This is an excellent question, Evelyne, thank you. 'Being' is more frequently used as a verb, but it can also be a noun. Jiaying, shall we start with the noun?
Jiaying
好的。就如同 Roy 说的，“being” 作名词的使用频率要略低于它作动词的使用频率，但因为名词 “being” 的近义词不多，所以确实有必要来学习一下它的用法。“Being” 的第一个名词含义是 “生物，生命”。
Roy
Yes, with this meaning it's a countable noun and we often use it with the adjectives 'living' or 'human' before it.
Jiaying
在表达这个含义时，“being” 是可数名词。常见搭配有 “living being（生命，生物）”、“human being（人类）”。听两个例句。
Examples
Many people want to know if there are living beings on other planets.
（许多人想知道其它星球上是否存在生命。）
Human beings are social creatures – we need the company of others.
（人类是社会动物，我们需要他人的陪伴。）
Jiaying
接下来，看看 “being” 的第二个名词用法 —— “存在，生存”。这里，“being” 不可数，常用于不同的搭配中，谈论事物 “开始存在的一刻”。
Roy
Exactly! This can be quite a formal use of 'being' and you'll often hear it used with the verbs 'come' or 'bring', followed by 'into'. Let's listen to those in examples now.
Examples
The European Union came into being in 1993.
（欧盟成立于1993年。）
When the new railroad is built, it will bring many new towns into being.
（当这条新铁路建成时，将衍生多座新城镇。）
Jiaying
在第一个例句中，搭配 “came into being” 的意思是 “成立了”；在第二个例句中，搭配 “bring something into being” 的意思是 “使存在”。
下面，我们看 “being” 的第三个名词含义 —— “人的本质、本性”，是不可数名词，用来夸张地强调内心的感受。
Roy
Yes! We use 'being' with this meaning to say that we feel something strongly. And because we're often talking about our own feelings, it's common to hear this use in the first person with 'my being'.
Jiaying
因为名词 “being” 多用来谈论自身的感受，所以在第一人称的句子中常听到搭配 “my being（全心全意地，打心底地）”。听两个例句。
Examples
I love my children with my entire being.
（我全身心地爱我的孩子们。）
I knew Ruth was lying – I could feel it in the core of my being.
（我知道露丝当时在说谎，我从内心深处感觉到了这一点。）
Jiaying
下面，我们来看看 “being” 的动词用法。
Roy
Let's do it! 'Being' is the present participle of 'be' and, as you probably know, we use the verb 'be' a lot in English!
Jiaying
We do! 作现在分词使用时，“being” 用在进行时态中。虽然助动词 “be” 后面接现在分词 “being” 的句式乍一看有点怪，但我们可以用它来描述某人一时的行为。注意，助动词 “be” 会因主语的人称和句子的时态发生变化。
Roy
Yes, it may seem strange but it's how we describe someone's temporary behaviour. These examples might help.
Examples
My professor was being very kind to me yesterday – she knew I wasn't feeling well.
（我的教授昨天对我很体贴，她知道我身体不舒服。）
David, please stop kicking my seat – you're being very annoying!
（大卫，请你别再踢我的座位了，你这样很烦人！）
Jiaying
我们还可以在现在进行时或过去进行时的被动结构中使用现在分词 “being”。相信大家已经知道，被动语态用来强调动作的执行者是未知的或不重要的。被动语态的结构是：主语 + be 动词 + 过去分词。注意，be 动词随时态和人称变化。
Roy
So when we use the past continuous or present continuous in the passive, for example, we need to use 'being'. 'Being' will have the verb 'be' before it, and the past participle of the main verb after it. Here are two examples of that.
Examples
Two people were being arrested as I walked past the supermarket yesterday.
（昨天我经过超市时，有两个人被逮捕了。）
My son takes swimming lessons. He's being taught how to do backstroke at the moment.
（我儿子上游泳课。他正在学习如何仰泳。）
Jiaying
我们还可以在从句或句子的开头使用 “being”，来解释一件事情或说明某人做一件事情的原因。
Roy
In this case, 'being' is often followed by a noun or an adjective, and it can be the only verb in the clause. Here are your examples.
Examples
Adam didn't use to be very good at sharing his toys, being an only child.
（作为独生子，亚当过去不愿意把他的玩具分给其他人玩。）
Being old, my grandparents tend to stay at home.
（由于年事已高，我祖父母通常留在家里。）
Jiaying
希望在听了以上的讲解后，听众 Evelyne 对单词 “being” 的主要用法有了更深的理解。
Roy
Yes, and thank you again for the very useful question. Don't forget that anyone listening can send in their questions, too!
Jiaying
我们的微博账号是 “BBC英语教学”。你也可以发邮件给我们，邮箱地址是：questions.chinaelt@bbc.co.uk 谢谢收听 “你问我答” 节目。我是佳莹。我们下次再会！
Roy
Until next time, bye-bye.
Jiaying
Goodbye, everyone.
