PETS－2语法讲解(131)

　　I'll buy one at the box office.
　　对话
　　Angus: Where are you off to in such a hurry?
　　Martin: I'm just off to the movie theater to see the latest Nicole Kidman movie.
　　Angus: I've seen it, it's really good. Have you got a ticket?
　　Martin: No, I'll buy one at the box office.
　　Angus: You could have saved yourself a lot of time by buying it on the internet.
　　Martin: I didn't know you could do that. You must show me how to do it.
　　安格斯：你这样匆忙，要去哪里？
　　马丁：我要上电*看科尔．基曼最新的电影。
　　安格斯：我看过了，的确是部好电影。你买了入场券没有？
　　马丁：没有，我会去售票处买。
　　安格斯：假如你早点在互联网上购买，会节省不少时间。
　　马丁：我不知道可以这样买票。你得教我网上买票的办法。
　　‘电*’美式英文叫movie theater、movie house或theater，英式则叫cinema。‘剧院’美式英文也叫theater，这和英式无别，但英式拼法是theatre。‘电影’的美式叫法是movie，英式是film，所以，同是看电影，美国人go to the theater/the movies，英国人则go to the cinema/the films；‘爱看电影者’也分为美国的moviegoers和英国的filmgoers。‘售票处’美英无别是box office或ticket office。I called the box office to find out if there were any seats left即 ‘我打电话到售票处，看还有没有剩余座位’。要去售票处买票，则可像马丁那样说：I'll buy a ticket at the box office。留意介系词(preposition)用at，不用in。At和in的一个分别，今天不妨谈谈。一些有特定用途的建筑物，用at带出，是说其用途；用in带出，是说‘在其内’。所以，‘我在售票处买票’是I bought a ticket AT the box office，而‘我看见售票处里有两个售票员’则是I saw two clerks IN the box office。假如Tom was at the library/supermarket/bank/theater，那么，汤姆是在看书/买东西/办理财务/看电影；假如Tom was in the library/supermarket/bank/theater，则他是在图书馆/超级市场/银行/电*之内。当然，I enjoy eating at/in that restaurant这一句，无论用at还是in，意思其实没有分别：我喜欢在那家餐厅吃饭。此外，在英国，‘上学’和‘到教堂礼拜’叫做at school/college和at church，但美国人现在多说in school/college，也有说in church。My daughter is in college即‘我女儿是大学生’。