问题示例

饮食习惯变化：How are the eating habits now in your country different from eating habits in the past?

休闲方式变化：Are the types of leisure activities that are popular today the same as those that were popular when your parents were young?

购物习惯变化：How have shopping habits changed over recent years?

交通方式变化：Have the types of transport people use changed much over the last few decades?

描述变化这种题型时需要注意语法和词组。

描述过去

描述现在和过去不同的事常用used to “Vietnam used to be a colony of France, (but now it is independent)”“Jimmy Carter used to be the President of the United States, (but now he isn’t.)”This can, of course be used to give personal information.“I used to smoke, (but I gave up 2 years ago.)”“Mike used to be a detective in the CID, (but now he’s a teacher)”

描述比较

比较是一种很好的描述变化的方法。一般过去时，现在完成时，一般现在时三种时态都可能用到。 一般过去时： "Thirty years ago, the streets were much quieter than now.”一般过去时：“I think that reading was much more popular in the past.”现在完成时：“The streets have become much noisier.” (Notice, a time is not needed)一般现在时：“Reading is much less popular than it was in the past.”

猜测

将来的事情，谁也不确定会怎么样，做猜测的时候经常用would。 “It would have been harder for my grand father to find out about international news, because there was no radio or T.V in his village.”

“In the past, people would have traveled less often.”

其他词汇也可以表示猜测 (perhaps, possibly, might, may, etc.) “I’m not sure but, perhaps, they might have studied less science thirty years ago”“Possibly, in my father’s day, people could have played more sport.”

小总结

问题的常见形式“How do you think … is different from thirty years ago?”“In what ways has … changed from when your parents were young?

“How is … different from twenty years ago?”

常用词组及时态

描述过去用used to比较现在与过去可以用一般过去时/一般现在时/现在完成时猜测未来用would,perhaps, possibly, might, may等。