PETS－2语法讲解(264)

They really put me through it.
　　对 话 　　Alex: Why are you looking so smart?
　　Ginnie: I've just been for a job interview.
　　Alex: How did it go?
　　Ginnie: Oh, they really put me through it.
　　Alex: What do you mean?
　　Ginnie: They asked me all the most difficult questions they could possibly think of.
　　Alex: Do you think you got it?
　　Ginnie: I don't know. They said they'd inform me by mail.
　　亚历克斯：为什么穿得这样帅？
　　金尼：我刚刚出席了求职面试。
　　亚历克斯：顺不顺利？ 　　金尼：啊，他们给我非常严格的考验。
　　亚历克斯：怎样严格呢？
　　金尼：他们能想到最困难的问题，都拿来问我。
　　亚历克斯：你认为你会获聘吗？
　　金尼：不知道。他们说会寄信通知我。
　　金尼面试后说：They really put me through it。Put somebody through it是‘对某人严加考验或盘问’，常用来说审讯，例如：The prosecution certainly put the defendant through it（控方盘问被告毫不留情）。Put somebody through it的it字，有时会用wringer（绞干机）或其它字取代，例如：(1) The police put him through the wringer by asking him all sorts of questions（警方提出各式各样问题，对他严加盘问）。(2) He was put through a tough physical examination（他接受了非常严格的体格检查）。
　　留意They asked me all the most difficult questions they could possibly think of一语。Possible和can都有‘能够’的意思，例如‘人可以活到二百岁吗？’可译做Can a man live to the age of 200?或Is it possible for a man to live to the age of 200? Can和possible一般不可以合用，例如不可说Can it be possible for a man to live to the age of 200?但possibly和can或can't却经常合用，以加强语气，例如：(1) The doctor did everything he possibly could to save her life（医生竭尽所能拯救她的性命）。(2) I can't possibly learn all the poems by heart!（我绝对不可能把这些诗歌全部记在心上）。用于问句，possibly和can合起来，则可使语气轻一点，客气一点，例如：Could you possibly let me use your computer for a moment?（我可以借你的计算机使用一下吗？( )