被动语态是动词的一种特殊形式，表示句子中的主语是动作的承受者，汉语往往用“被”、“受”、“给”等词来表示被动意义。《大学英语自学教程》系统讲解了被动语态的构成、基本句型以及用法，考生们在学习这一语法现象时，还应注意以下几个方面，以免在实际运用中出现差错。
一、主动形式表示被动意义
英语的被动意义除了用及物动词的被动语态形式表示外，还可以用其他方法来表示，就像在汉语中并非一定要用“被”字来表示的被动意义一样。
1、用某些不及物动词表示被动意义，如carry,cut,drive,iron,keep,lock,open,pick,read,sell,shut,tear,wash,wear,write等等。这类动词既能作及物动词，也能作不及物动词。作不及物动词时，形式上虽为主动，却表示被动意义。例如：
Meat cuts easily.肉容易切。
His novel sells well.他的小说畅销。
The car drove easily.这车很容易开。
Your pen writes quite smoothly.你的笔写起来很滑。
在上述句子中，主语通常指物，起动作承受者的作用，也可以说是不及物动词的逻辑宾语。但是有时也有用人称主语的。例如：
The girl does not photograph well.这女孩不上像。比较：The girl has not
been photographed well.这女孩的照片没拍好。
2、某些感觉动词的主动态表示被动意义。例如：
This shirt feels much softer than that one.这件衬衫比那件衬衫摸起来柔软得多。
That book smells old.那本书有一股霉味。
These oranges taste nice.这些橙子味道很好。
以上这些动词都不能用进行时表示。若用进行时，则表示主动含义。比较：The child is smelling
the paint.小孩正在闻油漆的气味。
3、有少数动词(bind,cook,do,owe,print)的进行时有时有被动意义。在这种用法中，句子的主语都应该是指物的。例如：
The magazine is binding(printing).这本杂志正在装订(印刷)。
He paid all that was owing.欠的钱他都还了。
The meat is cooking.正在火敦肉。
4、动词get,come,go之后接过去分词，表示被动意义。get的这种用法局限于口语和非正式的书面语言，更强调动作的结果而非动作本身，并常用来表示突发性的、出乎意料的偶然事件。而come和go常接含否定意义的过去分词。例如：
After working selflessly in here for several years,Mr Li got
promoted at last.李先生在此地无私地干了好几年，终于得到提升。
They got delayed because of the holiday traffic.由于节日交通阻塞，他们被耽误了。
The buttons on my coat came undone.我上衣的扣子松开了。
The woman's complaints went unnoticed.那位女士的投诉无人理睬。
5、在need(want,require,deserve,etc.)doing句型中，动名词(doing)相当于动词不定式的被动式(to
be done)，在意思上没有多大差别。例如：
The garden needs watering.The garden needs to be watered.花园需要浇水。
The problem requires to be studied with great care.这个问题需要仔细研究。
These jobs want doing at once.These jobs want to be done
at once.这些工作需要马上就做。
用法相似的结构还有bear doing,stand doing,be worth doing,习惯不用动词不定式。如：
That won't bear thinking of.那是不堪想像的。
The little girl can't stand criticizing.小女孩经不起批评。
The food is not worth eating.这种饭菜不值一吃。
It's well worth making the effort to learn how to do it.很值得花一番功夫去学会怎么做这事。
值得注意的是，在be worth doing句型中，只能用动名词的主动式，而在be worthy to be
done中，才能用动词不定式的被动式，两者不可混淆。 6、在某些性质形容词＋动词不定式的句型中，其动词不定式的主动形式表示被动意义。例如：
The question is easy to answer.这问题容易回答。
That book is difficult to understand.那本书难懂。
在这种句型结构中，动词不定式和主语的关系实际上是一种逻辑上的动宾关系，可以说是动词不定式作主语变换来的，相当于It's
easy to answer the question.和It's difficult to understand
that book.由于把动词宾语放在主语位置，所以和不定式的关系构成一种被动关系。
7、有些动词不定式不论用主动形式还是被动形式，动词不定式和主语的关系都是被动的。例如：
Nobody was to blame (to be blamed) for the accident.这个事故，谁也不能责怪。
The house is to let (to be let).这房子出租。
There are a lot of books to read (to be read).有许多书要读。
Those cars are to rent (to be rented).那些汽车出租。
8、以－able或－ible结尾的形容词可表示被动意义。例如：
These tickets are available for one month.These tickets
are capable of being used for one month.这些票可用一个月。
It's a credible explanation.The explanation can be trusted.这是一种可信的解释。
The fish was hardly eatable.The fish could hardly be eaten.这鱼几乎不能吃。
9、有些介词短语用作表语或定语时，可以表示被动意义。例如：
The thief is under arrest.The thief has been arrested.小偷已被捕。
Apples are on sale.Apples are being sold.苹果在出售。
The phenomenon under study is very interesting.The phenomenon
which is being studied is very interesting.正在研究的现象十分有趣。
10、在冠词the和a (an)后面只能用动名词的主动形式，这种名词化的动名词有时表示被动意义。例如：
The boy took a beating.那男孩挨了打。
It was spoilt in the making.这东西在制作过程中被损坏了。
11、在某些名词词组中，表示动作的名词无疑具有动作的含义，往往可以表现被动意义，而这种被动意义与英语的被动结构无任何语法上的联系。例如：
After his release from prison,he returned home.他从监狱被释放出来以后回到了家。
His family lived on government aid for three years.他一家靠政府救济生活三年了。
二、语态转换和某些动词的关系
1、一般以为凡及物动词都有相应的被动句，其实不然，当“主 动 宾”结构的谓语动词是表示状态或特征的及物动词，如contain,cost,fit,have,lack,resemble,suit等，主动句便没有相应的被动句：
Linda resembles her mother.琳达象她母亲。
This red coat becomes her.这件红上衣合她的身。
The auditorium holds 2000 people.大礼堂能容纳两千人。
My shoes don't fit me.我的鞋不合脚。
Jack always lacks confidence.杰克总是缺乏信心。
但是，状态动词know有相应的被动态：Experts have been known to make this mistake.大家知道，专家也会犯这种错误。有时，有些不能用于被动语态的状态动词，在同一意义上，如果不用by－词组，可以有被动句。如：All
my things are held in this box.这只箱子里装着我所有的东西。
2、某些被动句没有相应的主动句。例如：
She was born in Nanjing.她生于南京。
He was said to be an honest man.据说他是个老实人。
They will be married next month.他们将于下月结婚。
Mary said that she was not obliged to work overtime.玛丽说她并不是非加班不可。
3、当“主 动 宾”结构的宾语为反身代词或相互代词时，通常不能转换为被动句。例如：
The doctor dedicated herself to finding a cure.这位医生为寻求一种治疗方法奉献了她的一生。
Did he hurt himself when he fell?他跌倒时有没有摔伤了自己?
We could hardly see each other in the fog.在雾中我们彼此几乎看不见。
They told each other about their families.他们互相向对方讲述了各自的家庭情况。
4、用于被动语态的have。 动词have作为“有”的意思时，是状态动词，没有相应的被动态。但是在下列情况中，have有被动语态。
a、作为“被买到(得到)”、“被找到”意思时：
We tried to get a copy of her book,but there was none to be
had(to be bought).我们想弄到一本她的书，但就是买不到。
That is about the only work to be had(=to be found) at this
time of the year.那大概就是今年此时唯一能找到的工作了。
b、作为“欺(哄)骗”意思时，口语中常用被动态：
I'm afraid you've been had.恐怕你上当了。
He's not the first person that's been had in that way.他并非第一个这样上当受骗的人。
c、作“被贿赂”意思时： The man was had (=was bribed) into giving them
the documents.这人被贿赂，给他们提供了文件。
d、与某些介词或副词构成短语动词时，相当于一个及物动词：
I've been had on (=have been fooled) too often to take his
stories seriously.我时常上他的当，不再把他的话当真了。
The young man was had up (=was taken to court)for dangerous
driving.这年青人因危险驾车被法庭传讯。
5、有些原来不及物的动词，如果作使役动词来用，那么有被动语态，较常见的有fly,run,stand,walk等。例如：
Many cars have been flown to Europe.许多汽车已被空运到欧洲去了。
This bottle must not be stood close to the fire.这只瓶不得放在近火处。
Horses should be walked for some time after a race.赛马后，得溜一会儿马。
三、被动语态结构与SVC(动词－ed形式作表语)结构的区别
被动语态表示动作，句子主语为动作的对象，SVC结构表示主语的特点或所处的状态，其中的过去分词相当于形容词，be只有一般时态和完成时态。被动结构的时态一般要与相应的主动结构一致。下面把这两种结构作一比较：
1、The library is usually closed at 6.图书馆通常六点关门。(被动语态)
The library is now closed.图书馆关门了。(SVC结构)
2、The bridge was completed in 1968.桥是1968年建成的。(被动语态)
The bridge is completed.桥已修好。(SVC结构)
3、The glass was broken by my sister.玻璃杯是我妹妹打破的。(被动语态)
The glass is broken.玻璃杯破了。(SVC结构)
为了便于考生们的理解，我们再举几个SVC结构的例句：
The gun is loaded.枪装上子弹了。
Your composition is well written.你的作文写得很好。
The door is locked.门锁着。
He was injured in the leg.他腿部受了伤。
综上所述，英语被动语态值得注意的问题很多，我们在学习时，不能仅仅依赖于语法分析，还要多注意上下文以及句子的内含意义，这样才能更好地理解和运用这一语法现象。
英语中被动语态的使用范围极为广泛, 尤其是在科技英语中, 被动语态几乎随处可见, 凡是在不必、不愿说出或不知道主动者的情况下均可使用被动语态,
因此, 掌握被动语态的翻译方法, 对于硕士研究生入学考试的复习与应考是极为重要的, 因为在硕士研究生入学考试中，英译汉文章的内容多以科普文章为主。在汉语中,
也有被动语态, 通常通过“把”或“被”等词体现出来, 但它的使用范围远远小于英语中被动语态的使用范围, 因此英语中的被动语态在很多情况下都翻译成主动结构。
对于英语原文的被动结构, 我们一般采取下列的方法:
1. 翻译成汉语的主动句。英语原文的被动结构翻译成汉语的主动结构又可以进一步分为几种不同的情况。
(1) 英语原文中的主语在译文中仍做主语。在采用此方法时, 我们往往在译文中使用了 “加以”, “经过”, “用……来”等词来体现原文中的被动含义。例如:
例1.Other questions will be discussed briefly.
其它问题将简单地加以讨论。
例2.In other words mineral substances which are found on earth
must be extracted by digging, boring holes, artificial explosions,
or similar operations which make them available to us.
换言之, 矿物就是存在于地球上, 但须经过挖掘、钻孔、人工爆破或类似作业才能获得的物质。
例3.Nuclear power's danger to health, safety, and even life
itself can be summed up in one word: radiation.
核能对健康、安全, 甚至对生命本身构成的危险可以用一个词—辐射来概括。
(2) 将英语原文中的主语翻译为宾语, 同时增补泛指性的词语(人们,大家等)作主语。例如:
例1.It could be argued that the radio performs this service
as well, but on television everything is much more living,
much more real.
可能有人会指出, 无线电广播同样也能做到这一点, 但还是电视屏幕上的节目要生动、真实得多。
例2.Television, it is often said, keeps one informed about
current events, allows one to follow the latest developments
in science and politics, and offers an endless series of programmes
which are both instructive and entertaining. (85年考题)
人们常说, 电视使人了解时事, 熟悉政治领域的最新发展变化, 并能源源不断 地为观众提供各种既有教育意义又有趣的节目。
例3.It is generally accepted that the experiences of the child
in his first years largely determine his character and later
personality.
人们普遍认为，孩子们的早年经历在很大程度上决定了他们的性格及其未来的人品。
另外, 下列的结构也可以通过这一手段翻译:
It is asserted that … 有人主张 ……
It is believed that … 有人认为……
It is generally considered that … 大家(一般人)认为
It is well known that … 大家知道(众所周知)……
It will be said … 有人会说……
It was told that … 有人曾经说……
(3) 将英语原文中的by, in, for等做状语的介词短语翻译成译文的主语, 在此情况下, 英语原文中的主语一般被翻译成宾语。例如:
例1.A right kind of fuel is needed for an atomic reactor.
原子反应堆需要一种合适的燃料。
例2.By the end of the war, 800 people had been saved by the
organization, but at a cost of 200 Belgian and French lives.
大战结束时, 这个组织拯救了八百人, 但那是以二百多比利时人和法国人的生命为代价的。
例3.And it is imagined by many that the operations of the common
mind can be by no means compared with these processes, and
that they have to be acquired by a sort of special training.
(93年考题)
许多人认为, 普通人的思维活动根本无法与科学家的思维过程相比, 而且认为这些思维过程必须经过某种专门的训练才能掌握。
(4) 翻译成汉语的无主句。 例如:
例1.Great efforts should be made to inform young people especially
the dreadful consequences of taking up the habit.
应该尽最大努力告?nbsp| 年轻人吸烟的危害, 特别是吸上烟瘾后的可怕后果。(82年考题)
例2.By this procedure, different honeys have been found to
vary widely in the sensitivity of their inhibit to heat.
通过这种方法分析发现不同种类的蜂蜜的抗菌活动对热的敏感程度也极为不同。
例4.Many strange new means of transport have been developed
in our century, the strangest of them being perhaps the hovercraft.
在我们这个世纪内研制了许多新奇的交通工具, 其中最奇特的也许就是气垫 船了。
例5.New source of energy must be found, and this will take
time….
必须找到新的能源，这需要时间……(91年考题）
另外, 下列结构也可以通过这一手段翻译:
It is hoped that … 希望……
It is reported that … 据报道……
It is said that … 据说……
It is supposed that … 据推测……
It may be said without fear of exaggeration that … 可以毫不夸张地说……
It must be admitted that … 必须承认……
It must be pointed out that … 必须指出……
It will be seen from this that … 由此可见……
(5) 翻译成带表语的主动句。例如:
例1.The decision to attack was not taken lightly.
进攻的决定不是轻易作出的。
例2.On the whole such an conclusion can be drawn with a certain
degree of confidence, but only if the child can be assumed
to have had the same attitude towards the test as the other
with whom he is being compared, and only if he was not punished
by lack of relevant information which they possessed. (92年考题)
总的来说, 得出这种结论是有一定程度把握的, 但必须具备两个条件: 能够 假定这个孩子对测试的态度和与他比较的另一个孩子的态度相同;
他也没有 因为缺乏别的孩子已掌握的有关知识而被扣分。
(注意上述翻译技巧在该句翻译中的综合运用。)
2. 译成汉语的被动语态。英语中的许多被动句可以翻译成汉语的被动句。常用“被”, “给”, “遭”, “挨”, “为……所”,
“使”, “由…”, “受到”等表示。例如:
例1.Early fires on the earth were certainly caused by nature,
not by Man.
地球上早期的火肯定是由大自然而不是人类引燃的。
例2.These signals are produced by colliding stars or nuclear
reactions in outer space.
这些讯号是由外层空间的星球碰撞或者核反应所造成的。
例3.Natural light or “white” light is actually made up of many
colours.
自然光或者“白光”实际上是由许多种颜色组成的。
例4.The behaviour of a fluid flowing through a pipe is affected
by a number of factors, including the viscosity of the fluid
and the speed at which it is pumped.
流体在管道中流动的情况, 受到诸如流体粘度、泵送速度等各种因素的影响。
例5.They may have been a source of part of the atmosphere of
the terrestrial planets, and they are believed to have been
the planetesimal-like building blocks for some of the outer
planets and their satellites.
它们可能一直是地球行星的一部分大气的来源。它们还被认为是构成外部行星以及其卫星的一种类似微星的基础材料。
例6.Over the years, tools and technology themselves as a source
of fundamental innovation have largely been ignored by historians
and philosophers of science. (95年考题)
工具和技术本身作为根本性创新的源泉多年来在很大程度上被科学史学家和科学思想家们忽视了。
例7.Whether the Government should increase the financing of
pure science at the expense of technology or vice versa (反之)
often depends on the issue of which is seen as the driving
force. (95年考题)
政府是以减少技术的经费投入来增加纯理论科学的经费投入, 还是相反, 这往 往取决于把哪一方看作是驱动的力量。
例8.The supply of oil can be shut off unexpectedly at any time,
and in any case, the oil wells will all run dry in thirty
years or so at the present rate of use.
石油的供应可能随时会被中断；不管怎样，以目前的这种消费速度，只需30年左右，所有的油井都会枯竭。
