五、where作关系副词，引导定语从句

  1. where 引导的定语从句修饰表示地点的名词，如place, room, house, street, area等，并在从句中作地点状语。

    This is the village where he was born. 这就是他出生的村子。

That’s the hotel where we were staying last summer. 这就是我们去年夏天住的旅馆。

England is one of the few countries where (=in which) people drive on the left. 英国是少数沿左侧开车的国家之一。

　Is this the place where it happened? 这就是事发地点吗?

　　What is the name of the town where you live? 你住的那个城市叫什么名字?

　　That's the hotel where we were staying last summer. 这就是我们去年夏天住过的旅馆。

　　We live in the mountains, where life is hard. 我们住在山里,那里的生活很艰难。

Then he moved to Beijing, where he lived for 10 years. 他后来搬到北京,在那里住了10年。

We then moved to Paris, where we lived for six years. 我们后来搬到巴黎,在那里住了六年。

Barbary was working in Aubury, where she went daily in a bus. 巴巴拉在奥伯里工作，每天得坐公共汽车去上班。

where = at/in/on + which

This is the house where / in which I lived two years ago

Stephen Hawking believes that the earth is unlikely to be the only planet where / on which life has developed gradually.  

比较

This is the factory where/in which you worked last year.

This is the factory that/ which you visited last year.

He works in a factory that [which] makes TV sets.

He works in the factory that / which was built 50 years ago.

He works in the factory (that / which) we visited last month. 

He works in the factory where / in which his parents used to work.

2. where 引导的定语从句修饰抽象的，模糊的地点，如situation, stage, point, case, activity 等。

1)修饰抽象名词 situation

He’s got himself into a dangerous situation where he is likely to lose control over the plane.

He got into a situation where it is hard to decide what is right and wrong.

It’s helpful to put children in a situation where they can see themselves differently.

He got into a situation where it is hard to decide what is right and wrong. 他陷入一种难以分辨是非的局面。

2)修饰抽象名词activity

Those successful deaf dancers think dancing is an activity where sight matters more than hearing.

3)修饰抽象名词point

After graduation she reached a point in her career where she needed to decide what to do.

We have reached a point where a change is needed. 我们到了必须改一改的地步。

The crisis has reached a point where the receiver will have to be called in.危机已经到达非把破产管理人叫来不可的地步。

She had got to the point where she felt that she could not take any more. 她到了她觉得自己再也不能忍受的地步。

4)修饰抽象名词case

There are cases where the word “mighty” is used as an adverb.

There are cases where the word “mighty” is used as an adverb. 在一些情况下，mighty一词可用作副词。

Later in this chapter cases will be introduced to readers where consumer complaints have resulted in changes in the law.

在本章的后面部分,我们将为读者介绍一些事例,说明消费者的投诉已经使法律作出了修改。

5)修饰抽象名词 position

It’s put me in a position where I can’t afford to take the job. 这使我陷入一种不能接受此工作的境地。

6)修饰抽象名词 job

She wants a job where her management skills can be put to good use.

I don’t want a job where I’m chained to a desk all day. 我不想找一份整天坐办公桌前的工作。

7)Life is a long race where we compete with others to go beyond ourselves.

8)This summer I want to go to Hangzhou, where there is a beautiful lake.

9)In experiments where young teens are allowed to sleep as long as they want, they tend to sleep an average of 9 hours.

10)Is there a shop around where we can buy some toilet articles?

注：上述词作为先行词时并不一定都用where, 要具体情况具体分析：他们只有在定语从句中作状语时候才用where.

We are trying to reach a point where both sides will sit down together and talk.

-- Do you have anything to say for yourself?

-- Yes, there’s one point (that/which/-) we must insist on.

第一个句子中关系词在句中作状语，所以选择where关系副词。第二个句子中关系词在定语从句中做宾语，所以选择关系代词 that, which或者不填。

It was in the hotel where I lived that I last saw Mr. Smith. （定语从句+强调句的结合）

The place where the bridge is supposed to be built should be where the cross-river traffic is the heaviest.

(where 引导的定语从句和表语从句结合)

3. where 在特殊情况下的用法

在有些语境中，我们使用where时要仔细考虑，谨慎使用。

(1)     The train on which she was traveling was late.

这句话，用on which 意思就是他去旅行乘坐的火车晚点了，如换成where,意思就发生了变化，意思变成了他就是在这辆火车上的旅行的，它晚点了。

(2)     Here is a dictionary, in which you can look up the words you want to know.

(3)     There is no such dictionary where/ in which you can find everything.

第2句也不能换成where, 因为look up the words in the dictionary 是固定搭配，就用in which, 这是它和第3句的区别所在。第3句是 you can find everything in the dictionary, 它就是单纯地表地点，因此用where和in which 都可以。