1. (a) A number of members are absent.

    (b) The number of members is alarming.

  (a) 许多会员没有到会。

  (b) 会员人数多得令人吃惊。

2. (a) They are the students of our school.

(b) They are students of our school.

(a) 他们是我校全体学生。

(b) 他们是我校的部分学生。

3. (a) His success is out of question.

(b) His success is out of the question.

(a) 他必定成功。

(b) 他必定失败。

4. (a) The enemy is in possession of the fortress.     (a) 那座堡垒一时为敌人所占领。（动作）

(b) The fortress is in the possession of the enemy.  (b) 那座堡垒的主权为敌人所有。（状态）

5. (a) She was with a child.

(b) She was with child.

(a) 她带了一个孩子。

(b) 她身怀六甲（怀有身孕）

Cf: She is in labor. (她正在分娩。)

6. (a) She kept the house.

(b) She kept house.

(a) 她守在家里。

(b) 她管理家务。

7. (a) A lawyer would make a better statesman than a soldier.

(b) A lawyer would make a better statesman than soldier.

(a) 律师比军人更容易成为好的政治家。

(b) 律师改做政治家比军人更容易成功。

8. (a) He is rather a foolish fellow.

(b) He is a rather foolish fellow.

(a) 说他是一个愚笨的人更为恰当。

(b) 他是一个有点愚笨的人。

9. (a) Miss Taylor was in charge of the children.     (a) 泰勒小姐负责管理孩子。

(b) The children were in the charge of Miss Taylor. (b) 孩子由泰勒小姐照顾。

10. (a) The new harbour is in course of construction.  (a) 新码头正在兴建中。

(b) Fossils were found in the course of the work.  (b) 在工事中发现了化石。

注：in course of = in process of 正在。

In the course of = during or before the end of 在…中；在…时间之内。

11. (a) The maid of honour had grey hair.

(b) The maid of honour had grey hairs.

(a) 白头宫女。（那位宫女一头白发。）

(b) 二毛宫女。（那位宫女头发已花白。）

12. (a) He is a child of ten.

(b) He is a father of ten.

(a) 他是一个十岁大的孩子。

(b) 他是一个有十个孩子的父亲。

13. (a) She served me with a kind of coffee.       (a) 她请我喝一种咖啡。

(b) She served me with coffee of a kind.       (b) 她给我一杯说是咖啡而非咖啡的东西。

注：(b) 句是一种轻蔑的说法，意为徒有其名，实则太无味了。另如：a kind of gentleman; a gentleman of a kind.

14. (a) You have offended the girl as deeply as I have offended the girl.

(b) You have offended the girl as deeply as you have offended me.

(a) 你触犯了那女子之深和我一样。

(b) 你触犯了那女子和触犯了我一样的深。

15. (a) You love me better than he.          (a) 你爱我比他爱我更甚。（你爱我胜过他爱我。）

(b) You love me better than you love him.  (b) 你爱我胜过爱他。

16. (a) This is no place for me to go to.

(b) There is no place for me to go to.

(a) 那不是我去的地方。

(b) 我没有地方可去/好去。

17. (a) Under the Mongol Dynasty Chinese men of letters stood at the foot of the social ladder.

(b) He lay the money and treasures at the feet of the beautiful lady.

(a) 在元朝统治下，中国的文人社会地位最低。

(b) 他把财宝献给了那个美妇（漂亮的女人）。

注：(a) at the foot of 在地层，在基部，如the foot of a mountain 在山脚, at the foot of the page 在页底。 (b) at the feet of 在脚跟前，在足下，如 They fell down at the feet of their enemy. 他们降服了，屈服于敌人的脚下。

18. (a) This is my portrait.

(b) This is a portrait of me.

(c) This is a portrait of mine.

(a) 这是我画的肖像画。

(b) 这是我的肖像。

(c) 这是我所（珍）藏的肖像画。

19. (a) They are an industrious people.

(b) They are industrious people.

(a) 他们是一个勤奋的民族。

(b) 他们是一些勤奋的人们。