spend, cost 和take 都可以表示“花费”，但用法却不尽相同。

spend的主语必须是人， 常用于以下结构：

1. spend time ／money on sth. 在……上花费时间（金钱）。例：

    He doesn't spend much time on his homework. 他花在作业上的时间不多。

2. spend time ／ money (in) doing sth. 花费时间（金钱）做某事。例：

    She spent a lot of time travelling. 她花大量时间旅行。

3. spend money for sth. 花钱买……。例：

    His money was spent for books. 他的钱用来买书了。

cost的主语是物或某种活动， 还可以表示“值”，常见用法如下：

1. sth. costs (sb.) ＋金钱, 某物花了（某人）多少钱。例：

    A new computer costs a lot of money. 买一台新电脑要花一大笔钱。

2. (doing) sth. costs (sb.) ＋时间, 某物（做某事）花了（某人）多少时间。例：

     Remembering these new words cost him a lot of time. 他花了大量时间才记住了这些单词。

3. Careless driving cost him his life. 漫不经心的开车使他丧失生命。(使付出(代价), 使损［丧］失)

take后面常跟双宾语， 常见用法有以下几种：

1. It takes sb. ＋时间＋to do sth. 做某事花了某人多少时间。例：

     It took them three years to build this road. 他们用了三年时间修完了这条路。

2. doing sth. takes sb. ＋时间,做某事花了某人多少时间。例：

    Repairing this car took him the whole afternoon. 他花了一下午修车。

练习：

B  1. --- Do you have any idea what Paul does all day?

        --- As I know, he spends at least as much time playing as he _______.

       A. writes      B. does writing       C. is writing      D. does write   07重庆

C  2. According to a recent U.S. survey, children spent up to 25 hours a week ______ TV.

       A. to watch      B. to watching       C. watching      D. watch  04上海

B  3. Some passengers complain that it usually _____ so long to fill in travel insurance documents .

       A. costs        B. takes       C. spends      D. spares   03上海春考

B  4. Peter's jacket looked just the same as Jack's, but it cost _____ his.

       A. as much twice as         B. twice as much as   

       C. much as twice as         D. as twice much as    09辽宁

A  5. I like this jacket better than that one, but it costs almost three times______.

      A. as much    B. as many    C. so much    D. so many   08浙江