主题：[求助]好有争议的一道题(急求帮助)

Mr.Smith told his students that Edison —— the electric light.
A.invents         B.invented
选A还选B？？？
请说明理由
资料:  一般现在时的用法
        2) 客观真理,客观存在,科学事实.例如:
           The earth moves around the sun. 地球绕太阳转动.
            Shanghai lies in the east of China. 上海位于中国东部.
          3) 表示格言或警句中。
　        Pride goes before a fall.　骄者必败。
　     注意：此用法如果出现在宾语从句中，即使主句是过去时，从句谓语也要用一般现在时。
          例：Columbus proved that the earth is round..

            用一般过去时代替过去完成时
            叙述历史事实,可不用过去完成时,而只用一般过去时..例如:
            Our teacher told us that Columbus discovered America
             in 1492.

           宾语从句
           时态：1·主句用一般现在时，从句可用任意时。
           2·主句用过去时，从句用过去某个时态。
           3·主句用过去时，从句是真理时，只用一般现在时。
           主句是一般过去时，从句为各种相应过去时态注意：从句描绘客观事实，用一般现在时
           主、从句时态一致：
           主句谓语过去时，从句相应过去时；
           He answered that he was listening to me.
          具体过去永不变，真理格言现在时；
          eg．He told me that he was born in 1980.
           Father told me that practice makes perfect

          时态一致
　   1) 如果从句所叙述的为真理或不变的事实，则永远用现在时。
　       At that time, people did not know that the earth moves.
　        He told me last week that he is eighteen.
请参考  http://sl.iciba.com/viewthread-41-462488-1.shtml

          http://wenwen.soso.com/z/q74060192.htm
           http://zhidao.baidu.com/question/60098239.html

用B 是肯定的

这不是客观事实吗???

上海在中国东部，地球绕太阳转，这是现在仍然存在的还要永远存在的客观事实，所以用一般现在时。而贝尔发明电话，是过去的不可重复的事实，只能够用一般过去时态。

这不是不变的事实吗???

 我也倾向于选B。
这可能跟invent这个词的中文翻译有一定关系。像这个句子，我们翻译成：史老师说爱迪生发明了电灯。感觉好像是个描述性动词，实际invent是一个具体的动作。如果用现在时态，我觉得可以这样写：Mr.Smith told his students that it is Edison who invented the electric light.

这是不变的过去事实。

 如果从句所叙述的为真理或不变的事实，则永远用现在时。

这道题选B，没有争议。

理由：invent是一个动作，这个动作发生在过去。Edison已成故人，所以用一般过去时。

如果换一种说法：爱迪生是电灯的发明者。这一句话中的是，在汉语中是没有时态变化的。要译成英语，两种说法都可以：1. Edison was the inventor of the electric light.
       2. Edison is the inventor of the electric light.

第二种说法更有感情色彩，我们当爱迪生是不死的。同样，在宾语从句中，这两种时态都可以。

谁还有高见??

选B

Edison Invents the Phonograph (用一般现在时是有原因的，这里是标题）
Thomas Edison created many inventions, but his favorite was the phonograph. While working on improvements to the telegraph and the telephone, Edison figured out a way to record sound on tinfoil-coated cylinders. In 1877, he created a machine with two needles: one for recording and one for playback. When Edison spoke into the mouthpiece, the sound vibrations of his voice would be indented onto the cylinder by the recording needle. What do you think were the first words that Edison spoke into the phonograph?

 

看下面这个《爱迪生大事年表》都用一般现在时：

 

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/edison/timeline/index.html

 

1847	Edison is born in Milan, Ohio, on February 11.
1854	The Edison family moves to Port Huron, Michigan.
1859	Edison gets a job as a trainboy on the Grand Trunk Railroad, selling newspapers and candy.  He sets up a chemistry lab and a printing press on the train.

...

 

英国、美国语料库Edison invents：只此一例，是口语。

CHUCK McDONALD, Texas Governor's Office They were so intent on their work and so intent to create something above the other, it was -- it was -- it was basically racehorses, in a sense, you know, nose to nose. And... DR. MICHAEL MERSON Were they both trying to invent the same things? CHUCK McDONALD, Texas Governor's Office Yes, in a way. Bell, of course, invented the telephone. Edison improved it. Edison invents the phonograph. Who improves it? Bell. DR. MICHAEL MERSON Bell. (Audio excerpt of vintage recording; footage of vintage phonograph) DR. MICHAEL MERSON (voice-over) Barely a year after Bell cracked the secret of the telephone, Thomas Edison cracked the secret of recorded sound. The phonograph, another towering invention of the modern world, was born in Menlo Park.

楼主请注意：一次性的动作和反复性的动作，过去的状态和现在的状态的区别。

事实有过去的事实和现在的事实。事实和动作不要搞混了。

真理是：过去是、现在是、将来依然是的状态或过去发生，现在正在发生、将来仍将发生的动作。

我们说Edison invented the electric light.这一句话是正确的，没有时间状语，但用一般过去时我们知道，这个动作是过去发生的，是一次性的，已经结束了。而如果说：Edison invents the elecgtric light. 这一句话的时态就不妥。因为你不能加上often, every day 这样的时间状语。即使是Edison现在还活着，这样说也不行。你可以说XXX invents a new thing every year. 但你不能说XXX invents a certain thing every year.

没办法，我这人就喜欢凑热闹

Do you know who invents the electric light? (说话者有些怪异)

回答者也只好跟着用现在时

Do you know who invented the electric light? (比较正常)

回答者也会跟着用过去时

 

Mr. Smith told his students : "Edison invents the electric light" (这句话已经不太可能说)

Mr. Smith told his students  that Edison invents the electric light.  (这种情况下，间接引语与直接引语混用，书面语肯定错)

 那题我选B

 

----------------

The earth goes around the sun.

=The earth always goes around the sun.

 

Edison invents the electric light

=/= Edison always invents the electric light

 

 

我回答时，好象与NB商量好了似的

您给的例子足够了，这叫历史现在时，原来叫戏剧现在时。总之，这个题目没有出好！

郭奕,你选什么???

pyky，问新概念英语的作者L.G. Alexander吧:

 

L.G. Alexander: RIGHT WORD WRONG WORD:

 

Have you any idea who invented the safety pin?

Captain Cook discovered Antarctica when he was exploring the eastern Pacific Ocean.

I'll try and find out the name of the person who invented the safety pin.

 

用invents都是在特殊情况下, 如标题, 年表, 谈话中为了戏剧性地呈现当时的场面的需要等等，而不会在你原来的帖子里的那个句子中使用的。

我也看不出他到底是什么观点。他会选什么？估计两个都选吧。不然怎么会说这题出得不好呢？