1. 用于某些動詞(tell, say, hear, learn, gather等)表示不確定的過去時間：John tells me you will leave tomorrow. 約翰告訴我你明天離開。I hear that he got married again last month. 我聽說他上個月結(jié)婚了。Mary?says that?you told her to come over here. 瑪麗說是你讓她到這兒來的。

2. 當要陳述一個客觀事實時，有時即使有過去時間狀語也可用一般現(xiàn)在時：The story is set in the summer of 1937. 故事的背景是1937年夏天。The story begins in the year 1937. 故事開始于1937年。