纵观近年来英语高考试题中的单项填空部分，我们不难发现命题老师对“过去进行时态”这一知识点的偏爱。近几年的高考单项填空部分，均不怕重复地考到了过去进行时态。据此，笔者归纳了过去进行时态的主要用法，并对涉及的高考题加以解释说明。
一.过去进行时表示过去某时正在进行的动作，把它放在when, while, as等引导的时间状语中考查。
例1. As she ______ the newspaper, Granny _______ asleep. (NMET 1995,19)
A. read, was falling B. was reading, fell
C. was reading, was falling D. read, fell
答案：B
解释： 这句话的意思是“她读报时，奶奶睡着了。”是过去进行时和一般过去时的搭配。一般说来，在when, while, as 引导的时间状语中，延续动词一般要用
过去进行时，不延续动词一般要用一般过去时。
例2. The reporter said that UFO _______ east to west when he saw it.
(NMET 2000,25)
A. was travelling B. travelled
C. had been travelling D. was to travel
答案：A
解释：时间状语从句“when he saw it” 决定了主句只能用过去进行时。
二．把过去进行时放在某一特定的语境中考查，即某一动作在某一特定的时期正在进行而没有完成的动作。这时需要注意上下文的语境提示。
例1. I don’t think Jim saw me; he _______ into space. (NMET 1995,39)
A. just stared B. was just staring
C. has just stared D. had just stared
答案：B
解释：A.B.C.D. 四个答案中均含有“just”，在含有just的句子中，一般要用现在完成时。但在这个句子中，just 的意思是“恰好，正好”而所给的情景是“ I don’t
think Jim saw me”描述当时发生的事，故要用过去进行时。
例2．I first met Lisa three years ago. She _____ at a radio shop at the time. (NMET 1997,10)
A. has worked B. was working
C. had been working D. had worked
答案：B
解释：at the time (three year ago) 要用过去进行时表示当时正在做的事。
例3．Shirley ______ a book about China last year, but I don’t know whether she has finished it.(NMET 1998,20)
A. has writtenB. wrote C. had written D. was writing
答案：D
解释：因为时间状语是last year, 所以谓语动词可以用一般过去时或过去进行时，再根据but I don’t know whether she has finished it 所提供的情景，可知当时正在写这本书而没有完成，所以要用过去进行时。
例4．------ Hey, look where you are going!
------Oh, no! ______.(NMET 1999,24)
A. I’m not noticing B. I wasn’t noticing
C. I haven’t noticed D. I don’t notice
答案：B
解释：这是一道语境极强的题目，通过上下文得知“因为刚才没注意”所以要用过去进行时。
例5．----- I just hear that the tickets for tonight’s show have been sold out.
----- Oh, no! _______.(NMET 2000春,12)
A. I was looking forward to that B. It doesn’t matter
C. I knew it already D. It’s not at all interesting
答案：A
解释：现已知道票子售完这一消息，从 “ Oh, no ” 得知本来还期待着能买到票子，那该是过去某时段内的希望了，故要用过去进行时。
[强化训练]
1. ----- Why weren’t you at the meeting?
----- I ______ for a long-distance call from my father in Australia.
A. waited B. was waiting C. had waited D. have been waiting
2. Where have you been?
We _____ you back much earlier.
A. were expecting B. are expecting
C. have expected D. expect
3. My family and I______ our dinner when the news of the outbreak of the war______ over on the radio.
A. had enjoyed, came B. were enjoying, was coming
C. were enjoying, came D. enjoyed, had come
4. The last time I ______ her. She ______ at a medical college.
A. was visiting, studied B. visited, studies
C. visited, was studying D. was visiting
