有一读者问这样一道题：
(1)His parents took him to many hospitals. And by then he_________part of his hearing.
A.got B.had got
请问正确答案是哪一个？
应选B。这样的过去完成时常出现在过去一般时之后，强调动作的完成和结果，并往往有“突然”、“意外”或“快速”等含义，比较生动。其时间状语常用by now（或now）和by then（或then），除上述例（1）外，再如：
(2)The dancers, walking gingerly two by two, had by now left the shore.
(3)Now he had come round.
(4)We had by then been without sleep for twenty-four hours.
(5)He had then remembered the warning given him by Allan's messenger.
这种过去完成时亦可与其他时间状语连用，如：
(6)The faculty had at last heard that something was amiss in the night.（与at last连用）
(7)In another moment she had burst into the dining-room.（与in another moment连用）
(8)In the meantime,the passenger had alighted ，and I walked on.（与in the meantime连用）
在一定的上下文中，亦可省去时间状语，如：
(9)In 1949 the People's Republic of China was born.Our dream had come true.
(10)In the outer office a door slammed. Nelson Chase had come to work.
这种过去完成时亦可与表过去将来的时间状语连用，如：
(11)He had soon told the story.（与soon连用）
(12)Five minutes later they had left the building.（与five minutes later连用）
关于这种过去完成时，这里只能简要地谈这么多，欲知其详，可查阅拙著《英语时态》2.6.9。
