有一读者问： 有这样两句话：
(1)Not many years ago, some farmers were worried because hawks were taking many of their chickens.
(2)Field mice were eating up a lot of the farmers' grain.
如何解释这里的过去进行时？能用“正在”翻译吗？
上述两句中所用的过去进行时是进行时态的一种比较特殊的用法。这种时态并不强调现在或过去某一时刻“正在”做什么，而是表示在一个特定的时段中，不断地或陆续地进行着的动作。上述句（1）中的 hawks were taking many of their chickens 的意思是：老鹰不断地抓走他们的许多鸡。句（2）的意思是：田鼠陆陆续续吃掉农夫的许多粮食。下面再举几例：
(3)Ours is an epoch in which heroes are coming forward in multitudes.
我们的时代是一个英雄辈出的时代。
(4)Many associations are breaking up for lack of money.
许多协会因缺乏资金而纷纷解体。
(5)People are dying in that part of the world.
在世界的那一地区，人们在不断地死去。
(6)The Beijing Municipal People's Court announced that an average of 20,000 couples in the capital were getting divorced each year.
北京市人民法院宣称，首都每年平均陆续有2万对夫妇离婚。
