find,find out,look for与discover都与“找”有关,但侧重点不同。请观察下面的例句。
【例句】
1. I’m looking for my pen.
2. He can’t find his watch.
3. I find it difficult to learn English well.
4. Please find out the answer to the question.
5. Do you find out why Tom was late?
6. Scientists around the world are working to discover a cure for AIDS.
【用法】
look for意为“寻找”,强调找的动作,是延续性动词,如句1。
find意为“找到、发现、感到”,强调找的结果,是非延续性动词,如句2和句3。
find out意为“查明、发现、了解”,指经过认真观察、调查或研究把某事、某物查出来、搞清楚,多用于复杂而不容易直接查出的情况,如句4和句5。
discover意为“发现、发觉”,指发现某种情况或发现早已存在而未为人知的东西,如句6。