Question

请问一道英语选择题

He _________ to understand why the plan had failed.
A.set out B.set about C.set of D.set up

Answer 1

答：A
译：不译了，谬题，一会评。
析：考set out to do sth. 和set about doing sth.的区别。
记法：about是介词，后跟动名词短语。
评：set out to do sth. 和set about doing sth. 都有“着手去做某事”的意思，便前者跟不定式，后者跟动名词，容易记错，为考官所爱。用我的方法理解区别记忆就可以了。
但这个understand用得不好，因为“理解”是心理活动，不需要加上什么“着手”去理解。汉语也是有语病的！

不会出题者，给你两道题：
1． They _____ to examine the ship．
A．set out B．set about C.set aside D．set off

3.(07海南调研)
China’s first train from Beijing to Tibet ______ on Saturday carrying business travelers on the world’s highest railway.
A.set out B.set about C.set down D.set up
答案 A
这里是“动身，出发”，不及物。

出题者本意是：他开始明白了。。。，那用began就可以了，为出考题用set out/about...
其实用词不当，造出了谬题句。
虽然set out有begin, start的解释，但是，不是什么情况下都可能用set out来代替begin的，这里就不妥，因为
2. to start doing something or making plans to do something in order to achieve a particular result
set out to do something
salesmen who deliberately set out to defraud customers
set out本身有动身，出发的意思。是要采取行动的，而understand,是心理活动，不必set, 更不必out, 你就坐在那儿，用心，用mind就可以understand的!
所以说，有的出题者，自己都不理解，还要考别人，出的谬题句，实在是误人！

Answer 2

答案是 A. set out
set out to do sth = 启程，开始做某事
是固定用法

set out to understand 开始试图了解

Answer 3

1.set out 有“出发, 开始”的意思，常用短语是：(set out to do)，例如：She sets out to work hard！
2.set about 表示“开始, 着手干某事”，常用的短语是：(set about doing sth )或者是(set about sth) ；例如：we should set about our work！ The singer sets about singing
/
所以答案是A

Answer 4

选择B

He ___set about______ to understand why the plan had failed.

A.set out B.set about C.set of D.set up

Answer 5

选 A