in the past在过去，以往，平昔，往昔，（也可以表示从过去某个时间点一直延续到现在，即可以用于完成时，可以译为“目前的，以前等”）
一、用于一般过去时
Despite what happened in the past I want her to know I am there for her.
无论过去发生过什么，我希望她知道，我是支持她的。
In the past he dallied with actresses and lady novelists.
他过去曾与许多女演员和女小说家调情。
dally [ˈdæli] vi.蹉跎(时光);延误;拖拉
第三人称单数： dallies现在分词： dallying过去式： dallied过去分词： dallied
dally with sb/sth 轻率地对待；玩弄；戏弄
A dozen inmates have absconded from Forest Jail in the past year.
去年共有12名犯人从福雷斯特监狱逃脱。
inmate [ˈɪnmeɪt]n. (监狱或精神病院等处)同住者;同狱犯人;同病房者, 被收容者;监犯;囚犯
第三人称单数： absconds现在分词： absconding过去式： absconded过去分词： absconded
Agriculture was based in the past on the family as a unit.
过去的农业是以家庭为单位的。
In the past, about a third of the babies born to women with diabetes were lost
过去，患有糖尿病的女性生下的孩子中约有1/3夭折了。
diabetes [ˌdaɪəˈbiːtiːz] n. 糖尿病;多尿症
In the past, people had fewer expectations. 过去，人们的希求要少一些。
The capital of England is London. In the past it was Winchester. 英国现在的首都是伦敦，过去是温切斯特。
In the past he had to read by candlelight. 过去他只得在烛光下攻读。
In the past, people thought it was their religious duty to give alms to the poor. 过去，人们认为给穷人施舍是他们的宗教义务。
alm [ɑlm]n. 高山草地;救济品，施舍物；捐赠物，捐赠款
复数： alms
Alms were distributed to those in need.
救济品被分发给困难人群。
In the past, a woman needed to be chaste to make a good marriage. 过去，女子要想有个好的婚姻就得守贞洁。
chaste [tʃeɪst]adj. 贞洁的;纯洁的;忠贞的;不含有性意味的;(风格)简朴的，朴实的;不修饰的
In the past, navigation depended largely on the positions of the stars. 过去，航行在很大程度上依靠星星的位置。
Today, people are much more concerned about their health than they were in the past. 现在人们比过去更关注自己的健康。
二、用于现在完成时
The two sides will have to be better and tougher than either has been in the past. 双方都必须比过去更好一些、更强硬一些。
They have been so feather-bedded in the past that they can’t cope with hardship now. 他们一直娇生惯养，所以现在过不了苦日子。
feather-bed vt. [ˌfeðə ˈbed]
(尤指提供金钱或良好条件)使安逸，使轻松，娇养，溺爱
In the past they’ve tended to turn a deaf ear to such requests. 过去他们对这样的请求从来都是置若罔闻的。
turn a deaf ear to sth对……置若罔闻
We have achieved much in the past, and we may hope to achieve even more in the future. 过去我们已取得很大成绩，将来我们希望取得更大的成绩。
In the past conservatives have been in the minority.
过去保守派一直占少数。
conservative [kənˈsɜːvətɪv] adj.保守的;守旧的;(英国)保守党的;低于实际数量的
n.(英国)保守党党员，保守党支持者;保守者;因循守旧者
I've had my fair share of success in the past.
过去我已经取得了应有的成功。
I've had my share of luck in the past.
以前，命运也不算亏待我。
We did an analysis of the way that government money has been spent in the past.
我们分析了政府资金过去的使用情况。
Many of our current problems have been caused by precipitate policy making in the past.
我们目前的很多问题都是由过去仓猝制定的政策导致的。
My children have wounded me in the past.
我的孩子们过去曾伤害过我。
In the past army troops have relied heavily on air support to get them out of trouble
过去，陆军部队在很大程度上依赖空中支援来摆脱困境。
The group has been notoriously fickle in the past.
这伙人过去一直是出了名的善变。
notoriously
adv.臭名昭著;恶名昭彰地；声名狼藉地;著名地；众所周知地
fickle [ˈfɪkl] adj.易变的;无常的;反复无常的
Students have played an important role in the past, but for the moment, they're on the margins.
学生过去曾经发挥了重要的作用，不过现在他们变得无足轻重了。
margin [ˈmɑːdʒɪn]n. 边缘;页边空白;白边;(获胜者在时间或票数上领先的)幅度，差额，差数;余地;备用的时间(或空间、金钱等)
on the margins，靠边的，备胎的，边缘化的，无足轻重的；在边缘
In the past we have heard only negatives when it came to following a healthy diet.
说到遵循健康饮食习惯，我们过去听到的都是否定的说法。
In the past, the UN has stayed out of the internal affairs of countries unless invited in
在过去，除非有国家提出请求，否则联合国不会干涉各国内政。
三、下面这3个例句比较有意思，希望大家多推敲推敲：
Once events are safely in the past, this idea seems to become less alarming
一旦那些事件尘封为历史，这个想法似乎就变得不那么可怕了。
Its intention is to restore pride in the past and create a more mannered society
其目的是要重拾过去的自豪感，建立一个有礼节的社会。
Many of his clients are unbelievably nervous, usually because of a bad experience in the past.
他的很多客户神经异常紧张，通常是因为过去有过糟糕的经历。《柯林斯高阶英汉双解学习词典》
