前期文章论述了in the past作为一个短语进行了用法和时态分析；今天对“in the past 一段时间或经历”这个句型进行分析：
1. in the past 一段时间或经历；一般要用现在完成时，请看：
Real wage costs have risen by 10% in the past year.
在过去的一年里，实际工资成本增加了10%。
More than 70 000 shopkeepers have been forced to put up the shutters in the past year.
去年，有7万多家商店被迫关了门。
He's had three accidents in the past fortnight.
在过去两周他出了三次事故。
I haven't seen much of her in the past few weeks.
近几周来我很少见到她。
Two thirds of the region has been deforested in the past decade.
在过去十年里这个地区的森林有三分之二被毁掉。
Women have become more assertive in the past decade.
女性在过去十年中已变得更加自信。
A specific plot to kill him was uncovered in the past couple of weeks.
一个针对他的暗杀阴谋在过去几周里被揭露了出来。
Homes are more affordable than at any time in the past five years
现在住宅比过去5年里的任何时候都要便宜。
The blogsphere has changed a lot in the past few years.
过去几年间博客世界发生了很大变化。
More than two hundred people have reportedly been killed in the past week's fighting
据说在上一周的战斗中有200多人丧生。
2. in the past 一段时间或经历，如果已过去时间为基点，则用过去完成时：
She told me that she made great progress in the past three years.
她告诉我她在刚刚过去的三年里取得了巨大的进步。
in the past如果是用于名词后作定语，句子时态可根据情况选用。如：
He could remember events far back in the past. 他能记得很早以前的事情。
He will never forget his miserable childhood in the past. 他永远也忘不了自己过去的悲惨的童年。
3.类似用法：during /over the past 时间段或经历
They have fostered over 60 children during the past ten years.
在过去十年间，他们抚育了60多个儿童。
The art market has suffered some severe knocks during the past two years.
在过去的两年间，艺术品市场遭受了严重的打击。
Dear Peter, I have been thinking about you so much during the past few days
亲爱的彼得，过去的这几天里我一直都在想你。
During the past few years the government has staggered the summer vacation periods for students.
在过去几年里，政府将学生放暑假的时间相互错开。
Press reports revealed that ozone levels in the upper atmosphere fell during the past month.
新闻报道透露上层大气的臭氧浓度在上个月有所下降。
Some two hundred obsolete warships and submarines have been taken out of service during the past five years.
过去5年时间里，约200艘老式军舰和潜艇陆续退役。
But during the past decade declining rainfall has allowed him to plant highly profitable crops ．
但是在过去的十年里,降雨量的减少使他能够种植高利润的作物。
Reading over the summer can help your child keep up his reading gains during the past school year AND also help prepare him for the next year!
整个暑假的阅读可以帮助你的孩子保持他在过去的一学年里的阅读所得,也可以帮助他为下一年做好准备！
Her technique has improved a lot over the past season.
在过去的一个赛季里，她的技术大有长进。
Costs have been reduced by 20% over the past year.
过去一年，各项费用已经减少了20%。
Over the past 12 months the company has managed a 10 per cent improvement.
在过去的12个月里，公司的业绩提高了10%。
He has matured a great deal over the past year.
经过过去这一年，他成熟了许多。
Over the past year, the company has joined the big league.
去年一年中，公司已跻身一流之列。
Public attitudes towards marriage have shifted over the past 50 years.
50年来，公众对婚姻的态度已经改变。
The book discusses the extent to which family life has changed over the past 50 years.
本书论述了近50年来家庭生活的变化程度。
Over the past forty years plastics have revolutionised the way we live
在过去的40年中，塑料彻底改变了我们的生活方式。
The number of 7 year olds who read poorly has increased by half over the past 5 years
不识字的7岁儿童的人数在过去5年里增加了一半。
Over the past three weeks, the storm clouds have gathered again over the government.
在过去3周里，政府再次为不祥的阴云所笼罩。
Table 2 shows how prices and earnings have increased over the past 20 years.
表2显示了过去20年来价格和收入的增长情况。
It's amazing how much computers have come down in price over the past few years.
过去这几年，电脑的价格大大降低，简直令人惊讶。
Sales have quintupled over the past few years.
过去几年中销售量较原来的增加了四倍。
In your judgment, what has changed over the past few years?
依你看，过去几年里发生了什么改变呢？
The bar chart below shows the huge growth of UK car exports over the past few years.
下面的柱形图显示了过去几年英国汽车出口量的大幅增长。
His presence should fill the power vacuum which has been developing over the past few days.
他的出现将填补过去这几天形成的权力真空。
