It contained 54,951 coins dating from the year 260－275 AD.那一次挖掘的硬币共有54951枚，都是公元260－275年间的硬币。
dating from在句中作定语，相当于定语从句…which dated from the year…修饰先行词coins, date用作vi., 意思是“起始”、“兴趣于”。date from 表示“始于……时期”。
过去分词短语和现在分词短语用作定语时相当于一个定语从句。如：
Tell the children playing (== who are playing) there not to make so much noise.让那些在那儿玩的小孩别这么吵。
They’re problems left (= which have been left) over by history.这些是历史遗留下来的问题。
这座古庙的历史可以追溯到两千年前。
[×] The old temple is dated from 2,000 years ago.
[√]The old temple dates back 2,000 years ago.
[√]The old temple dates back to 2,000 years ago.
[√]The old temple dates back 2,000 years.
It does not matter if /whether they are old. 邮票）新旧没关系。
1) It does not matter if/whether…是一个很有用的句型。
It doesn’t matter ( to me ) if I miss my train, because theres another one later.对我来说错过一趟火车没关系，因为后面还有。
2) It doesn’t matter 后还能跟其他从句
If she does her best, it doesn’t matter what people think of her.只要她尽了力，别人怎么看她无关紧要。
If you are just starting to collect stamps, here is some advice for you to follow.
1) start 和begin, continue有一点是相同的，即它们可以用动词不定式或动名词作宾语。
He started learning / to learn English when he was ten.
They began building / to build the dam in 1994.
How can you continue working / to work with all that noise going on?
2) 但是当这些动词本身是进行时态时，一般后面跟动词不定式。
starting to collect 一般不能换成starting collecting。
It’s starting / beginning to rain.开始下雨了。
3)start或begin后跟的动词是表达有关感情和思想的动词时，一般也不用动名词，而用动词不定式。
She started / began to understand. 她开始理解了。
打电话的说法：
l）电话铃响时，当你拿起话筒，通常首先自报姓名和自己的电话号码。如：
Hello, Bob Dorson.
Hello, 742511.
This is Bob Dorson speaking. Who is that speaking?
Yes?
2) 若对方要找的不是Bob而是Chris，对方可能询问：
Is Chris in/at home / there ?
May /can /Could I speak to Chris?
I’d like to speak to Chris , please.
若Chris在家，Bob去叫Chris，则对方稍等一会：
A moment, please.
Hold on, please
