t。elder，eldest 只用于兄弟姐妹的长幼关系。例如：
　　　My elder brother is an engineer. 我哥哥是个工程师。
　　　Mary is the eldest of the three sisters. 玛丽是三姐妹中最大的。
3） far 有两种比较级，farther，further。一般father 表示距离，further表示进一步。例如：
　 I have nothing further to say. 我没什么要说了。

4.12 　the + 最高级 + 比较范围
1）形容词最高级前通常必须用定冠词 the，副词最高级前可不用。例如：
The Sahara is the biggest desert in the world. 撒哈拉沙漠是世界上最大的沙漠。
形容词most前面没有the，不表示最高级的含义，只表示"非常"。例如：
　　 It is a most important problem. =It is a very important problem. 这是个很重要的问题。
　　 注意：使用最高级要注意将主语包括在比较范围内。
　　　 （错）　Tom is the tallest of his three brothers.
　　　 （对）　Tom is the tallest of the three brothers.
2） 下列词可修饰最高级，by far, far, much, mostly, almost。例如：
　　　This hat is nearly / almost the biggest. 这帽子差不多是最大的了。
注意：
　 a. very可修饰最高级，但位置与much不同。
　　　　This is the very best.
　　　　This is much the best.
　 b. 序数词通常只修饰最高级。例如：
　　　　 Africa is the second largest continent.非洲是第二大洲。
3） 最高级的意义有时可以用比较级表示出来。例如：
　　 Mike is the most intelligent in his class. 马克是班上最聪明的。
　　 Mike is more intelligent than any other students in his class.
4） "否定词语+比较级"，"否定词语+ so… as"结构也可以表示最高级含义。例如：
　　 Nothing is so easy as this. 没比这更简单的了。
　　 =Nothing is easier than this.
　　 =This is the easiest thing.

4.13 　和more有关的词组：
1） the more…the more…　越……就越……。例如：
　 The harder you work，the greater progress you'll make. 越努力，进步越大。
2） more B than A=less A than B 与其说A不如说B。例如：
　 He is more lazy than slow at his work. = He is less slow than lazy at his work. 他工作时，与其说是反应慢不如说是懒。
3） no more… than… 与……一样……，不比……多。例如：
　 The officials could see no more than the Emperor. 官员们看到的和皇帝一样多。
　　 no less… than…　与……一样……。例如：
　　 He is no less diligent than you. 他和你一样勤勉。
4） more than　不只是，非常。例如：
　　 She is more than kind to us all. 她对我们非常热心。
典型例题
1）The weather in China is different from____.
　A. in America　 B. one in America　 C. America
　D. that in America
答案：D. 本题意为"中国的天气比美国热。"比较的是天气而不是国家，C不能选。A没有名词，后句成分不全，排除。B和D中，B中的one常用来代替可数名词，而that可车以代替不可数或抽象名词，所以选D。
2）After the new technique was introduced，the factory produced ___ tractors in 1988 as the year before.
A. as twice many　　B. as many twice　　C. twice as many　D. twice many as
　答案C. 此句意为"这个厂1988能生产的拖拉机是往年的两倍"。表示倍数用"倍数+ as + 形容词原形+ as +比较对象"的句型。所以此句答案为C。
　
4.14 形容词和副词练习
1. 1. The modern machine proved ______ in heart surgery.
a. high valuable b. highly valuable c. valuable high d. valuable highly
2. 2. Mr. Johnson and his ______ daughter do not always understand each other.
a. older b. the oldest c. eldest d. the eldest··
3. 3. They ______ thought that the truth would be finally discovered.
a. little b. not c. small d. bit
4. 4. They hardly believe that the apartment which costs them $ 4,000 is ______.
a. so small b. such little c. so little d. such small
5. 5. If a claim is kept ______, it is more likely to be recognized.
a. live b. lived c. alive d. living
6. 6. On his way to school he met ______, so he sent him to hospital.
a. very ill man b. much sick man c. serious ill man d. very sick man
7. 7. She was operated a month ago but now she was ______.
a. very good b. very well c. healthy d. good conditioned
8. 8. What I would do is to go ______.
a. really quietly somewhere b. somewhere quietly really
c. really quiet somewhere d. somewhere really quiet
9. 9. The chairman asked ______ to write their questions on a piece of paper and send them to the front.
a. the present members b. the members presently
c. the members present d. the presently members
10. 10. The price was very reasonable; I would gladly have paid ______ he asked.
a. three times much as b. three times as many as
c. as three times much as d. three times as much as
11. 11. The trousers are ______, but Tom does not care a bit.
a. too a little small b. a little too small c. a too little small d. a small too little
12. 12. She wore a dress to the party that was far more attractive tha