Yesterdayafternoon Frank Hawkins was telling me about his experiences as a young man.Before he retired, Frank was the head of a very large business company, but asa boy he used to work in a small shop.It was his job to repair bicycles and at that time he used to work fourteenhours a day. He saved money for years and in 1958 he bought a small workshop ofhis own. In his twenties Frank used to make spare parts for aeroplanes. At thattime he had two helpers. In a few years the small workshop had become a largefactory which employed seven hundred and twenty-eight people. Frank smiled when he remembered his hardearly years and the long road to success. He was still smiling when thedoor opened and his wife came in. She wanted him to repair their grandson'sbicycle!
1) It was his job to repair bicycles - 为何不是 It washis job repairing bicycles = Repairingbicycles was his job. 理由是：动名词表示常常性，而不定式还有将要的，一次性的意思。
2) Frank smiled when he remembered his hardearly years. 我的剖析和疑惑：when=after动作remembered先发生，然后再smiled，我感觉依据课文语境，是不是用进行时更好？即Franksmiled when he WAS REMEMBERING his hard early years 呢？
在回忆的过程中（过去进行时），smiled是不是更合理呢 ?
1 动名词作主语较少用外置结构。剑桥英语语法甚至觉得 It is nice talking with you. 如此的句子中，talking with you是偏置结构，而不是外置主语。暂且不论这种看法是不是被广泛同意，只不过动名词短语作主语而外置相对于不定式作主语外置而言要少的多。尽管有些语法书觉得不定式多表示具体一次性动作，动名词表示习惯或没时间性的动作，但这并非绝对的。不定式作主语其实也可以表示习惯性事件的。这个句子之所以用不定式作主语，重要原因是不定式处于外置主语的地方。假如不需要外置结构，用不定式和动名词都是可以的。即Repairing bicycles was his job.或者His job was repairing bicycles.
2 remember有不一样的意思，这里不是回忆的意思，而是想起（ to cause to come back into your mind）。句子意思是，当他想起...的时候，他笑了。即先想起，后微笑。没理由把smiled改为was smiling。告诫：不要擅自改动原句！！！你的改动要么致使语法错误，要么篡改了作者的意图。这是非常不好的习惯。你需要做的是去理解作者为何不需要进行时而用一般时，哪些原因驱使作者这么做。然后你查词典remember的语义，你的水平就有所进步。假如你一直企图把句子改为你一个人能理解的结构，你永远学不到新常识，你还曲解作者的意图。这种做法有百害而无一利！
