若要表示过去某一时间所发生的动作或存在的状态时，要用一般过去时表示。下面我们先来学习be动词的一般过去时的用法：
[即时训练] 选用be动词(was, were)的正确形式填空：
1. My brother and I _______ ill last Sunday.
2. His father _______ at work yesterday afternoon.
3. When I _______ a child, I often listened to music.
4. _______ you late for class just now?
5. There _______ many apple trees on the farm three years ago.
6. It _______ the first time for me to go to Beijing.
[解题有招] be动词的过去式有两种形式：was和were，即am/is 的过去式为was；are的过去式为were。当主语是第一、三人称单数形式时使用was，其他人称用were。
