英文高手入一入黎(copied from bbc )

「Living within the planet's means」是一個 noun phrase，意思是「靠著地球資源生活」，在此「means」是 noun ，意思是「財產、資力、收入」。(參考 http://hk.dictionary.yahoo.com/search.html?q=1&s=means)

http://hk.dictionary.yahoo.com/search.html?q=1&s=condemn「condemn someone to something」是「使 someone 注定要 something」。例如「This disease condemns him to death.」，請留意「to」之後是跟 noun 。(參考 http://hk.dictionary.yahoo.com/search.html?q=1&s=condemn)

「just to sharing it」是跟「condemn to」，這句子可以拆成「Living within the planet's means need not condemn us to giving up what we now assume we need for a full life. Living within the planet's means just condemn us to sharing what we now assume we need for a full life.」

整句可譯成「靠著地球資源生活不一定迫使我們放棄我們現在以為一生需用的東西，而是叫我們分享這些東西。」

佢呢一個means 唔係一個verb 係 noun, 係解一個方法, 渠道 , 所以係可以跟need not

just to sharing it - sharing it; 喺呢個case 係noun

因為to 呢個字係呢個case 係一個preposition, 所以to 後面係noun 或姐係-ing , 而唔係好似infinitive, gerunds 咁加一個plain verb

另外一 d example: looking forward to SEEING YOUR REPLY

佢 seeing your reply 係變左一個noun

好多verb 加左-ing 之後係可以consider 做一個noun,

e.g. :
my driving sucks
my thinking is wrong
talking is prohibited


另外一個會用到to -ing 係 used to

e.g. I'm used to (drinking a lot of beer)
I'm used to ( the environment ) --- environment 係noun

希望我解釋得清楚啦!!

'means' here means resources. its a noun.
" need not '' can never follow a verb.
think " to sharing it" = ''to giving up ...''
hope it helps.

2008-03-18 23:30:15 補充：
MEANS here means resources. its a noun.
NEED NOT can never follow a verb.
think TO SHARING IT as TO GIVING UP
hope it helps.