语法总结
过去完成时写“人群先已经聚集”
a large crowd of people had gathered 表示到叙述者到达和观察时，人群早已在那里了，所以用过去完成时更自然。
相似句：
- By the time we arrived, the guests had left.
- She found that someone had opened the window.
现在完成时强调“钟停了且现在仍停着”
The clock has stopped 不是只陈述过去某个动作，而是强调大钟现在已经停摆，这个结果直接影响迎新场景。
相似句：
- My watch has stopped.
- The bus has already gone.
时间表达：past / to / in ... time
two minutes past twelve、five to twelve、in twenty minutes' time 都是本课高频时间表达，既能说时刻，也能说“再过多久”。
相似句：
- It's a quarter past six.
- The meeting will begin in ten minutes' time.
refuse to do 的拟人化用法
The big clock refused to welcome the New Year 并不是钟真的有意志，而是作者借拟人手法让标题更生动。
相似句：
- The old car refused to start.
- The door refused to open.