1) 【课文原句】It was the White Horse Temple that first brought the meaning of“temple” to the word“si”．是白马寺最初赋予“寺”以“寺庙”的意思。

    本句是一个强调句，强调了“the white Horse Temple”。这种句式可强调状语、宾语、主语，但不能强调谓语动词。

    It was in the supermarket that I came across him yesterday．

    It was yesterday that I came across him in the supermarket．

    It was him that/who I came across in the supermarket yesterday．

    It was I that/who came across him in the supermarket yesterday．   

那时我才意识到学外语的重要性。

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2) 【课文原句】Today the White Horse Temple complex is centred around a south-facing courtyard that is shaped like a rectangle．

centre around／upon…或centre…around／upon…“以……为中心；围绕”。如：

The whole family is centred around the grandson．

讨论以发展中国家的发展为中心．

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centre sth．in…“(使活动／事件)集中于……”，常用于被动结构。如：

Most of the fighting was centred in the mountain．

3)  instruct. vt指示，吩咐，命令；instruct sb about sth

The letters instructed him to report to headquarters﹙上级﹚immediately.

我已经吩咐他们那房间要上锁。