各种阅读和社会实践场合paper这个词经常看见，但是，含义颇多，让人发懵，今天就细细分析：
1、paper的基本意思是“纸”,通常用作物质名词,不可数。如表示可数性,则须借助于单位词。
a piece/sheet of paper
一片 / 一张纸
a package wrapped in brown paper
一个牛皮纸包裹
recycled paper
再生纸
She wrote something on a small piece of paper.
她在一小片纸上写了点什么。
Take a sheet of paper and draw a line down the middle.
拿出一张纸，在中间画一条线。
2.报纸、报社、论文、报告、试卷、试题；答卷、文件、文献、证明、证件等讲是可数名词：
I have to write a paper, but I have no paper to write on.
我必须写一篇论文，但我没有纸可写。
a local/national paper
地方性 / 全国性报纸
a daily/evening/Sunday paper
日 / 晚 / 星期日报
I read about it in the paper .
我从报上得知这件事。
I might get a paper in the village.
我或许能在村子里找到一份报纸。
I read about the accident in the local paper.
我在当地的报纸上看到了这次事故。
Could you watch my bags for me while I buy a paper?
我去买份报纸，你能替我照看一下我的包吗？
He always reads the paper from cover to cover.
他总是把报纸从头到尾全看一遍。
The paper had to publish a correction to the story.
这家报纸不得不对这则新闻报道发一个更正。
The papers soon got hold of the story.
报纸很快就获悉了这件事的来龙去脉。
His desk was covered with books and papers.
他的办公桌上全是书籍和文件。
She left some important papers in her office.
她把一些重要的文件留在了办公室。
His bed was covered with papers.他的床上全是文件。
divorce/identification papers
离婚 / 身份证件
His papers were all in order.他的证件全都合法有效。
A young Moroccan stopped by police refused to show his papers.
一位被警察拦下的摩洛哥青年拒绝出示他的证件。
Her papers included unpublished articles and correspondence.
她的资料包括未发表的文章和信件。
The Geography paper was hard.
地理试题难极了。
She spent the evening marking exam papers.
她用一个晚上批阅试卷。
She was invited to give a paper on the results of her research.
她应邀发表一篇论文，报告她的研究结果。
Your grade will be based on four papers and a final exam.
你的成绩将根据四篇论文和期末考试决定。
He just published a paper in the journal Nature analyzing the fires.
他刚刚在《自然》杂志上发表了一篇分析火灾的论文。
present a paper宣读论文
draft a paper 起草文件
puplish a paper 发表论文
3.当表示不同类的纸时，是可数名词，如：
The papers the factories produce are of excellent grade.
这些工厂生产的纸张质量优良。
4. on paper写下来；笔录；仅照字面看；理论上；以书面形式；在纸上
The idea looks good on paper .
仅就字面看，这个主意不错。
On paper, several of the applicants fit the bill.
从书面材料看，有几位申请人符合条件。
It is important to get something down on paper...
把一些东西写在纸上很重要。
It was the first time I had put it all down on paper. I found it helped.
这是我第一次把所有的东西都写在纸上，我觉得这有帮助。
Never put anything down on paper which might be used in evidence against you at a later date
一定不要写下任何书面的东西，以免日后被用作对你不利的证据。
The idea has been going around in my head for quite a while and now I am getting it down on paper.
这个想法在我脑海里萦绕许久了，我现在就将它写在纸上。
Ferris has a rare ability to record her observations on paper
费里斯具备把自己的观察结果记录下来的超强能力。
These figures may look good on paper but are cold comfort to the islanders themselves.
这些数字理论上看来可能不错，不过对岛民们起不到安慰的作用。
Her colourful oils and works on paper have a naive, dreamlike quality.
她那些色彩斑斓的油画与纸上作品给人一种天真、梦幻般的感觉。
On paper, I am the healthiest man alive, yet I feel permanently unwell.
理论上，我是活着的最健康的人，但是我总感觉不舒服。
The family is estimated to have been worth, on paper at least, more than £ 1.1billion.
据估计，这个家族理论上至少拥有11亿英镑以上的财富。