It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.

问题描述:

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.
为什么用was?
用在描述当前,也用was吗?
会不会是成为了特定用法了?因为是名句,而把这种用法固定下来了?虽然在汉语里没有时态之分

过去时
当前,不用was