典型阅读经典长难句解析析

1. Such large, impersonal manipulation of capital and industry greatly increased the numbers and importance of shareholders as a class , an element in national life representing irresponsible wealth detached from the land and the duties of the landowners; and almost equally detached from the responsible management of business.

[句子主干]Such large, impersonal manipulation of capital and industry greatly increased …shareholders as a class, (which was) an element…

[语法难点]本句是典型的非限定性定语从句,难点在其主语和宾语都有较长的短语和of结构限定,并且分句是由两个and相连的3个部分组成的。分句an element…landowners 又带有两个定语从句,一个是(which was)representing… ,另一个是(which was)detached…。

可见,定语从句的难点在于经常省略“引导词+be”的结构,从而在理解上容易和分词结构相混淆。

[句子翻译] 对资本和企业的这种大规模的非个人操纵大大增加了股东作为一个阶级的数量和重要性。这个阶层作为国计民生的一部分,代表了非个人责任的财富与土地及土地所有者应尽义务的分离,而且也几乎与责任管理相分离。

[翻译技巧] 实际上定语从句并不符合汉语的使用习惯。所以翻译时遇上定语从句,一定不要机械地按照原来的顺序生搬硬套。像这样分句较长的情况,把主句和分句拆为两句是比较好的方法。所以这里从“这个阶层”开始另起一句。

2.Towns like Bournemouth and Eastboune sprang up to house large. " comfonable" classes who had retired on their incomes, and who had no relation to the rest of the community except that of drawing dividends and occasionally attending a shareholders' meeting to dictate their orders to the management.

[句子主干]Towns…sprang up…classes who…, and who…

[语法难点]1)有并列从句。分析句子主干很容易看到这也是一个典型的定语从句结构,分句由who…,and who…两个并列结构组成。注意like并不是谓语而是介词短语作定语,真正的主句谓语是sprang of。retire on指“依靠什么而退休(多跟表收入的名词)”。

2)that of drawing dividends 结构中,draw是收取的意思,dividend指红利,that of sth结构是名词性的,that of sth相当于which is结构,目的都是修饰前面的名词。注意后面还有attending…是省略了which were的定语从句,把of sth结构和定语从句交替使用是英语中长难句的惯用手法,目的是避免行文的单调,考生朋友们要注意分辨。

[句子翻译] 像Bournemouth和Eastboune这样的城市兴起了,大批隐退的享乐阶层人士靠自己的收入,在这里过着悠闲的生活。他们与群体之外的人没有联系,只是分取红利,偶尔参加股东会议,对管理人员发号施令。

[翻译技巧]同样是为了避开定语从句,将主句和分句拆为两句。要注意几个短语的理解。

retire on依靠……退休/have…relation…to与……有关系/up to 达到……的规模

3.Robert Fulton once wrote, "The mechanic should sit down among levers, screws, wedges, wheels, etc. ,like a poet among the letters of the alphabet , considering them as an exhibition of his thoughts, in which a new arrangement transmits a new idea. "

[句子主干]Robert Fulton once wrote, “The mechanic should sit down…, like a …, considering them as…, in which a…”

[语法难点]有省略。1)like…分句是省略了who 的主语从句中的分句,considering…分句是现在分词引导的状语从句。这个状语从句可以拿到句首,也可以在句尾。一般来说较长的状语从句置于句尾,较短的置于句首,为的是使句子看上去显得简洁一些。

2)like分句中出现了比较多的省略,补全以后是who like a poet who is among the letters…。英语中的从句之所以是难点就是因为大量地省略引导词。

[句子翻译]罗博特?富尔顿曾经写道,机械工将坐在杠杆、螺丝、楔、轮子等周围,像诗人对待字母表中的每个字母一样,把它们作为自己的思路展示,每一个新组合都传送一个新概念。

[翻译技巧]如果严格地翻译,like分句应该译为“像对待字母表中字母的诗人一样”,原因是这个从句修饰的是机械工,应该用诗人来对应,但这样一来,就不符合汉语的表达习惯了。

4.Some of these causes are completely reasonable results of social needs. Others are reasonable consequences of particular advances in science being to some extent self-accelerating.

[句子主干]Some of these causes are reasonable results…, Others are consequences of advances…

[语法难点]主语是some of these causes,实际的主语就是some,不过谓语是单数还是复数则取决于of后面的成分是单数还是复数。being to…是定语从句的分句结构,意为“属于”。

[句子翻译]在这些原因中,有些完全是自然而然地来自社会需求,另一些则是由于科学在一定程度上自我加速而产生的某些特定发展的必然结果。

[翻译技巧]这个翻译比较简单,注意being to的翻译即可。

5.This trend began during the Second World War, when several governments came to the conclusion that the specific demands that a government wants to make of its scientific establishment cannot generally be foreseen in detail.

[句子主干]This trend began during …, when…,that…

[语法难点]1)有套和从句。这个句子实际上是This trend began.其余的成分都是在起修饰和限定作用。在分析长难句时一定要注意找出句子的主干,关键是确定句子的主语和谓语,只有这样才不会被众多的修饰成分所迷惑。

2)When引导的是时间状语从句。第一个that引导的是修饰conclusion的定语从句,第二个that引导的是修饰demands的定语从句,wants前省略了which,是引导的修饰a government的主语从句。

[句子翻译]这种趋势始于第二次世界大战期间,当时一些国家的政府下了结论,认为:政府向科研机构提出的具体要求通常是无法详尽预见的。

[翻译技巧]此句中短语较多。

come to the conclusion形成某种结论/make of提出/in detail详细地

6.This seems mostly effectively done by supporting a certain amount of research not related to immediate goals but of possible consequence in the future.

[句子主干]This seems …done by supporting a certain amount of research not…but…

[语法难点]注意not…but句型,意为“不是……而是……”

[句子翻译]给某些与当前目标无关但将来可能产生影响的科研提供支持,看来通常能有效地解决这一问题。

[翻译技巧]严格说来,not…but结构应译为“不是……而是……”,但这样就显得罗嗦,所 以译为“与……无关”,但(另一些有关)。a amount of指“数量达到……”。be related to指“与……有关”。

7.However, the world is so made that elegant systems are in principle unable to deal with some of the world's more fascination and delightful aspects.

[句子主干]However, the world is so made that…systems are …unable to deal with some of the …aspects

[语法难点]so made指“如此构成”,so和后面的that构成so…that结构,意为“如此……以至于……”。be…(un)able to指“可以(或不可以)……”。

[句子翻译]然而,世界就是如此。一般而言,完美的体系无法解决世界上某些更加引人入胜的课题。

[翻译技巧]be so made that意为“如…构成”,不符合汉语表达习惯,所以译为“就是如此”。

in principle 总的说来/deal with应付……

8.New forms of thought as well as new subjects for thought must arise in the future as they have in the past, giving rise to new standards of elegance.

[句子主干]New forms…as well as new subjects…must arise…as they have in the past, giving rise to…

[语法难点]有并列从句。1)主语较为复杂,为并列结构,分别是new forms和new subjects,中间用as well as连接。

2)as在这里引导了一个介词结构(as they have in the past),have的宾语省略了,其内容与本句主语一致。

3)giving rise to…分句为非限定性定语从句的从句,省略了which are。

[句子翻译]同过去一样,将来必然会出现新的思维方式和新的思维对象,给完美以新的标准。

[翻译技巧]as well as 和,以及/give rise to给……以机会

9.For Lloyd Nickson, a 54 year old Darwin resident suffering from lung cancer, the NT Rights of Terminally III law means he can get on with living without the haunting fear of his suffering: a terrifying death from his breathing condition.

[句子主干]For Lolyd Nicks, the NT Rights…means he can get on with living without…

[语法难点]插入成分很多。此句实际上是个简单句,其核心结构为Rights means…,只不过添加了诸多限制结构使句子看起来很复杂。”For Lolyd Nicks”为主句的状语成分,“a 54-years old…cancer”为Lolyd Nicks的同位语。

[句子翻译]对于现年54岁居住在达尔文的的肺癌患者尼克逊来说,这个法案意味着他可以平静地生活下去,而无须终日担心将要来临的折磨:因呼吸困难而在煎熬中死去。

[翻译技巧]同位语从句在汉语中很少出现,对同位语从句的处理就把它当作定语从句即可。如此句中就将同位语成分作为前置状语成分的主语的修饰成分即可。haunting fear指“向看到鬼一样恐惧”,表示非常恐惧。

10.Someone traveling alone, if hungry, injured, or ill, often had nowhere to turn except to the nearest cabin or settlement.

[句子主干]Someone…, if…, often had nowhere to turn except…

[语法难点]有省略现象。traveling不是现在分词,而是引导修饰someone的定语从句。if引导的从句中均省略了“主语+be动词”的结构,这样显得句子简洁。

[句子翻译]独自旅行时,如果没有了食物,受伤了或者生病了,通常只能向最近的小屋或者村落求救。

[翻译技巧]直译的话,应该说人们“没有其他地方,只有……”可得到帮助,但这样写的话显得冗长而且费解,这里根据句意,译为“只能向……求助”就比较准确了。“turn”的用法比较灵活,意思很多,这里依据上下文,译为“向……求助”。

11.We live a society in which the medicinal and social use of substances (drugs) is pervasive: an aspirin to quiet a headache, some wine to be sociable, coffee to get going in the morning, a cigarette for the nerves.

[句子主干]We live in a society in which…substances is pervasive…

[语法难点]实际是简单句。此句句子虽长,但是结构并不复杂,可以从冒号开始分为两个部分。理解的时候要有意识地把两部分分开,个个击破。in which引导了一个定语从句。该从句的分句谓语动词是is而不是are,是因为在这个从句中主语是use,而不是substances,这一点要注意分辨。

[句子翻译] 在我们生活的社会里,物质(药品)被广泛地运用于社交和医疗:服用阿司匹林来缓解头疼,喝酒来应酬,早晨和咖啡来提神,吸烟镇定情绪等。

[翻译技巧]该句冒号以后的内容写得很轻巧,很有文学性,我们翻译的时候也不要强求字字照应,而应该也是比较灵活。如quiet不是“安静”的意思,而是“镇静”的意思。