1. In my own research complaints from women about their husbands most often focused not on tangible inequities such as having given up the chance for a career to accompany a husband to his or doing far more than their share of daily life-support work like cleaning cooking social arrangements and errands.(2010 年 Text 2)
2. Many Americans regard the jury system as a concrete expression of crucial democratic values, including the principles that all citizens who meet minimal qualifications of age and literacy are equally competent to serve on juries; that jurors should be selected randomly from a representative cross section of the community; that no citizen should be denied the right to serve on a jury on account of race, religion, sex, or national origin; that defendants are entitled to trial by their peers; and that verdicts should represent the conscience of the community and not just the letter of the law.(2010 年 Text 4)
3. Critics make three main arguments against gene patents: a gene is a product of nature, so it may not be patented;gene patents suppress innovation rather than reward it; and patents’ monopolies restrict access to genetic tests such as Myriad’s.(2012 年 Text 3)
4. Today, widespread social pressure to immediately go to college in conjunction with increasingly high expectations in a fast-moving world often causes students to completely overlook the possibility of taking a gap year. (2017年Text 3)
5. Davidson’s article is one of a number of pieces that have recently appeared making the point that the reason we have such stubbornly high unemployment and declining middle-class incomes today is largely because of big drop in demand because of the Great Recession, but it is also because of the advances in both globalization and the information technology revolution, which are more rapidly than ever replacing labor with machines or foreign
要看懂一个长难句,关键在于找到句子的主干。将句子中的修饰成分忽略不看,剩下的即主干部分,找到主干再加上修饰成分,有助于快速理解长难句。我们常说“英语句子千千万,五种句型把线牵”,即主干部分一般是这五种基本句子类型:主谓结构(S + V),主系表结构(S + V + P),主谓宾结构(S + V + O),主谓双宾结构(S + V + O1 + O2),主谓宾宾补结构(S + V + O + C)。五种句子类型之所以各不相同,主要是因为谓语动词不同,比如说不及物动词做谓语,就会构成主谓结构;及物动词或动词短语做谓语构成主谓宾结构;某些及物动词后面要跟直接宾语和间接宾语,构成主谓双宾结构;还有一些及物动词,接了宾语句意仍不完整,还需要有一个其他的句子成分,来补充说明宾语的意义、状态等,这样就构成了主谓宾宾补结构;主系表结构就是英语句子中的主要成分是主语、系动词和表语。综上所述,分析长难句共三个步:第一,找到句子主干;第二,添加修饰成分;第三翻译——汉化过程。
1. 看标点,做预判。第一点:为什么先看标点?因为标点符号是非常明显的分隔符号。我们分析句子就好比观察一座山,先宏观再到微观,不能刚走进山里就要看山里的树是什么树,而应该从山顶上俯视这座山的脉络以及形状,先做大体了解。看一个句子也一样,不能只是聚焦在单个的单词上,而是应该通过标点符号,大致上了解句子,对句子做出预判。第二点:预判什么?通过标点符号预判主干在前面还是在后面,锁定主句的大体位置,比如逗号把句子一分为二,分为前半句和后半句:如果前半句中出现介词(in, on, of 等)短语 / 动词分词 / 动词不定式 / 从属连词引导的从句,就说明主句在后面;如果后半句中出现介词短语 / 动词分词 / 动词不定式 / 从属连词引导的状语从句,说明主句在逗号之前。
例 1:Before explaining the connection to the Obamacare, it is worth making an important distinction.(2015 年Text 4)
(译文:在解释该数据猛增与奥巴马医保政策的联系之前,值得做一个重要的区分。)
在这句话中,逗号之前是介词短语 before + 现在分词短语作状语,因此迅速判断该句的主干是逗号后面的内容。还有分号表并列,表达两层含义。冒号和破折号都是对前面的补充说明,说明主句在前,后半句是对前半句的补充说明等等。所以,标点符号的作用不可小觑,它能帮助我们快速锁定主句的位置。
例 2:But the skills they learn—how to think logically through a problem and organize the results—apply to any coding language, said Deborah Seehorn, an education consultant for the state of North Carolina.(2016 年 Text 1)
例 3:When Dr. Gottman really wants to assess whether a couple will stay together, he invites them to his island retreat for a much longer evaluation; two days, not two seconds.(2013 年 Text 3)
第三种谓语动词的表现形式是有情态动词的复合谓语(情态动词 + 动词原形),即情态动词(can, could,may, might, should shall, would, need, ought to, dare 等)后跟动词原形,这样的复合谓语就是谓语动词。
例 5:You could limit distractions by reading only physical books, or on single-purpose e-readers.(2016 年Text 4)
(译文:只通过纸质版书籍或只有阅读这种功能的阅读器来阅读能够减少让你分心的事情。)
该例句中,主语“you”之后有情态动词“could”,则可断定其后的动词“limit”为谓语动词。
除了以上三种常见的谓语动词表现形式,我们还会遇到一些复杂的谓语动词形式,但是也都源于这三种基本形式,可能是组合了其中某两种。例如,主语 +have been done...,此处谓语是动词的现在完成被动语态形式,即结合了第一种和第二种谓语动词形式;再如,主语 +should have done...,此处谓语是情态动词 + 动词的现在完成时形式,即结合了第一种和第三种谓语动词形式。此外,有时复合谓语的助动词 / 情态动词和动词之间有其他成分,如副词插入两者之间,这样会造成混淆,大家要注意这一点。以现在完成时为例,有时助动词“have”和动词过去分词“done”之间会因副词等插入而分隔开来,但二者共同构成复合谓语,缺一不可,不可单独将“have”或“done”看作谓语动词。第二种和第三种谓语动词形式同理。最后,当我们数谓语动词时,要注意一个难点,就是名词主语后跟动词 -ed 形式,那么这样的动词到底算不算谓语动词?其实,判读这样的谓语动
词也不难, “名词主语 + 动词 -ed”这种形式只有两种可能性,一是主谓结构,动词 -ed 就是谓语动词,二是动词 -ed形式是过去分词作后置定语,修饰名词短语。判断“名词主语 + 动词 -ed”究竟是主谓结构还是后置定语修饰名词主语,有一个简单有效的小技巧,在动词 -ed 形式之前添加一个系动词来测试,如若句子语态不变,句意完整,那么这个动词 -ed 形式就是动词过去分词做后置定语来修饰名词主语;如若句子变为被动语态,且句意也有变化,那么它就是谓语动词。如,例 6,The paper published in England has achieved several awards. 该例句中,我们假设动词 -ed 形式“published”之前有系动词,语态和句意均符合原句,故判断“published”为动词过去分词作后置定语,修饰名词主语。综上所述,我们在数句子的谓语动词个数时,将以上三种谓语动词形式及其组合形式牢记于心,并注意动词 -ed 形式,要找出真正的谓语动词并不困难。
例 6:Gap year experiences can lessen the blow when it comes to adjusting to college and being thrown into a brand new environment, making it easier to focus on academics and activities rather than acclimation blunders. (2017年 Text 4)
3. 利用主干公式,推出主干的谓语动词。做好了前面的铺垫,我们如何快速找出哪个谓语动词是主句的谓语动词?在此引出一个主干公式(连词:动词 = n-1:n),也就是在一个句子中,有 n 个谓语动词,必然会有(n-1)连词。主干公式的推理过程:句中有一个连词就会有一个从句,有一个从句就会有一个从句的谓语动词。同理,句中有(n-1)个连词,就会有(n-1)个从句的谓语动词。但是整个句子是有 n 个谓语动词,多出来的一个谓语动词其实就是主句的谓语动词。
例 10:The most likely reason for departing a board was age, so the researchers concentrated on those “surprise”disappearances by directors under the age of 70. (2011 年 Text 1)