2012考研英语长难句详解之一
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。 |