考研英语历年真题阅读长难句100句精析
1. While warnings are often appropriate and necessary — the dangers of drug interactions,for example—and many are required by state or federal regulations,it isn't clear that they actually protect the manufacturers and sellers from liability if a customer is injured.
【译文】 尽管警告常常是适当而且必须的——比如对于药物相互作用的危险提出警告——许多警告还是按州或联邦政府规定要求给出的,然而(我们)并不清楚,如果顾客受到伤害时,这些警告是不是确实可以使得生产者和销售者豁免责任。
【分析】 在这个主从复合句中,it isn't clear that they actually protect the manufacturers and sellers from liability if a customer is injured是主句。主句用了一个形式主语it,真正的主语是that引导的从句,而that从句之后是一个if引导的条件从句。从句由两个部分组成,中间用and连接。破折号之间的部分是举例说明warnings的内容。注意:many are required by state or federal regulations中的many是指many warnings。
2. Additional social stresses may also occur because of the population explosion or problems arising from mass migration movements—themselves made relatively easy nowadays by modern means of transport .
【译文】 由于人口猛增或大量人口流动(现代交通工具使大量人口流动变得相对容易) 所引起的各种问题也会对社会造成新的压力。
【分析】 句子主干结构是Additional social stresses may also occur because of...简单句+ because of表示的原因状语,整句翻译应该根据先原因后结果的原则,将主句放在最后; because of后面有两个宾语the population explosion or problems;名词problems带有现在分词短语作后置定语arising from mass migration movements; themselves指前面的名词短语mass migration movements,后面的过去分词短语是themselves的定语。
3. There exists a social and cultural disconnect between journalists and their readers,which helps explain why the “standard templates” of the newsroom seem alien to many readers.
【译文】 新闻记者和读者之间存在着社会和文化方面的脱节,这就是为什么新闻编辑室的“标准模式”似乎与许多读者的意趣相差甚远。
【分析】 主句也是一个there加系动词的用法。而表语后都有一个定语从句。本句的定语从句是which helps explain why the “standard templates”of the newsroom seem alien to many readers。Alien 本义为异国的,此处是相差甚远,背道而驰。如果考生不了解standard templates的意思,可以从上下文中找其相同作用和功能的词组,如上句中的 a story line和backbone,那么就应该知道它们指的都是记者们在写新闻和评论时固定的套路和思维。
4. This phenomenon has created serious concerns over the role of smaller economic firms,of national businessmen and over the ultimate stability of the world economy.
【译文】 这种现象引起了人们对小型经济实体、民族商人的作用以及世界经济的最终稳定性的极大关注。
【分析】 全句的主干是This phenomenon has created serious concerns。人们的担忧实际包含两个方面(即句子的两个状语):一个是the role (of smaller economic firms, of national businessmen) ,另一个是the ultimate stability (of the world economy) 。但是由于两个状语太长,建议在翻译时调整一下句子的结构,这样句子肯定更通畅些。
5. Certainly people do not seem less interested in success and its signs now than formerly. Summer homes,European travel,BMWs—the locations,place names and name brands may change,but such items do not seem less in demand today than a decade or two years ago.
【译文】 当然,人们现在对成功及其标志的兴趣似乎并未比从前减弱。避暑别墅、欧洲旅行、宝马车——它们的位置、地名和商标可能会改变,但现在对这些东西的需求似乎并未比一二十年前减少。
【分析】 此处出现了两个比较级,less interested in success and its signs now than formerly和less in demand today than a decade or two years ago。另外要特别注意句中的双重否定:一是do not seem less interested in success and its signs now than formerly,一是do not seem less in demand today than a decade or two years ago。
6. Instead,we are treated to fine hypocritical spectacles, which now more than ever seem in ample supply: the critic of American materialism with a Southampton summer home; the publisher of radical books who takes his meals in three star restaurants;the journalist advocating participatory democracy in all phases of life,whose own children are enrolled in private schools.
【译文】 相反,我们目睹了比以前任何时候都多的虚伪景观:美国物欲主义批评家在南安普顿拥有一幢避暑别墅,激进图书的出版商在三星级餐馆就餐,倡导终生参与民主制的新闻记者把自己的子女送进私立学校。
【分析】 本句的主句是we are treated to fine hypocritical spectacles。非限定性的定语从句 (which now more than ever seem in ample supply) 修饰spectacles。冒号后面的成分是三个并列的名词性短语,其核心词分别是critic,publisher和journalist。spectacles在文中意为“壮观景象”,有一定的反讽意味。
7. This does not mean that ambition is at an end,that people no longer feel its stirrings and promptings,but only that,no longer openly honored,it is less openly professed.
【译文】 这并不意味着抱负已经穷途末路,人们不再感觉到它对人们的激励了;而只是说明人们不再公开地以它为荣,更不愿公开地坦承了。
【分析】 这是一个简单句,主干是this does not mean,后面接了三个并列的that从句作mean的宾语。在第三个宾语从句中,it指代ambition,no longer openly honored是插入语,作该从句的状语。that people no longer feel its stirrings and promptings意思是that people are no longer stirred and prompted by ambition。
8. The attacks on ambition are many and come from various angles;its public defenders are few and unimpressive, where they are not extremely unattractive.
【译文】 对抱负的攻击非常之多,而且观点不尽相同;公开为之辩解的则少之又少,而且并不为人注意,尽管他们并非一点吸引力也没有。
【分析】 此句是用分号隔开的两个并列句,后面的一个分句中有一个where引导的定语从句,从整体上来修饰its public defenders,只不过先行词用了where。
9. The astonishing distrust of the news media isn't rooted in inaccuracy or poor reportorial skills but in the daily clash of world views between reporters and their readers.
【译文】 对新闻媒介这种令人震惊的不信任,其根源并非是报道失实或低下的报道技巧,而是记者与读者的世界观每天都发生着碰撞。
【分析】 本句的主干是一个not…but… 结构。注意这个结构引导的是两个方式状语。其核心词分别是inaccuracy和the daily clash。本句的主干是The astonishing distrust of the news media isn't rooted。两个分词短语充当句子的状语。
10. Luckily,if the doormat or stove failed to warn of coming disaster,a successful lawsuit might compensate you for your troubles. Or so the thinking has gone since the early 1980s,when juries began holding more companies liable for their customers' misfortunes.
【译文】 幸好,如果门垫和炉子忘了提醒你可能的危险,一切成功的诉讼就会赔偿人的损失。大约从20世纪80年代初开始,陪审员开始越来越多的裁定公司必须为其顾客的不幸负责。
【分析】 句子本身并不复杂,两个句子表达了人们的想法。在第一个句子中,if the doormat or stove failed to warn of coming disaster是指门垫或炉灶没有警示语。在第二个句子中,or so the thinking has gone是一个倒装结构,正常的语序应该是or the thinking has gone so(或者说人们是这么想的)。
11. If it did,it would open up its diversity program,now focused narrowly on race and gender,and look for reporters who differ broadly by outlook,values,education,and class. 【译文】 如果新闻界真的注意到了问题的关键,它就应该进一步开放其多样化项目,这个项目现在还只单纯考虑招收不同种族和性别的员工,而进一步寻找那些世界观、价值观、教育水平和社会阶层大相径庭的各种记者。
【分析】 本句是一个虚拟语句。it代表上文提到的a troubled business,即“问题重重的新闻界”。主语it跟了两个并列的谓语成分:一是would open up its diversity program,二是(would)look for reporters。reporters后面跟了一个定语从句。now focused narrowly on race and gender是插入语,作program的定语。
12. For such people and many more perhaps not so exceptional,the proper formulation is,“ Succeed at all costs but avoid appearing ambitious.”
【译文】 对于这样的人,以及更多也许不太出色的人而言,恰当的行为准则是:“不惜一切代价获得成功,但要避免让人看出雄心勃勃。”
【分析】 For such people and many more perhaps not so exceptional是句子的状语,主语是the proper formulation,谓语是系动词is,表语是引号里的内容。
13. International affiliates account for a fast-growing segment of production in economies that open up and welcome foreign investment.
【译文】在那些对外开放并鼓励外资的国家的经济中,跨国公司的分支机构已经成为经济领域中一个快速增长的生产部门。
【分析】 本句的主干是International affiliates account for a fast-growing segment of production in economies,后面的that open up and welcome foreign investment是economies的定语从句。注意一些词汇的含义:affiliate是名词,意为“分支机构”,此处是指在世界各地都有分支的多国公司,并且是全句的主语;account for是“……的原因”;economies在此处指经济领域的国家概念,因此用复数。
14. I believe that the most important forces behind the massive M&A wave are the same that underlie the globalization process: falling transportation and communication costs,lower trade and investment barriers and enlarged markets that require enlarged operations capable of meeting customers demands .
【译文】 我认为引起这场合并浪潮的最重要力量与导致全球一体化的力量是相同的:运输通信费用下降;贸易与投资障碍减少;市场扩大。这一切都需要扩大业务往来满足消费者的需求。这对消费者只会有利而不会有害。
【分析】 本句是一个嵌套宾语从句,不过也并不难理解。主句是I believe that,that后面是Ibelieve的内容。第二个宾语从句修饰的是same,即the same that underlie the globalization process。冒号的内容则进一步说明globalization process的内容。
15. And should one country take upon itself the role of “defending competition” on issues that affect many other nations,as in the US vs. Microsoft case
【译文】 在那些将会影响许多其他国家的事情中,如美国政府与微软公司的诉讼案,一个国家是否应该担负起“保护竞争”的责任呢
【分析】 此句的主干是should one country take upon itself the role,而that affect many other nations是issues的定语从句。as in the US vs. Microsoft case是issues的补语。on issues是take upon itself the role的状语。注意在阅读本句的时候要抓住它本身是一个文句,另外,vs.的意思对正确理解也很重要,它是指“对垒,对阵”,在法律的情景中就是“起诉,对簿公堂”的意思。
16. An education that aims at getting a student a certain kind of job is a technical education,justified for reasons radically different from why education is universally required by law.
【译文】 旨在使学生胜任某种工作的教育是职业教育,它存在的理由与法律所规定的普及教育之间有很大差别。
【分析】 这个句子的主语是An education,后面that引导的从句既是主语的定语,表语是a technical education。过去分词justified引导的短语修饰a technical education,radically different from why education is universally required by law是reasons的后置定语。
17. Rather,we have a certain conception of the American citizen,a character who is incomplete if he cannot competently assess how his livelihood and happiness are affected by things outside of himself.
【译文】 我们更应该具有的是作为美国公民的某种观念,这个公民人物如果不能很恰当地认识到自己的生存和幸福是如何受到自身之外的事物的影响,那么其公民特征就是不完整的。
【分析】 这个句子的难点在于理解a certain conception of the American citizen,即a character… outside of himself。这里的a character是指the American citizen,其后是一个who引导的定语从句;该定语从句是主从复合句,其中主句是who is incomplete,if引导条件从句,这个条件从句中的谓语动词assess跟了一个how引导的宾语从句。
18. Besides,this is unlikely to produce the needed number of every kind of professional in a country as large as ours and where the economy is spread over so many states and involves so many international corporations.
【译文】 另外,在我们这么一个大国里,经济延展到这么多的州、涉及到这么多的国际公司,因而要按照数量培养出所需的各类专业人员是不大可能的。
【分析】 这里的主语this指的是前面所说的professional training,后面不定式短语中动词produce的宾语是professional,前面的成分是修饰这个词的短语,接着是地点状语,其中country带了两个修饰成分:前一个是形容词性的短语as large as ours,后一个是where引导的定语从句,这个从句的主语the economy有两个谓语动词:is和involves,后面都用了相似的结构so many,表示强调。
19. Declaring that he was opposed to using this unusual animal husbandry technique to clone humans,he ordered that federal funds not be used for such an experiment—although no one had proposed to do so—and asked an independent panel of experts chaired by Princeton President Harold Shapiro to report back to the White House in 90 days with recommendations for a national policy on human cloning.
【译文】 他宣布自己反对使用这种非同寻常的畜牧繁殖技术来克隆人类,并下令不准联邦政府基金用于做此类试验——尽管还没有人建议这么做——他还请一个以普林斯顿大学校长哈罗得·夏皮罗为首的独立的专家组在90 天内向白宫汇报关于制定有关克隆人的国家政策的建议。
【分析】 这是一个长句,主语是he,谓语是ordered和asked。现在分词短语 ( Declaring that… to clone humans ) 作伴随状语,其中又包含一个that引导的宾语从句。Ordered后跟了一个宾语从句,asked后跟了一个名词短语,它由过去分词chaired修饰,其中含一个表示目的的不定式。
20. A lateral move that hurt my pride and blocked my professional progress prompted me to abandon my relatively high profile career although,in the manner of a disgraced government minister,I covered my exit by claiming “I wanted to spend more time with my family”.
【译文】 一次侧面的不光明磊落的攻击伤害了我的自尊,阻碍了我事业的发展,使我不得不抛弃了那份引人注目的工作,尽管表面上我还要以一个蒙受屈辱的政府部长的姿态,通过声称“我只不过是想多和家人呆在一起”来掩盖我的退出。 【分析】 本句中a lateral move是主语,promoted是谓语,that hurt my pride and blocked my professional progress是a lateral move的定语,although,…with my family是状语,其中逗号之间的in the manner of a disgraced government minister是插入语。
21. Curiously,some two-and-a-half years and two novels later,my experiment in what the Americans term “downshifting” has turned my tired excuse into an absolute reality.
【译文】 奇怪的是,我在大约两年半的时间里完成两本小说之后,我这个被美国人称为“放慢生活节奏”的试验,却使我老掉牙的借口变成了确凿的现实。
【分析】 本句主干是my experiment... has turned my tired excuse into an absolute reality。注意其谓语是一个turn sth. into sth.的结构。前面两个逗号之间的是时间状语。注意抓句子的主干,其中主语的修饰部分in what the Americans term “downshifting”看不懂可以跳过去。当然,如果我们对英语的预感较好,就可以猜测downshifting一词的意思与驾驶骑车有关,在这里,作者把生活比喻为开车,因此放弃对物质生活的热衷追求就像在开车时减档减速一样。
22. But,for a small group of students,professional training might be the way to go since well-developed skills,all other factors being equal,can be the difference between having a job and not.
【译文】 但是,对一小部分学生来说,职业教育也是条可取的路径。因为在其他因素相同的情况下,技能的娴熟是得到工作与否的关键。
【分析】 该句是个主从复合句,前面for引导的短语表示的是对象,注意主句的表语the way跟了一个不定式to go,从句由since引导,这个从句的主干结构是skills… can be the difference,其中difference带了一个介词短语between… and…,and后面的not可以补足为not having a job。all other factors being equal是一个独立主格结构,在本句中作为插入短语,起到限制的作用。
23. I have been transformed from a passionate advocate of the philosophy of “have it all”,preached by Linda Kelsey for the past seven years in the pages of She magazine,into a woman who is happy to settle for a bit of everything.
【译文】 我从一个“全力以赴”的生活哲学——在过去七年里林达·凯尔西一直在《女性》杂志鼓吹这种生活方式——的积极倡导者,一改而成为随遇而安的女人。
【分析】 该句的主干结构是I have been transformed from a passionate advocate of the philosophy of “have it all” … into a woman。preached by… magazine是过去分词短语,作the philosophy of “have it all”的定语,插在from…into之中,造成了句子的割裂。翻译时,可把分词短语译成一个分句,其他照原文顺序翻译。
24. I have discovered,as perhaps Kelsey will after her much publicized resignation from the editorship of She after a build up of stress,that abandoning the doctrine of “juggling your