精选英语长难句分析

stuck with kerosene使用了被动语态，并由介词短语for now分隔，连接后得到aircraft are stuck with kerosene，翻译时为符合汉语习惯译为主动。

【参考译文】 小汽车司机可以购买电力汽油混合动力的汽车，但是飞机只能用煤油，因为它的能量密度使其成为唯一可以在空中携带的燃料。

【难句】2. It can be plugged into a hand-held device (such as a mobile phone, music player or portable games console) to power or recharge it, and has sufficient capacity to provide around 30 hours of talk-time on a mobile phone, or 60~80 hours of playback time for an iPod music player. (The Economist Jun. 8, 2006)

【结构分析】 去掉括号内的举例补充说明，以and为切入点，得到It can be plugged into a hand held device to power or recharge it, and has sufficient capacity to provide…, and并列了两个谓语，前一谓语使用了被动语态be plugged，翻译时我们可转译为主动，后一谓语的宾语补足语to provide后的宾语由or并列，分别为around 30 hours of talk-time on a mobile phone和60~80 hours of playback time for an iPod music player。

【参考译文】 它可以放入手持设备(比如手机、音乐播放器或便携式游戏机)给其提供能源或充电，足以供一部手机通话30小时，或者一台iPod音乐播放器播放60到80小时。

【难句】3. Questions are increasingly being asked by the councils about how they can be sure that misconduct is not taking place on the grants they provide.(The Guardian Oct. 3, 2007)

【结构分析】 本句使用了被动语态的现在进行时结构，主干为Questions are increasingly being asked about…，施动者by the councils构成了分隔结构。在翻译时，我们可以化被动为主动，the councils are increasingly asking questions about…，介词about后的宾语由how引导的从句how they can be sure…充当，这里又包含一个特殊的结构“主语+adj.+从句”，that引导的名词性从句misconduct is not taking place on the grants they provide中，grants后是一个省略了关系代词that/which的定语从句，关系代词在从句中作provide的宾语。

【参考译文】 各委员会越来越多地提出问题——关于他们如何能够确保在他们同意的情况下避免发生处理不当的行为。

【难句】4. It’s much easier to say “Great idea!” when a terrific solution has been put forward by someone on your team, than it is to take the time to explain why an employee’s favorite brainchild isn’t going anywhere except the circular file. (Business Week Feb. 5, 2007)

【结构分析】 本句成分复杂。以逗号为切入点，得到一个比较结构It’s much easier to say“Great idea!”…than…。it是形式主语，前半部分的真正主语由不定式结构to say “Great idea!”…充当，这里包含一个when引导的时间状语从句when a terrific solution has been put forward by someone on your team，使用了被动语态的现在完成时。后半部分真正主语为to take the time to explain…，explain后的宾语是why引导的宾语从句 why an employee’s favorite brainchild isn’t going anywhere except the circular file。在翻译时，我们将状语提前，且化被动为主动。

【参考译文】 当团队中的某个人提出了极好的解决方案时，说“好主意”要比花时间解释为什么一个职员最喜欢的想法最终被抛弃要容易得多。

六、状语从句

【难句】1. The engines would have variable nozzles, which would be fully opened on take-off and landing, so that the exhaust would be slow and relatively quiet, and narrowed when the aircraft was cruising, providing the necessary speed. (The Economist Nov. 9, 2006)

【结构分析】 本句是主从复合句。主句为The engines would have variable nozzles。其后的定语从句比较复杂，以逗号后and为切入点，得到which would be fully opened…and narrowed…，关系代词which指代先行词nozzles在从句中作主语。其中so that引导的结果状语从句so that the exhaust would be slow and relatively quiet说明(nozzles)would be fully opened on takeoff and landing情况发生时所产生的结果，句末的现在分词结构providing the necessary speed 作(nozzles)would be narrowed when the aircraft was cruising情况发生时的伴随结果，其中when引导的从句作时间状语。

【参考译文】 引擎将配有各种各样的尾喷管，在起飞和降落时这些尾喷管会全部打开，这样喷气速度会下降，噪音也会更小；而在飞机巡航过程中，尾喷管将变小以保证必要的飞行速度。

【难句】2. If it decides in favour, the whole industry will feel the impact, for it will affect not just European airlines but all those that fly into and out of the EU. (The Economist Jun. 8, 2006)

【结构分析】 以连词for为切入点，得到两个并列结构，分别为If it decides in favour, the whole industry will feel the impact和for it will affect not just European airlines but all those that fly into and out of the EU。前一分句中，if引导从句If it decides in favour作条件状语；后一分句中，谓语affect的宾语部分使用了not just…but…结构，句末的定语从句that fly into and out of the EU修饰先行词those。

【参考译文】 如果意见是肯定的，那么整个民航业将受到影响，因为这个方案不仅影响欧洲的航线，同样也对到达欧洲和飞离欧洲的航线产生作用。

【难句】3. The business director concentrates on planning and practicality, whether it’s deciding how to change a company’s business strategy or ensuring that everyone attending a meeting can see the overhead projector. (The Sunday Times Jan. 11, 2006)

【结构分析】 本句的主句在逗号前The business director concentrates on planning and practicality，后面的让步状语从句由whether引导。在从句中，由or并列了两个谓语be deciding 和ensuring。decide的宾语由how to do的形式充当，ensure的宾语由that引导的名词性that everyone attending a meeting can see the overhead projector构成，注意everyone的后置定语是一个现在分词结构，我们可以还原成一个定语从句，who is attending…

【参考译文】 商业导演集中于计划和实施，不管是决定怎样改变一个公司的商业战略，还是保证每位参加会议的人都能看到头顶的放映机。

【难句】4. Some jobs require specific qualifications but most top employers will take any degree discipline provided you’ve got a first or an upper second from a decent university. (Times Online Jan. 11, 2007)

【结构分析】 以but为切入点，定位本句为两个并列分句Some jobs require specific qualifications but most top employers will take any degree discipline…句

末部分的provided引导条件状语从句provided you’ve got a first or an upper second from a decent university，翻译为“假如……”。

【参考译文】 有些工作需要特别的资格，但大多数的一流雇主会采取某种程度的原则，即你要在一个不错的大学获得一流或上流的成绩。

【难句】5. Even if the actual instances of mailroom-to-boardroom ascendancy are one in a million, it’s pleasant to think that somewhere out there is a person pushing a mail cart or answering phones who will one day run the company. (Business Week Jan. 29, 2007)

【结构分析】 逗号前为even if引导的让步状语从句Even if the actual instances of mailroomtoboardroom ascendancy are one in a million，翻译为“尽管……”，主句为it’s pleasant to…，其中it作形式主语，真正的主语是后面不定式结构。在不定式中，think 的宾语由that引导的名词性从句充当。在此从句中，使用了there be句型there is a person…，person后有两个现在分词短语作的后置定语 pushing a mail cart和 answering phones…这两个定语由or并列，句末的定语从句 who will one day run the company也修饰先行词person，关系代词who在从句中代替person作主语。

【参考译文】 尽管从传达室转到董事会的实际例证只有百万分之一的比率，但猜想在这之外的某个地方有一个开邮车的人或是接电话的人某天会掌管一个公司是件令人高兴的事。

七、比较结构

【难句】1. Keep in mind, though, it’s much more important to be able to show your manager how you contributed to the company’s results (such as incremental revenue or reduced cost) than just a difference in pay between you and someone else. (Business Week Feb. 5, 2007)

【结构分析】 本句使用了more…than…的比较结构。以副词though所充当的分词结构切入，本句为祈使句，keep后的宾语由省略了that的名词性从句充当。在此从句中，使用了it作形式主语，不定式结构to be able to show your manager…作真正主语的形式，show后是双宾语结构，than并列了比较的两端，为(show your manager) how you contributed to the company’s results和just a difference in pay between you and someone else。

【参考译文】 尽管如此，要记住向你的上司展示你对公司业绩的贡献(比如，提高收入降低成本)要比仅仅展示你和其他人的工资差别更为重要。

【难句】2. It’s much better for the manager to offer a pay increase, beaming with pride over his or her good judgment in hiring you, than for you to get the same pay increase by having to ask for it. (Business Week Feb. 5, 2007)

【结构分析】 本句的比较结构与例(40)同，主干为It’s much better for the manager to…than for you to…注意两个逗号之间的分词结构beaming with pride over his or her good judgment in hiring you作前文It’s much better for the manager to offer a pay increase的目的状语。

【参考译文】 上司为你加薪——为他或她录用你的判断而自豪高兴，要比自己为获得同样的加薪而要求更好。

【难句】3. Women’s control over the number of children they have is an unqualified good—as is the average person’s enjoyment, in rich countries, of ten more years of life than they had in 1960. (The Economist Jun. 5, 2006)

【结构分析】 本句主句为Women’s control over the number of children they have is an unqualified good，其中they have为省略了关系代词的定语从句，修饰先行词children，破折号部分as is the average person’s enjoyment…为as引导的定语从句，修饰先行词an unqualified good，注意这里good作名词用；句末的比较结构of ten more years of life than they had in 1960使用了than加从句，整体作从句中表语the average person’s enjoyment的后置定语。

【结构分析】 女人拥有一种绝对的优势，那就是对自己生孩子的数量的掌控。在发达国家，对普通人而言，能比六十年代的人多享受十年的生活也同样是种绝对优势。

【难句】4. Moreover, most participants could find an angry face just as quickly when it was mixed in a group of eight photographs as when it was part of a group of four. (The Economist Jun. 8, 2006)

【结构分析】 本句的比较结构清晰，使用了as…as…形式，比较的两端为when it was mixed in a group of eight photographs和 when it was part of a group of four。

【参考译文】 另外，不管这些图片是八张一组还是四张一组，参与者都能同样迅速地辨别出愤怒的表情。

八、倒装语序

【难句】1. Not only does a green thing look different from a red thing, remind us of other green things and inspire us to say, “That’s green”， but it also actually looks green: it produces an experience of sheer greenness that isn’t reducible to anything else. (Time Jan. 19, 2007)

【结构分析】 该句子中，逗号前表示否定的词not only放在句首，使用了部分倒装。正常语序为：a green thing looks not only different from a red thing，reminds us of other green things and inspires us to say, “That’s green”。这是并列了三个谓语(look different…，remind us…and inspire us…)。but之后为递进部分，but it also actually looks green…，其中冒号后为具体的解释说明，并且这里包含一个定语从句that isn’t reducible to anything else，关系代词that指代先行词sheer greenness，在从句中作主语。

【参考译文】 一件绿色的东西不仅仅看起来与红色的东西不同，使我们想起其他绿色的东西并刺激我们说：“那是绿色”，而且它确实看起来是绿色的：它产生了一个完全的绿色的经验，那不能简化成任何其他事情。

【难句】2. Clever though this is, it is just a stepping stone towards the direct incorporation of fuel cells into portable devices and, in particular, laptops—the application that remains the industry’s Holy Grail. (The Economist Jun. 8, 2006)

【结构分析】 本句体现了典型的将表语部分提前构成的让步状语从句倒装，还原后应为though this is clever。主句为it is just a stepping stone towards the direct incorporation of fuel cells into portable devices and, in particular, laptops—the application that remains the industry’s Holy Grail，其中包含incorporation…into…的结构，portable devices和laptops作介词into的宾语。句末的名词短语the application that remains the industry’s Holy Grail作上文的补充说明，其中包含that引导的定语从句，修饰先行词appplication。

【参考译文】 虽然这很聪明，但它只能算是通往直接将燃料电池与便携设备整合的道路上的垫脚石，特别是对笔记本电脑而言——这一设备现在仍是工业界的圣杯。

九、并列平行结构

【难句】1. In each case the pattern is the same: young people adopt a new form of entertainment, older people are spooked by its unfamiliarity and condemn it, but eventually the young grow up and the new medium becomes accepted—at which point another example appears and the cycle begins again. (The Economist Jun. 18, 2006)

【结构分析】 以but为切入点，得到并列结构“…，…，but…and…”即young people…, older people…, but eventually the young…and…其中第二个并列结构older people are spooked by its unfamiliarity and condemn it中又由连词and并列两个谓语。句末使用了介词提前的定语从句，其中which指代上文的一整句the new medium becomes accepted，与at一起作从句的时间状语，其中从句中又由and并列两个分句another example appears和 the cycle begins again。

【参考译文】 上述每一个实例都有着相同的模式：年轻人接受了一种新的娱乐形式，年长的人因陌生而受惊，于是对其批评指责。最终，年轻人长大成人，于是新媒体被社会承认——此时，另一种娱乐形式出现，循环模式再次开始。

【难句】2. If you are a person, as I am, who is perfectly delighted for the thick people to go happily about their thick people’s business, but who also believes in elites—not only believes in them, but thinks they ought to be cherished, that the Today programme and Newsnight, as it were, are more worthy of our licence fee than thick people’s television, regardless of audience figures—then the whole subject becomes complicated. (The Sunday Times Nov. 4, 2007)

【结构分析】 本句主干为then the whole subject becomes complicated。句首部分为if引导的条件状语从句，其中包含两个并列平行的定语从句，分别为who is perfectly delighted for…以及but who also believes in…在第二个定语从句中，破折号之间的部分为对它的补充说明，这里又出现了not only…but…表现的并列平行结构，but引导的第二个并列分句中，谓语动词thinks后有they ought to be cherished及that…两个并列的宾语从句，还包含一处比较级。

【参考译文】 假如你是像我一样的人，为普通人快乐地追求普通人自己的生活而高兴，但也相信精英——不仅相信他们，而且也认为他们应该受到珍视，甚至认为不管收视率如何，“今日”节目和“晚间新闻”在某种程度上比普通人看的电视节目更有花钱收看的价值——那么整件事就变得复杂了。

【难句】3. Call me incredulous but I find that very difficult to believe, which means we are back to the wrongheaded kind of political correctness that