Of all the changes that have taken place in English-language newspapers during the past quarter-century, perhaps the most far-reaching has been the inexorable decline in the scope and seriousness of their arts coverage.
句子解剖:在本句中,根据逗号可以将句子先划分为前后两部分,逗号之前是of引导的一个介词短语,中心词是changes,其后紧跟that定语从句修饰限定changes,during the past quarter-century为时间状语;逗号之后的部分是该句的主干部分,主语是the most far-reaching (changes),作者省略了changes,谓语动词has been,宾语the inexorable decline,其后有一个介词短语做后置定语修饰限定decline.
It is difficult to the point of impossibility for the average reader under the age of forty to imagine a time when high-quality arts criticism could be found in most big-city newspapers.
词汇精析: to the point of 达到···的程度
arts criticism 艺术评论
句子解剖:该句主干是It is + adj + for sb to do 的形式,其中在形容词和for sb 之间插入to the point of impossibility 副词短语做状语修饰difficult; 而under the age of forty是介词短语做后置定语修饰the average reader; when引导的定语从句修饰 a time。在翻译本句时,由于when引导的定语从句过长,采用断句拆分翻译法,将when引导的定语从句单独成句进行翻译。