经典例题499 Despite the saying that one never knows if lightning strikes him，a person can sometimes feel the bolt coming and if quick enough，take protective action in time.
结构分析：句子的框架是a person can…feel the bolt and…take protective action…。and连接两个并列的谓语动词。句首despite是介词引导介词短语作状语，此短语中that引导的名词性从句做saying的同位语，此同位语从句中，if lightning…是一个名词性从句，作know的宾语，if在句中相当于whether.主句中if quick enough补充完整为if he is quick enough，是条件状语从句，为take action的前提条件。句中bolt译为闪电。
参考译文尽管人们常说一个人从来不知道是否遭到闪电的袭击，但是一个人有时能感觉到闪电的到来，如果动作快，就能及时采取保护措施。
经典例题500 Part of the reason for the ambiguity of the termlaw of naturelies in the temptation to apply the term only to statements of one of these sorts of laws，as in the claim that science deals solely with cause and effect relationships，when in fact all three kinds are equally valid.
结构分析：句子的框架是the reason…lies in the temptation…。as引导状语从句，此状语从句中又有that从句做claim的同位语。此同位语从句中又套嵌一个when引导的时间状语从句。ambiguity意为意义不明确，模棱两可;equally在此处不要译为平等的，而应译为同样地。
参考译文自然法则这一术语之所以模糊不清，部分原因在于人们企图把这个术语仅用于指对这些法则中的某种法则。正如有人认为科学仅研究因果关系，但实际上它对三种都同样适用。
经典例题501 Aluminum remained unknown until the nineteenth century，because nowhere in nature is it found free，owing to its always being combined with other elements，most commonly with oxygen，for which it has a strong affinity.
结构分析：句子的框架是Aluminum remained unknown until…，because…。until the nineteenth century做主句的状语;because又引导原因状语从句，修饰主干结构;此状语从句中的主句nowhere in nature is it found free又是倒装句，正常语序为nowhere in nature it is found free.owing to为表原因的介词短语修饰nowhere in nature it is found free.介词in加关系代词which引导定语从句修饰oxygen.
参考译文铝总是跟其他元素结合在一起，最普遍的是跟氧结合;因为铝跟氧有很强的亲和力，由于这个原因，在自然界找不到游离状态的铝。所以，铝直到19世纪才被人发现。
经典例题502 When a journalist recently accused the company of lacking integrity in its testing of beauty products，the company overtly appealed to the public by citing its corporate brand，which was firmly associated in people‘s minds with strong ethical standards concerning animal rights.
结构分析：句子的框架是When…，the company overtly appealed to the public…。when引导时间状语从句。主句中关系代词which引导定语从句修饰corporate brand，此定语从句中in people‘s minds把associated with分隔开来。beauty products译为美容产品。
参考译文有一名记者近日指责该公司在美容产品的测试上缺乏整体性，该公司公开利用其公司品牌求助于公众，而该品牌在公众的心目中它已同关系到动物权利的道德标准息息相关。
经典例题503 However，the criminal fraternity quickly came to realize that the real value in the computers is in the chip which is remarkably portable and unidentifiable，so even when caught the police have trouble proving the theft.
结构分析：句子的框架是the fraternity…came to realize that…so…the police have trouble…。这是一个并列复合句，两个句子由so连接。在前面句子里that引导宾语从句，作realize的宾语;此从句中又有which引导的定语从句修饰the chip;so后面句子里when caught是过去分词作状语，when caught即when the thief was caught;proving是现在分词，修饰trouble.句子中criminal fraternity译为偷盗贼们。
参考译文但偷盗者认识到，电脑中真正值钱的东西是芯片(或叫集成电路片)，这是可以随身携带和无法识别的，即使当场被抓住，警察也难以证明那是偷来的。
经典例题504 Although perhaps only1percent of the life that has started somewhere will develop into highly complex and intelligent patterns，so vast is the number of planets that intelligent life is bound to be a natural part of the universe.
结构分析：句子的框架是Although…，so vast is the number of planets that…。主句为so…that…结构引导的结果状语从句，因强调vast，so vast放在句首进行倒装，正常语序为the number of planets is so vast that…。although引导让步状语从句。此从句中套嵌一个关系代词that引导的定语从句修饰life.be bound to意为一定，必定。
参考译文虽然在某处已经开始的生命中可能仅有百分之一会发展成高度复杂、有智慧的形式，但是行星的数目如此之多，以致有智慧的生命一定是宇宙的一个天然组成部分。
练习和答案
练习
The proportion of works cut for the cinema in Britain dropped from40percent when I joined the BBFC in1975to less than4per cent when I left.But I don‘t think that20years from now it will be possible to regulate any medium as closely as I regulated film.
The internet is，of course，the greatest problem for this century.(61)The world will have to find a means，through some sort of international treaty or United Nations initiative，to control the material that‘s now going totally unregulated into people’s homes.That said，it will only take one little country like Paraguay to refuse to sign a treaty for transmission to be unstoppable.Parental control is never going to be sufficient.
(62)I‘m still very worried about the impact of violent video games，even though researchers say their impact is moderated by the fact that players don’t so much experience the game as enjoy the technical maneuvers(策略)that enable you to win.But in respect of violence in mainstream films，I‘m more optimistic.Quite suddenly，tastes have changed，and it’s no longer Stallone or Schwarzenegger who are the top stars，but Leonardo DiCaprio_that has taken everybody by surprise.
(63)Go through the most successful films in Europe and America now and you will find virtually none that are violent.Quentin Tarantino didn‘t usher in a new，violent generation，and films are becoming much more pre_social than one would have expected.
Cinemagoing will undoubtedly survive.The new multiplexes are a glorious experience，offering perfect sound and picture and very comfortable seats，things which had died out in the1980s.(64)I can‘t believe we’ve achieved that only to throw it away in favour of huddling around a14-inch computer monitor to watch digitally_delivered movies at home.
It will become increasingly cheap to make films，with cameras becoming smaller and lighter but remaining very precise.(65)That means greater chances for new talent to emerge，as it will be much easier for people to learn how to be better film_makers.People‘s working lives will be shorter in the future，and once retired they will spend a lot of time learning to do things that amuse them_like making videos.Fifty years on we could well be media_saturated as producers as well as audience：instead of writing letter，one will send little home movies entitled My Week.
答案
文章大意：本文作者曾经长期担任英国电影分级委员会主任，掌管电影的生杀予夺的大权。尽管从电视发明之日起，就曾有人预言有朝一日电视将会取代电影，但作者对电影的前景却非常乐观，他说，在高级影院看电影和在家里看电视是完全不同的两种感受，根本不存在取代问题，并且将来人人都可能有机会过一把当电影制片人和电影演员的瘾。
(61)结构分析：句子的框架是The world will have to find a means，…，to control the materials that…。句子的主语是the world，谓语是have to find，宾语是a means，介词词组through some sort of…initiative作状语，而动词不定式短语to control…into people‘s homes作目的状语，不定式短语中又包含了that引导的定语从句修饰先行词the material.句中的initiative的动词形式是initiate，意思是发起，这里initiative的意思是(发起的)行动，计划;unregulate的意思是不控制，不管理。
参考译文：网上的东西目前正毫无管制地进入人们的家中，世界各国得找出一种办法，通过某种国际条约或联合国行动，对此加以控制。
(62)结构分析：句子的框架是I‘m still worried about…，even though researchers say their impact is…by the fact that players do not so much…as…。even though引导了让步状语从句，而状语从句中又包含了一个由that引导的宾语从句(that省略了)作谓语动词say的宾语;宾语从句中的moderated by the fact that…又是被动又是名词同位语从句，不便按原文结构译，拆除the fact that，把后面的从句视为say的宾语，然后把被动转为主动，添补这作为moderate(减弱)的主语，译成这就减弱了这类游戏的影响;同位语从句中同时含有句型not so much…as…，是与其…不如…或不是…更多的是…，另外，此结构中还包含了that引导的定语从句修饰先行词the technical manoeuvres.
参考译文：尽管研究人员说，玩暴力电子游戏的人并不是在体验游戏本身，更多地是在享受使他们能取胜的技术操作，这就减弱了这类游戏的影响。然而我对这种影响仍然忧心忡忡。
(63)结构分析：句子的框架是Go through…and you will find…none that…。这是典型的句型：Do…，and you will…，等同于If you…，you will…，主句的宾语是代词none，并且后面跟了一个that引导的定语从句修饰它，副词virtually是几乎，差不多之意。
参考译文：纵观目前欧美最成功的电影，几乎找不出哪一部是暴力的。
(64)结构分析：句子的框架是I can‘t believe we’ve achieved that…in favor of huddling…to watch…。句中谓语动词believe后面跟了一个宾语从句we‘ve achieved that…at home，从句中的achieved that中的that指代前文的multiplexes(多幕影院)，可以译为建造了那么好的设施，或者抽象地译成取得了那样高的成就;only to表示结果与预料的相反，可译成到头来却;in favor of的意思是情愿，更愿意;digitally_delivered属于构词法中的adv.+p.p.(过去分词)构成复合形容词，意思是数码传送的。
参考译文：我无法相信，取得了那样高的成就，到头来却弃而不用，情愿挤在十四英寸电脑显示屏前，在家里观看数码传送的电影。
(65)结构分析：句子的框架是That means…，as it will be…。句中as引导了原因状语从句;主句中的that指代前面的整个句子It will become…but remaining very precise，new talent是新人才的意思，根据上下文可译成电影新秀。
参考译文：这意味着电影新秀会有更多机会脱颖而出，因为人们会更容易学会怎样把电影拍得更好。
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发表于 2016-7-22 19:41:23