考研英语（一）长难句解析系列——2007年阅读Text3

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(本文作者为中公考研辅导名师——张玉环)　
　　本文选自2006年Harvard Magazine上一篇名The Middle Class on the Precipice-Rising Financial Risks for American Families的文章，主要讨论了美国中产阶级家庭面临的经济风险正在不断增加，并通过举例论述了相关的具体原因。全文中在长难句方面，难度并不小。作为2007年考研英语试卷的第三篇阅读，句子难度必然会较前面题型有所提升，尤其是在第三段中，一句话构成整段话。下面就其中的典型例句进行分析：
　　【典型例句1】：As a result, they have lost the parachute they once had in times of financial setback—a back-up earner (usually Mom) who could go into the workforce if the primary earner got laid off or fell sick.
　　【例句解析】：本句主干为they have lost the parachute。they once had in times of financial setback是省略that的定语从句，修饰 parachute。a back-up earner (usually Mom)作为同位语，解释the parachute。who could go into the workforce是由who引导的定语从句，修饰a back-up earner。if the primary earner got laid off or fell sick是由if引导的条件状语从句，修饰who引导的定语从句。
　　【难点点拨】：parachute：降落伞;financial setback：经济危机;back-up：作支援的;lay off：解雇;
　　【例句释义】：因此，他们失去了在经济危机时所拥有的保护伞—— 一个后备的赚钱者(通常是妈妈)。如果主要赚钱者遭遇解雇或者生病时，这个后备的赚钱者就可以出来工作。
　　【典型例句2】：Steelworkers, airline employees, and now those in the auto industry are joining millions of families who must worry about interest rates, stock market fluctuation, and the harsh reality that they may outlive their retirement money.
　　【例句解析】：本句主干为 Steelworkers, airline employees, and now those in the auto industry are joining millions of families。who must worry about interest rates, stock market fluctuation, and the harsh reality是由who引导的定语从句，修饰families。that they may outlive their retirement money是由that引导的同位语从句，解释reality。
　　【难点点拨】：steelworker：炼钢工人;stock market fluctuation：股市波动;harsh：残酷的;outlive：比…活得长;
　　【例句释义】：炼钢工人、航空公司员工以及如今的汽车行业职员也都加入到了数百万的家庭中，他们必须担心利率、股市波动以及退休金可能不够用的残酷现实。
　　【典型例句3】：Both the absolute cost of healthcare and the share of it borne by families have risen—and newly fashionable health-savings plans are spreading from legislative halls to Wal-Mart workers, with much higher deductibles and a large new dose of investment risk for families’ future healthcare.
　　【例句解析】：本句主干为Both the absolute cost of healthcare and the share of it—and newly fashionable health-savings plans are spreading from legislative halls to Wal-Mart workers，是由and连接的并列句。borne by families作为后置定语，修饰the share。with much higher deductibles and a large new dose of investment risk for families’ future healthcare作为伴随状语，修饰and之后的句子。
　　【难点点拨】：absolute cost：绝对费用;deductible：自付额;
　　【例句释义】：医疗的绝对费用和由家庭所承担的份额都在上涨——而且新盛行的健康储蓄计划也正从立法大厅逐步向沃尔玛公司的职工推广，自付额比过去更高，家庭的未来医疗也增加了许多新的投资风险。
　　【典型例句4】：Even demographics are working against the middle class family, as the odds of having a weak elderly parent—and all the attendant need for physical and financial assistance – have jumped eightfold in just one generation.
　　【例句解析】：本句主干为Even demographics are working against the middle class family。as the odds—and all the attendant need – have jumped eightfold in just one generation是由as引导的原因状语从句，修饰主干。of having a weak elderly parent作为后置定语，修饰odds。for physical and financial assistance作为后置定语，修饰attendant need。
　　【难点点拨】：demographics：人口统计资料;work against：对…不利;odds：可能性;attendant：照顾，护理;eightfold：八倍的;
　　【例句释义】：甚至人口统计资料也对中产阶级家庭不利，因为有一位年老体弱的父母——以及为照顾他们需要提供所有体力和经济上的帮助——的可能性仅在一代人的时间内就增加了八倍。
　　【典型例句5】：From the middle-class family perspective, much of this, understandably, looks far less like an opportunity to exercise more financial responsibility, and a good deal more like a frightening acceleration of the wholesale shift of financial risk onto their already overburdened shoulders.
　　【例句解析】：本句主干为much of this looks far less like an opportunity, and a good deal more like a frightening acceleration。to exercise more financial responsibility作为后置定语，修饰opportunity。of the wholesale shift作为后置定语，修饰acceleration。of financial risk onto their already overburdened shoulders作为后置定语，修饰shift。
　　【难点点拨】：exercise：行使，承担;a good deal：非常，及其;acceleration：加速;wholesale：大规模的;overburdened：负担过重的;
　　【例句释义】：不难理解，对于中产阶级家庭而言，所有这些事情看起来并非是为他们提供承担更多经济责任的机会，而更像是一种将经济风险加速大规模转移到他们早已负担过重的肩膀上的行为。
　　总之，由于本文中对于后置定语、被动语态、定语从句、状语等知识点考查较多，因此对此大家课下需要多多复习。此外，如果时间充足的话，可以多读一些外国核心期刊文章，如《经济学人》、《自然》等，积累英语国家新闻中常用到的表达。