例1. Even when we turn off the beside lamp and are fast asleep，electricity is working for us，driving our refrigerators，heating our water，or keeping our rooms air-conditioned. (84年考题)
例2. But now it is realized that supplies of some of them are limited，and it is even possible to give a reasonable estimate of their“expectation of life”，the time it will take to exhaust all known sources and reserves of these materials. (84年考题)
分析：该句的骨干结构为“It is realized that…”，it为形式主语，that引导着主语从句以及并列的it is even possible to…结构，其中，不定式作主语，the time…是“expectation of life”的同位语，进一步解释其含义，而time后面的句子是它的定语从句。五个谓语结构，表达了四个层次的意义：A.可是现在人们意识到；B.其中有些矿物质的蕴藏量是有限的；C.人们甚至还可以比较合理的估计出这些矿物质“可望存在多少年”；D.将这些已知矿源和储量将消耗殆尽的时间。根据同位语从句的翻译方法，把第四层意义的表达作适当的调整，整个句子就翻译为：
例3. Prior to the twentieth century，women in novels were stereotypes of lacking any features that made them unique individuals and were also subject to numerous restrictions imposed by the male-dominated culture.
例4. This method of using“controls”can be applied to a variety of situations，and can be used to find the answer to questions as widely different as“Must moisture be present if iron is to rust?”and“Which variety of beans gives the greatest yield in one season?”
例5. It begins as a childlike interest in the grand spectacle and exciting event；it grows as a mature interest in the variety and complexity of the drama，the splendid achievements and terrible failures；it ends as deep sense of the mystery of man`s life of all the dead，great and obscure，who once walked the earth，and of wonderful and awful possibilities of being a human being.
例6. If parents were prepared for this adolescent reaction，and realized that it was a sign that the child was growing up and developing valuable powers of observation and independent judgment，they would not be so hurt，and therefore would not drive the child into opposition by resenting and resisting it.
例1. 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.
例2. It therefore becomes more and more important that，if students are not to waste their opportunities，there will have to be much more detailed information about courses and more advice.
例3. It is probably easier for teachers than for students to appreciate the reasons why learningEnglish seems to become increasingly difficult once the basic structures and patterns of the languagehave been understood.
一旦了解英语的基本结构和句型，再往下学似乎就越来越难了，这其中的原因，也许教师比学生更容易理解。
例4. They (the poor) are the first to experience technological progress as a curse which destroysthe old muscle-power jobs that previous generations used as a means to fight their way out of poverty.
例5.A great number of graduate students were driven into the intellectual slum when in the United States the intellectual poor became the classic poor，the poor under the rather romantic guise of the Beat Generation，a real phenomenon in the late fifties.
例6. Such is a human nature in the West that a great many people are often willing to sacrifice higher pay for the privilege of becoming white collar workers.
许多人宁愿牺牲比较高的工资以换取成为白领工人的社会地位，这在西方倒是人之常情。
例7. Insects would make it impossible for us to live in the world；they would devour all our crops and kill our flocks and herds，if it were not for the protection we get from insect-eating◎animals.◎
例1. The number of the young people in the United States who can`t read is incredible about one in four.
上句在英语中是一个相对简单的句子，但是如果我们按照原文的句子结构死译，就可能被翻译成：
没有阅读能力的美国青年人的数目令人难以相信约为1/4。
这样，就使得译文极为不通顺，不符合汉语的表达习惯，因此，我们应该把它译为：
大约有1/4的美国青年人没有阅读能力，这简直令人难以置信。
例2. Television，it is often said，keeps one informed about current events，allow one to follow◎the latest developments in science and politics，and offers an endless series of programmes which areboth instructive and entertaining. (85年考题)
分析：在此长句中，有一个插入语“it is often said”，三个并列的谓语结构，还有一个定语从句，这三个并列的谓语结构尽管在结构上同属于同一个句子，但都有独立的意义，因此在翻译时，可以采用分句法，按照汉语的习惯把整个句子分解成几个独立的分句，结果为：人们常说，通过电视可以了解时事，掌握科学和政治的最新动态。从电视里还可以看到层出不穷、既有教育意义又有娱乐性的新节目。
下面我们再举一个例子：
例3. All they have to do is press a button，and they can see plays，films，operas，and shows of every kind，not to mention political discussions and the latest exciting football match. (85年考题)
例4. Although perhaps only 1 per cent 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.
例1. People were afraid to leave their houses，for although the police had been ordered to stand by in case of emergency，they were just as confused and helpless as anybody else.
例2. Modern scientific and technical books，especially textbooks，requires revision at short◎intervals if their authors wish to keep pace with new ideas，observations and discoveries.
例3. Taking his cue from Ibsen`s A Doll`s House，in which the heroine，Nora，leaves home becauseshe resents her husband`s treating her like a child，the writer Lu Xun warned that Nora would needmoney to support herself；she must have economic rights to survive.
例4. Up to the present time，throughout the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries，this new◎tendency placed the home in the immediate suburbs，but concentrated manufacturing activity，business relations，government，and pleasure in the centers of the cities.
发表于 2005-8-19 12:01:36
