长难句理解是雅托阅读的高分关键,准确找出句子语法成分是长难句理解的主要因素。本期带来五句经济学人长难句(美版6月刊),在赏析句子的过程中,除了梳理大意,还应搞清其中语法点,学习生词短语,以备写作之需。
01
Big protests erupted in Iran. Thousands of people marched towards the parliament building in Tehran, angered by rising prices and a sinking currency. Some clashed with the police, who eventually dispersed the crowd with tear gas.
Erupt (vi): 爆发
march (vi): 前进
parliament (n): 议会
currency (n): 货币
clash (vi): 冲突
disperse (vt): 分散
(1)解析:
angered by 意为“对…感到愤怒”,其主语是thousands of people,前面不能加be动词是因为句子” Thousands of people…”已有谓语marched,因此angered by就只能作非谓语表状态。disperse本意为”分发,分配”,但通过语境可知这里dispersed the crowd意为“驱散人群”。
(2)翻译:
伊朗爆发大规模抗议。由于对物价上涨以及货币贬值感到不满,数千民众前往议会大楼进行抗议。途中一些人甚至与警察发生冲突,而后者则用催泪弹驱散人群。
02
A court in London granted Uber a provisional 15-month license to operate in the city, its biggest market in Europe. Transport for London, a regulator, had claimed that the firm’s operations were not “fit and proper”, primarily because of concerns about Uber’s lapses in reporting crimes committed by its drivers.
grant (vt): 同意,给予(权利)
provisional (adj): 暂定的
proper (adj): 合适的
lapse (n): 走神,(权利,义务)终止
(1)解析:
短语grant sb sth意为“赋予某人某物”。文中两处同位语分别为its biggest market in Europe以及a regulator,分别解释city与Transport for London。最后一句primarily because of concerns about…还可以改成primarily because of concerns whether Uber would lapse into…,后者是whether引导的同位语从句,解释concerns,其中lapse也从名词变成了动词。
(2)翻译:
某伦敦法院批准网约车平台Uber在其欧洲是大市场---伦敦恢复运行十五个月。部门“伦敦交通”称Uber公司的运营策略不合理,这主要是因为民众担心公司会继续疏忽Uber司机的违法犯罪行为。
03
Cheap, personalized, advertising-free, binge-released video is widely seen as having hastened a decline in audiences for broadcast television, thus doing a great deal of damage to television advertising.
personalized (adj): 个性化的
advertising-free (adj): 无广告的
binge-released (adj): 狂欢,狂闹
hasten (vt): 加快,匆忙前往
broadcast (n): 广播
(1)解析:
短语be widely seen as…意为“被广泛认为…”,as作介词后面接动词ing形式。thus意为“因此”,由于副词无法连接前后两句话,所以thus后面只能接非谓语。doing a great deal of damage的真正主语是video,因为是主动关系,所以do要变成非谓语doing。
(2)翻译:
相比于电视节目,网络视频有以下几点优势:订阅便宜,个性化,无广告以及观众可连续观看剧集(电视每周一更)。网络节目促使电视收视率陡然下降,从而对电视广告的发展造成巨大影响。
04
Both the test and the schooling that prepares students for it are unfair and ill-suited to the needs of a country that wants its workers to be more innovative.
schooling (n): 学校教育
unfair (adj):不公平的
ill-suited (adj): 不适合的
innovative (adj): 创新性的
(1)解析:
定语从句that prepares students for it与that wants its workers to be more innovative分别修饰先行词schooling和country,且两个that都在定从中作主语。以Ill-suited为例, “ill-“作为形容词前缀通常有否定意义,例如 ill-mannered: 脾气不好的, ill-conceived: 失策的, ill-equipped:简陋的。
(2)翻译:
无论考试制度还是教学体系都存在两方面缺点:1.对学生不公平,2.违背国家期望公民创新发展的初衷。
05
The techlash has been driven partly by fears that centralized digital platforms will end up throttling competition. Some suspect that Netflix harbors ambitions to monopolize TV.
techlash (n):谴责科技公司
throttle (vt): 控制
harbor (vt): 拥有(不好的想法)
monopolize (vt): 垄断
(1)解析:
单词方面,techlash是the backlash of tech companies的简称,因此译为“谴责科技公司”。throttle本意为“阀门”,这里作动词“控制,抑制”。harbor所“拥有的”多为不好的想法,所以慎用。
语法上,centralized digital platforms…与fears是解释说明关系,因此fears that后面是同位语从句,解释人们的担忧到底是什么。end up意为“最后处于…样的情形”,由于up为介词,所以后面动词用ing形式,end up也可直接加形容词表状态。
(2)翻译:
人们之所以诋毁,谴责科技公司,是因为他们担心高度集中的数字平台(例如谷歌,facebook)抑制同行竞争。据猜测,Netflix就有垄断整个电视媒体的打算。
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