物理學家恐懼于那些精確無誤的論據(jù)不無道理,因為某種只有在它是精確無誤的條件下才令人置信的論據(jù),一旦它賴于建立其上的假設稍有變化,便會失去它一部的作用;而與此相反,一個盡管并不精確無誤但卻令人置信的論據(jù),在其基本假設(underlying assumption)稍微受干擾的情況下,仍然有可能是站得住腳的。
難句類型:復雜修飾
解釋:本句在文章中就是一個自然段,雖然長度比不上前面第一章中所舉的那個長達10行的例子,但是難度絕不在那句話之下。本句堪稱句子的大雜燴,連主句帶從句居然一共有八個。從大往小說,由whereas連接了兩個大句子,whereas后面的句子中的主語an augument之后又跟了一個定語從句that is convincingthough imprecise, 修飾augument.whereas前面共有六個句子,由the physicist作主語的主句;由since引導的原因狀語從句,修飾since從句中主語an augument的由that引導的定語從句,此定語從句中的條件狀語從句only if it is precise; since從句中的條件狀語從句if the assumptions on which it is based areslightly changed,以及修飾此從句中的主語assumptions的定語從句on which it is based一共八個句子,從句套從句,實在令人嘆為觀止。
然而,在考試現(xiàn)場去數(shù)句子的數(shù)目,是只有呆子才會干的事,讀者們惟一要干的事就是反復閱讀這句話,什么時候練到不必去想其語法結構就能按原文順序讀懂,才算初步掌握;再進一步把它讀順,直到你看不出這個句子有什么特別的地方,看上去還挺舒服就算訓練成功。
意群訓練:The physicist rightly dreads precise argument, since an argument that isconvincing only if it is precise loses all its force if the assumptions on which it is based areslightly changed, whereas an argument that is convincing though imprecise may well bestable under small perturbations of its underlying assumptions.
Although fiction assuredly springs from political circumstances,authors react to thosecircumstances in ways other than ideological,and talking about novels and stories primarily asinstruments of ideology circumvents much of the fictional enterprise.(4)
雖然小說無疑起源于政治情狀,但其作者則是以非意識形態(tài)的方式對這些政治情狀作出反應的,而將小說和故事主要地當作意識形態(tài)的工具來探討,會在相當程度上阻礙小說事業(yè)。
難句類型:復雜修飾
解釋:本句從句子的結構上來講,惟一的難度在于and之后的句子的主語talking about novels andstories primarily as instruments ofideology太長,以至于看到謂語circumvent的時候已經(jīng)搞不清楚主謂了。更大的難度恐怕還在于對兩個詞匯的理解circumvent和enterprise.我們以前所背過的circumvent有兩個詞義,一個是規(guī)避,一是以計謀戰(zhàn)勝,但是這兩種意思放到此處都顯然不通;其實circumvent有一個我們沒有背過的最常用的意思是包圍、限制或陷害;至于enterprise常用的意思是企業(yè),這里的指事業(yè)。
意群訓練:Although fiction assuredly springs from political circumstances,its authors reactto those circumstances in ways other than ideological,and talking about novels and storiesprimarily as instruments of ideology circumvents much of the fictional enterprise.
However,as they gained cohesion,the Bluestockings came to regard themselves as awomen's group and to possess a sense of female solidarity lacking in the salonnieres,whoremained isolated from one another by the primacy each held in her own salon. (4-)
起初,藍襪女們確實模仿了法國沙龍女主人,將男性襄括到其小圈子中來。然則,隨著她們獲得的凝聚力,她們漸趨將自己視作一女性團體,并擁有了一種婦女團結意識,而這種意識在法國沙龍女主人身上則蕩然無存,因為她們每個人在其自己的沙龍中自視甚高而彼此孤立隔絕開來。
難句類型:復雜修飾
解釋:本句讀到表示并列的連詞and開始變難。and之后的不定式與前面的不定式是并列的,to的前面省略了一個與前面一樣的謂語came. lacking之后的分詞作定語修飾a sense of female solidarity其后的由who引導的定語從句又修飾逗號前面的salonnieres此從句中又有一個定語從句that each salonniere heldin her own salon修飾其前的primacy,但是由于引導詞that在從句中作賓語,因此被省略。
意群訓練:However, as they gained cohesion, the Bluestocking came to regard themselvesas a women's group and to possess a sense of female solidarity lacking in the salonnieres, who remained isolated from one another by the primacy each held in her own salon.