长难句解析技巧

第二节　长难句解析技巧

一、明确长句的难点

在阅读实践中，考生往往会有这种体验：一个句子里没有生词，可是读来读去，就是读不懂，而且偏偏有题目要求理解这样的句子。这种现象说明了一个简单的道理，那就是句子不是简单的生词堆砌，理解句子也不仅仅是认识句子中的每一个单词。要想解决阅读中的句子问题，首先必须清楚这些句子难在何处。通过比较下面两组句子，英文长句究竟难在何处便一目了然了。

例1：

A.A computer is a high tech.

B.Americans usually consider themselves a friendly people.

C.Education is rapid going out of fashion.

D.The media can impact current events.

例2：

A.With nearly a third of the country already covered by water and half of its land mass below sea level and constantly under threat from rising waters，the authorities believe that floating communities may well be the future.

B.My new home was a long way from the centre of London but it was becoming essential to find a job，so finally I spent a whole morning getting to town and putting my name down to be considered by London Transport for a job on the tube.

C.Therefore，it is important that children，the citizens of the future，become functionally acquainted with science—with the process and spirit of science，as well as with its facts and principles.

D.Leaving aside the all-too-familiar worries about pornography and political extremism，even the most narrow-minded must admit that the net offers immeasurable benefits，not just in terms of education，the sector for which it was originally designed，but more importantly on a global level，the spread of news and comment.

这两组句子都出自历年的阅读理解真题部分。不同的是，例1中的句子属于阅读中极为罕见的短句，而例2中的句子却是阅读中比比皆是的长句。对比这两组后，不难发现例2中的句子之所以难，首先体现在一个“长”字上。这些句子普遍都很长，有的句子包含了几个从句，有的句子含有很长的定语或状语。而例1中的句子平均只有四五个单词。其次，例2中的句子结构复杂。一个句子中往往是从句套从句，并伴随复杂的分词结构；整个句子枝杈繁复，错综复杂。而例1中的句子都是只有主谓宾或主系表的简单句。再次，例2中的句子很多地方的表达不符合汉语的思维习惯，特别是语序上可能和汉语有较大的差异。而采用英语基本句型的例1中的句子在语序和表达上都符合汉语的习惯。最后，某些特殊句型如强调句、倒装句、独立结构等在句子中的应用增加了句子的难度。

在明确了长句的难点之后，要想迅速准确地理解这些长句的关键就是将这些复杂难懂的长句简化成简单易懂类似例1中的句子。

二、长难句简化解析法

明结构，找主干

分层次，理枝杈

抓核心，去枝节

在看到一个长句时，不要慌张，要能够利用语法中已经学过的关于句子结构和各种从句的知识来分析判断这个长句是主从复合句、并列句还是带有复杂的非谓语修饰成分的简单句。在明确了句子的基本结构后，还要迅速找出主从复合句的主句或并列句、简单句中的主干部分。抓住主干后，逐步理清句子的其他成分的作用和顺序。特别是复杂的主从复合句，要明确句子到底含有几层从句以及各从句的性质和相互关系。最后一步工作，也是整个精简长句步骤至关重要的一步，就是要抓住整个句子的核心——句子要表达的最重要的或最新的信息要点。很多时候，句子要表达的最重要的信息或文章后问题所涉及的信息不一定是主句或句子主干表达出来的。

例3：

With nearly a third of the country already covered by water and half of its land mass below sea level and constantly under threat from rising waters，the authorities believe that floating communities may well be the future.

主句：With nearly a third of the country already covered by water and half of its land mass below sea level and constantly under threat from rising waters，the authorities believe

第一层：floating communities may well be the future

核心内容：floating communities may well be the future

难点：With nearly a third of the country already covered by water and half of its land mass below sea level and constantly under threat from rising waters

这句话中最核心的内容是讲将来可能有水上漂移型社区，最难的是理解主句中独立结构做的原因状语来解释为什么会有这种社区：因为有1/3的土地已经被水覆盖，还有一半的陆地已低于海平面，时常受到不断上涨的海水的威胁。

例4：

Leaving aside the all-too-familiar worries about pornography and political extremism，even the most narrow-minded must admit that the net offers immeasurable benefits，not just in terms of education，the sector for which it was originally designed，but more importantly on a global level，the spread of news and comment.

主句：Leaving aside the all-too-familiar worries about pornography and political extremism，even the most narrow-minded must admit

第一层：that the net offers immeasurable benefits，not just in terms of education，but more importantly on a global level，the spread of news and comment

第二层：for which it was originally designed

核心内容：the net offers immeasurable benefits

难点：Leaving aside the all-too-familiar worries about pornography and political extremism

这个句子的核心意思是：网络给我们带来的好处不胜枚举，不仅仅是在教育方面，更重要的是在全球范围内传播信息和观点、新闻及其评述。难点是理解主句中现在分词做的状语，它的意思是：抛开我们经常担心的色情和政治极端主义不提，即使是那些头脑最狭隘的人也得承认网络的好处。

通过以上的精简工作，我们即可成功地把两个内容较复杂的主从复合句按照句子的层次简化成若干个像例1中的句子一样的短句，这样化整为零、逐层攻破，任务就被简化了，而且句子的核心也就清晰可见了。这种方法也同样适用于修饰成分复杂的简单句。

在拆分解析长句时，可利用下面的表格来使拆分工作变得更简单、更顺畅。

1．阅读时拆分的基本单位

2．基本单位之间的关系