长难句是
1. Over 800 full-time thatches are employed in England and Wales today, maintaining and renewing the old roofs as well as thatching newer houses.
结构:全句只有1个谓语动词:are employed.句子主干为:Over 800 full-time thatches are employed.其中,maintaining,renewing the old roofs 和thatching newer houses是三个并列的现在分词短语作伴随状语。As well as 表示并列。
翻译:目前有800名全职茅屋匠人在英格兰和威尔士工作,进行维修,翻新旧屋顶并且还盖新的茅屋顶。
2. He had never been to school or university but had studied privately and by the time he was twenty he was a skillful chemist and excellent linguist, speaking Swedish, Russian, German, France, and English.
结构:全句有4个谓语动词:had been,had studied,was和was.全句由三个并列的简单句组成。he was twenty是一个由by the time引导的时间状语从句。其中句末的现在分词短语speaking Swedish, Russian, German, France, and English 作伴随状语,对excellent linguist进行解释说明。
翻译:他从来没有上过中学或大学,但是他都是自学的。到20岁时,他已经是一个很熟练的化学家,一个优秀的语言学家,会说瑞典语,俄语,德语,法语和英语。
3. The materials used – copper, stainless steel, concrete and glass- give the building a striking beauty.
结构:全句只有1个谓语动词:give.句子主干是:The materials give the building a striking beauty.其中,过去分词used作为后置定语修饰materials.现在分词striking作定语修饰beauty.破折号之间的并列的名词结构是materials的同位语,起补充说明作用。
翻译:使用的这些建材——铜,不锈钢,水泥和玻璃等——给这个建筑物增添了一种夺目的魅力。
4. After all, eighty was a special birthday, another decade lived or endured just as you chose to look at it.
结构:全句有2个谓语动词was和chose.句子主干为:eighty was a special birthday.Another decade是birthday的同位语,后面的lived or endured是过去分词作后置定语修饰decade.最后是as引导的状语从句。
翻译:毕竟,八十大寿是一个特殊的生日,是又生活了十年还是忍受了十年全凭你选择怎么去看待了。
5. But at least they would distinguish the organizations entitled to a continuing voice in the dialogue with the research community about the rights of animals in research from the organizations that deserve no say.
结构:全句有2个谓语动词would distinguish和deserve.句子主干是:they would distinguish the organizations…from the organizations that…。其中,entitled to a continuing voice是过去分词短语作为后置定语修饰第一个organizations.其后是一个复杂的介词短语,其主干是in the dialogue with…about…。that引导的定语从句修饰第二个organizations.并且,还应注意到整句话的主要结构:distinguish…from…。
翻译:但是,至少他们会分辨出哪些组织有资格与研究机构继续进行对话,就科研活动中的动物的权力发表意见,而哪些组织不应进行这种对话。