10. Then, down the crowed thoroughfare comes the University of Cambridge’s most distinctive vehicle, bearing its most distinguished citizen.
分析:正常语序应为:The vehicle came down the thoroughfare。为使语言生动形象,文学作品中常用这类倒装。在翻译时要尽量翻译出原句的语言效果。这里bear=carry。
译文:从拥挤的街道上驶来了一辆剑桥大学最有特色的车,车上坐着学校最著名的人物。
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语法关系密切的两个句子成分被其他句子成分分隔的现象称为分割结构。英语中,分割结构的类型是多种多样的。例如,英语句子的主语和谓语一般都紧密相联,它们之间很少插入介词等比较长的结构。但是,在有些情况下,或是为了保持句子的平衡,避免头重脚轻,或是为了语义严密,结构紧凑,在主语和谓语之间有时也会插入其他成分。此外,还有定语(或定语从句)与其中心词被分隔;某些词语与其所要求的介词被分隔;动词与其宾语被分隔;介词与其宾语被分隔等等。总之,英语的分割应遵循尾重原则(应把长而复杂的成分放在句末,使结构匀称)和句尾信息焦点原则(把新信息,即语意重点放在句末)。同时,在阅读时要注意找出原来属于一个整体部分的意义。
1. Most novelists and historians writing in the early to mid-twentieth century who considered women in the West, when they considered women at all, fell under Turner’s spell.
分析:本句的主干结构是:Most novelists and historians…fell under Turner’s spell. Turner 是美国历史学家。under a spell:被迷住,着迷。writing in the early to mid-twentieth century who considered women in the West, when they considered women at all 修饰主语,起分割主谓的作用。而其中的状语从句when they considered women at all 是定语从句who considered women in the West中的状语成分。
译文:从本世纪初到本世纪中叶从事写作的小说家和历史学家只要描写妇女,就会描述西部妇女,而且都被特纳迷住。
2. In the last eight years there were difficult, almost non-stop negotiations and reported threats of failure, ultimately overcome by a combination of creative compromise and stubborn determination—indeed, some call it unprecedented determination—to succeed.
分析:本句的主干结构是:…there were negotiations and…threats of failure。“overcome by…”是过去分词短语,修饰 threats of failure。stubborn determination 和其定语动词不定式“to succeed”被“indeed, some call it unprecedented determination”分割。
译文:在最后的八年里,进行了艰苦卓绝的、几乎是不间断的谈判,其间屡经失败之虞,但最终通过创造性的协调和要取得成功的顽强决心——确实有人称之为前所未有的决心——而渡过难关,取得了胜利。
3. Abraham Lincoln is the most famous instance of the claim that Americans often made that in their country a man may rise from the lowest to the highest position.
分析:the claim 和其同位语 that in their country a man may rise from the lowest to the highest position 被 the claim 的定语从句that Americans often made 分割。同位语从句在翻译时可按照顺序翻译,将其翻译为分句。