GRE考试阅读辅导：长难句实例分析60
<p> <span word="Yet">Yet</span> <span word="those">those</span> <span word="who">who</span> <span word="stress">stress</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="achievement">achievement</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="general">general</span> <span word="consensus">consensus</span> <span word="among">among</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="colonists">colonists</span> <span word="cannot">cannot</span> <span word="fully">fully</span> <span word="understand">understand</span> <span word="that">that</span> <span word="consensus">consensus</span> <span word="without">without</span> <span word="understanding">understanding</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="conflicts">conflicts</span> <span word="that">that</span> <span word="had">had</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="be">be</span> <span word="overcome">overcome</span> <span word="or">or</span> <span word="repressed">repressed</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="order">order</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="reach">reach</span> <span word="it">it</span>.</p><p> 然而，有些史学家强调在殖民者之间曾出现过一种普遍的一致意见。这些史学家如果不认识到各种矛盾的存在，就无法充分地理解这种一致意见，而所有那些矛盾只有在被克服或压制之后才有可能获得那种一致意见。<span word="It">It</span> 指代：<span word="general">general</span> <span word="consensus">consensus</span>.</p><p> 难句类型：复杂修饰、双重否定</p><p> 解释：本句同样不算长，但是难度却超乎寻常，而且本句在文章中是最后一句，文章的作者用本句话给出了他对文章中心论题的最后态度，不可谓不重要。据笔者观察，能够现场读懂这句话的读者绝不超过20%。</p><p> 本句之所以难，是因为三个原因，第一，句子中的复杂修饰带给读者思维上的困难。第二，本句<span word="without">without</span>引导的条件状语的表述不符合读者大脑中的语言及思维习惯。<span word="Without">Without</span>引导的介词结构作条件状语，在中文里面不一定要像笔者上面给出的翻译一样，要放在其推出的结论的前面，相当于，如果不则，而在英文中，它既可以放在前面，也可以后面，而且以出现在后面的情况居多。这就造成了中国读者的思维上的不习惯。不但如此，<span word="without">without</span>之后的表达也让人看得不舒服，我们习惯的表达是<span word="without">without</span> <span word="understanding">understanding</span> <span word="that">that</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="conflicts">conflicts</span> <span word="had">had</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="be">be</span> <span word="overcome">overcome</span> <span word="or">or</span> <span word="repressed">repressed</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="order">order</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="reach">reach</span> <span word="it">it</span>.而句中把<span word="the">the</span> <span word="conflicts">conflicts</span>和<span word="that">that</span>调换了一下，变成了<span word="without">without</span> <span word="understanding">understanding</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="conflict">conflict</span> <span word="that">that</span> <span word="had">had</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="be">be</span> <span word="overcome">overcome</span> <span word="or">or</span> <span word="repressed">repressed</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="oreder">oreder</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="reach">reach</span> <span word="it">it</span>，从语法上可通，但从句义上却看起来别扭。作者为什么不用看起来更通顺的前一种说法呢?这是因为两者的意思上存在细微的差别。前者强调的是要去理解泛指的矛盾被克服这件事，而后者强调的是要去正确理解特指的需要被克服才是理解整个抗英斗争的着急。</p>
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