SSAT阅读中让人头疼的毫无疑问是它的词汇量考察,语法难,也就是说其中的长难句,也是一个难点,今天特意讲解一下
SSAT阅读中的长难句。下面就请各位正在备考SSAT的考生们跟随小编一起来看一下吧~
1.经典长难句解析:
Since the general civilization of mankind, I believe there are more instances of the abridgment of the freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachments of those in power, than byviolent and sudden usurpations; but, on a candid examination of history, we shall find that turbulence, violence, and abuse of power, by the majority trampling on the rights of the minority, have produced factions and commotions, which, in republics, have, more frequently than anyother cause, produced despotism.
自从人类的一般文明以来, 我认为, 通过逐步和无声地侵犯当权者来剥夺人民自由的情况, 比通过暴力和突然的侵占更多;但是, 在坦诚地审视历史时, 我们会发现, 动荡、暴力和滥用权力, 通过多数人践踏少数人的权利, 产生了派别和骚乱, 而在共和国, 这种骚乱比任何其他事业都更频繁,产生。
(---The passage is excerpted from aspeech delivered by James Madison. He believed that the Articles of Confederation, the current form of government at that time, should be replaced by the U.S. Constitution.) (---这段文字是从詹姆斯·麦迪逊的文章中摘录的。他认为, 当时目前的形式《联邦条款》应该被美国宪法取代。
单词扫盲:
abridgement 节;
encroachment 侵占(相关词汇补充:infringe v.侵犯);
usurpation 篡权、侵占;
candid 率直的;
turbulence 动荡;
abuseof power 滥用权力;
trample 踩/践踏、侵犯;
faction 派系派别(相关词汇补充:讲到宗教方面的派系用的比较多的是:sect);commotion 喧嚣、骚乱;
despotism ;
despot 君主(相关的词汇补充:tyranny、国家tyrant 暴君)
剖析句子结构:
Since the general civilization of mankind, I believe there aremore instances of the abridgment of the freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachments of those in power, than by violent and sudden usurpations; but, on a candid examination of history, we shall find that turbulence, violence, and abuse of power, by the majority trampling on the rights of the minority, have produced factions and commotions, which, in republics, have, more frequently than any other cause, produced despotism.
自从人类的一般文明以来, 我认为, 通过逐步和无声地侵犯当权者, 而不是通过暴力和突然的侵占, 剥夺人民自由的例子更多;但是, 在坦诚地审视历史时, 我们会发现, 动荡、暴力和滥用权力, 通过多数人践踏少数人的权利, 产生了派别和骚乱, 在共和国, 这种骚乱比任何其他事业都更频繁,产生。
对单词和句子结构都有了把握之后我们不难看出,理解作者看法的关键在于把握这句话中的两个”more”:
1)侵犯公民自由的过程往往不是violent and sudden,更多的是gradual and silent。
2)abuse of power by the majority trampling on the rights of the minority 导致的情况,远胜于其他任何原因。
总结一下,即 the author claims that pubic liberty is threatened by the majority’s abuse of power。
上面这个句子的风格是新SSAT阅读(History类)文章中的典型代表。历史类文章不是考察学生世界历史,说白了基本都是 founding document(建国文献),比如联邦党人文集,女权类文章中的节选。这些文章往往有高阶单词和复杂的句型。
很多同学在备考过程中头疼的问题往往是:这句话我单词都(查)认识了,为什么还是不知道作者要说什么?
2.带领大家再来一个长难句:
Those who have quitted the world, and those who are not yet arrived at it, are as remote from each other, as the utmost stretch of mortal imagination can conceive.
这句话是比较短,基本没有什么难词生词。但是大家真的读明白了吗?
Quit the world的人是哪样的人? Recluse? Not yet arrived at it的人呢?
把这个句子解析:
SSAT的阅读并不是对文本字面意思的考察,而是对于文本的深度理解以及掌握。美国初中生的英文阅读量是学生的10倍,具有先天性优势,而这些平时的阅读量决定了阅读的理解深度。
所以,我们重新回到上面的句子来分析(当然,大家也不妨联系阅读上下文来帮助理解):
文章开头就说到了:Every age and generation mustbe as free to act for itself, in all cases, as the ages and generationswhich preceded it. The vanity and presumption of governing beyond the grave, isthe most ridiculous and insolent of all tyrannies.
粗糙版译本:在任何情况下,每一代人都理应如他们的前人一样,拥有自由行事的权利。目空一切地推定自己在死后也可以治理(后人的)事务是荒谬蛮横的。
Back to our question: quit the world 的人和 not yet arrived at it 的人指的就是已经死去和未出生的两类人。