Unit 6  Less is more
Text A  Door closer, are you?
关门者,你是吗?
1 The next time you’re deciding between rival options, one which is primary and the other which is secondary, ask yourself this question: What would Xiang Yu do?
这个句子前面是一个the next time引导的时间状语从句,后面跟了一个and 是两个并列的代词作rival options的同位语,两个代词后面分别跟了一个由which引导的定语从句,之后主句是一个祈使分句,冒号后面跟了一个问句。
下次你要在两个难于取舍的、主要的和次要的选择之间做决定时,不妨问自己这样一个问题:项羽会怎么做?
2 Xiang Yu was a Chinese imperial general in the third century BC who took his troops across the Zhang River on a raid into enemy territory.
这是一个复合句,前面是主句,后面跟了一个who引导的定语从句,修饰名词短语a Chinese imperial general。
项羽是公元前三世纪中国古代王朝的一位将军。他带领他的部队横渡漳河,突袭进入了敌方的领地。
To his troops’ astonishment, he ordered their cooking pots crushed and their sailing ships burned.
这个句子是一个简单句,前面是一个介词短语作状语,后面的主干当中主语是he, 谓语是ordered,后面跟了两个并列的复合宾语(即:宾语+宾语补足语),这里的两个复合宾语当中都是过去分词短语作宾补。
他下令砸锅烧船,令他的部队大为震惊。
3 He explained that he was imposing on them a necessity for attaining victory over their opponents.
这是一个复合句,在主句的谓语动词explained后面跟了一个that引导的宾语从句,从句当中的谓语是impose sth on sb这个结构,由于宾语sth较长,因此将状语on sb放在了宾语之前,构成impose on sb sth这个结构。
他解释道,他强加给他们的是战胜对手的必要举措。
What he said was surely motivating, but it wasn’t really appreciated by many of his loyal soldiers as they watched their vessels go up in flames.
这是一个并列复合句,主干是一个并列句,由连词but连接两个分句,第一个分句中包含一个what引导的主语从句,第二个分句中有一个as引导的时间状语从句。
他所说的无疑十分鼓舞士气,但当他那许多忠诚的士兵眼睁睁地看着他们的船只在火焰中被焚毁时,他们并不赞成他的做法。
But the genius of General Xiang Yu’s conviction would be validated both on the battlefield and in modern social science research.
这是一个简单句,主干是“the genius would be validated.”
不过项羽将军的这种砸锅焚船的做法所显示出的天赋,在战场上和现代社会科学研究中都将得到肯定。
General Xiang Yu was a rare exception to the norm, a veteran leader who was highly respected for his many conquests and who achieved the summit of success.
逗号前面是这个句子的主句,逗号后面的a veteran leader是前面主句当中作表语的名词短语a rare exception的同位语,后面跟了两个并列的由who引导的定语从句。
项羽将军是一个罕见的不墨守成规的人,他是一位经验丰富的领袖,由于他征战无数并达到了成功的顶峰,他深受尊敬。
4 He is featured in Dan Ariely’s enlightening new publication, Predictably Irrational, a fascinating investigation of seemingly irrational human behavior, such as the tendency for keeping multiple options open.
这是一个简单句,主干当中的谓语是一般现在时的被动语态,后面a...是一个名词短语解释说明前面那本书,在后面是一个介词短语()作定语修饰前面的名
词短语seemingly irrational human behavior。
丹· 阿雷利极富启迪性的新书 《可预见的非理性》对项羽作了专题介绍。这本书对看似非理性的人类行为,譬如人类总想留住多项选择机会的倾向,进行了引人入胜的调查。
Most people can’t marshal the will for painful choices, not even students at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where Dr. Ariely teaches behavioral economics.
这是一个复合句,后面跟了一个where引导的非限制性定语从句,修饰MIT。
大多数人都不能整理自己的思路来做痛苦的选择,麻省理工学院上阿雷利博士行为经济学这门课的学生也不例外。
In an experiment that investigated decision-making, hundreds of students couldn’t bear to let their options vanish, even though it was clear they would profit from doing so.
前面的介词短语当中包含一个that引导的定语从句,中间是主句,后面有一个even though引导的让步状语从句,其中包含一个that引导的主语从句(省去了that)。
在调查作决策的一项实验中,几百名学生都不能忍受眼睁睁看着他们的选择机会消失,即使他们很清楚这样做对他们有利。
5 The experiment revolved around a game that eliminated the excuses we usually have for refusing to let go.
这个句子前面是主句,在a game后面跟了一个that引导的定语从句修饰a game;这个定语从句中又包含一个省去了that/which的定语从句修饰the excuses。
实验是围绕着一个游戏展开的,这个游戏排除了我们通常不肯放手的借口。
In the real world, we can always say, “It’s good to preserve our options.”
引号外面和里面各是一个简单句。
在现实世界里,我们总会说:“保留我们的选择机会是对的。”
Want a good example?
这是一个省去了“Do you”的疑问句。
想要一个好的例子吗?
A teenager is exhausted from soccer, ballet, piano, and Chinese lessons, but her parents won’t stop any one of them because they might come in handy some day!
这个句子的主干是一个并列句,第一个分句是一个简单分句;but后面是第二个分句,其中包含一个由because引导的原因状语从句。
一个十多岁的女孩被足球、芭蕾舞、钢琴、中文课给累得筋疲力尽,但她的父母不会让她停止任何一项活动,理由是它们有一天可能会派上用场!
6 In the experiment sessions, students played a computer game that provided cash behind three doors appearing on the screen.
这是一个复合句,句子中包含一个that引导的定语从句,修饰a computer game。
less is more英文理解
在这个实验里,学生要玩一个电脑游戏: 在电脑屏幕上会显示三扇门,每扇门后都会提供一些现金。
The rule was the more money you earned, the better player you were, given a total of 100 clicks.
主句中的was后面跟了一个省去了that的表语从句,从句中是一个“the +比较级+主语+谓语,the+比较级+主语+谓语”的结构,后面有一个过去分词短语作状语。
该游戏的规则是每个人都只能点击100次,你点击获取的钱越多,你就玩得越好。
Every time the students opened a door by clicking on it, they would use up one click but wouldn’t get any money.
这个句子前面是一个every time引导的时间状语从句,后面的主句中主语they后面跟了两个并列谓语。
学生每点击一次打开一扇门,他们会用掉一个点击数,但却不会得到任何钱。
However, each subsequent click on that door would earn a fluctuating sum of money, with one door always revealing more money than the others.

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