四级阅读基本功--长难句过关（第十九期）

Exercise

I plan to see her soon in England, though not, she reminded me, again at 10 Downing Street.

The cessation of the employment of extraordinary means to prolong the life of the body when there is irrefutable evidence that biological death is imminent is the decision of the patient and/or her immediate family.

With rock,illusion of shared feelings, bodily contact and grunted formulas, which are supposed to contain so much meaning beyond the speech, are the basis of association.

要点：让步状语though not again at 10 Downing Street 被插入语she reminded me所分隔。而且该让步状语是一个省略的结构，全句应为though（it will） not（be）again at 10 Downing Street. 还应看出让步状语所转达的意思正是插入语的宾语所要转达的意思。 she reminded me （it will not be again at 10 Downing Street）。省略和插入的使用使全句的意思得以很好地衔接连贯、结构紧凑，无多余的成分。
参考译文：我打算不久和她在英国见面，不过她提醒我地点不再是唐宁街十号了。

要点：此句话的主谓被很长一段定语成分所分隔，句子主干应是“The cessation...is the decision of the patient and/or her immediate family”，由于主干中的is前没有逗号分开，而且前面又出现了一个is imminent，还由于同主语The cessation拉开的距离太远，所以不容易很快找到。When前面的部分如果不注意很容易错误地理解为一个句子，即“The cessation...means to prolong the life of body.”实际上means是个名词，意为“方法，手段”，不是动词“意味着”。而且means前面有个形容词extraordinary作定语，不可能是动词，尽管意思上说得通。when引导的状语从句里带了一个定语从句that biological death is imminent，它们一起插入了主语和谓语之间。把means错当动词和状语带定语的插入使得整句的结构复杂化了，致使主干句的主谓不容易看出来。
参考译文：在有不可反驳的证据表明病人即将进入生理死亡时，停止采取非常措施来延长其生命应该由病人和（或）其直系亲属来作出决定。

要点：主干结构应是illusions...,...contact and ... formulas are the basis of association,但实际上这个主谓结构被一个长定语 which are supposed ...beyond the speech 所分隔。定语 which are supposed to contain so much meaning beyond the speech 所限定的词应该是illusions...contact and ... formulas 三个部分，而不是某一个词。
参考译文：有摇滚乐的伴随、共同情感的幻觉、身体的接触及惯用的嘟囔话语---这一切包含着许多语言之外的意义，构成了人们相互交往的基础