BBC news 2009-09-21 加文本

1.Two years ago, Trafigura gave nearly 200 million dollars to the Ivorian government, part of which was used to compensate the families of 16 people who, it was claimed, died because of the waste.

参考翻译：两年前，Trafigura向象牙海岸政府提供了2亿美元，其中一部分用于赔偿据称因该废物而死亡的16名死者家属。

结构分析：这句话的前面部分是主干，后面都是修饰成分，part of which是定语从句，修饰200 million dollars。it was claimed是插入语。who died because of the waste是定语从句，修饰16 people。

2.President Obama has rejected an appeal from seven former directors of the CIA to abandon an investigation into allegations of prisoner abuses under the Bush administration.

参考翻译：CIA7名前负责人呼吁奥巴马总统放弃对布什政府期间的虐囚事件进行调查，奥巴马总统拒绝了他们的要求。

语法学习：这句话的主干是President Obama has rejected an appeal。from……表明来自谁的。to abandon an investigation是不定式做后置定语，修饰appeal。

不定式在句中做定语通常做后置定语，即放在被修饰名词或代词后。它通常有以下几种用法：

(一)不定式常可用来修饰物，表示要做某事。

如：1).The next train to arrive was from NewYork.下一列到站的火车是从纽约开来的。

2).I have nothing to say on this question.在这个问题上，我没有什么话要说。

3). We are looking for somewhere to live.我们正在找一个地方住。

(二)不定式还可用来修饰人。

如：1).He was the first guest to arrive.他是第一个到达的客人。

2).Miss Brown was the next person to rise to speak.布朗小姐是下一个起来发言的人。

3).He was a brave man to do what he did.他是个勇者才有这样的行为。

(三)很多特定的名词后也可用不定式做定语，这样的名词常用的有：way，time，reason，chance，opportunity，need，wish，effort，right，ambition等。

如：1).It's time for you to get up and go to school.你该起床去上学了。

2).There is no reason to doubt his word.没有理由怀疑他的话。

3).They have now an opportunity to go abroad to study further.他们现在有机会出国深造。

(四)某些动词或形容词后可接不定式时，它相应的同根名词也常用不定式做定语。

如：1).He made an attempt to learn English well.他试图学好英语。(attempt to do sth)

2).His ability to get on with people is his chief advantage.他能和人相处是他的主要优势。(be able to do sth)

3).I don't trust his promise to come for a visit.我不相信他来访的诺言。(promise to do sth)

3.I appreciate the former CIA directors wanting to look out for an institution that they helped to build, but I continue to believe that nobody's above the law and I wanna make sure that as President of the United States that I am not asserting in some way that my decisions overrule the decisions of prosecutors who are there to uphold the law.

参考翻译：我理解CIA领导们希望保护自己创立的机构的愿望，但是我仍然相信，无人能够凌驾在法律之上，作为美国总统，我希望能够确保我的决定不会否决制定法律的检察官们的决定。

结构分析：这句话比较长，但是基本都是并列或者转折的成分，由and,but连接。make sure that后面是that引导的宾语从句，确保的具体内容。that my decisions overrule the decisions是定语从句，修饰some way。who are there to uphold the law也是定语从句，修饰prosecutors。