VOA慢速英语:The Argument Over Salt and Health

a little修饰比较级less。可以修饰比较级的短语：

1)a bit, a little, rather, much, far, by far, many, a lot, lots, a great deal, any, still, even等

2)还可以用表示倍数的词或度量名词作修饰语。

3)以上词(除by far)外，必须置于比较级形容词或副词的前面。

可以修饰最高级的短语：

最高级前可用 the very, the second, much the, (by) far the, not quite the, nearly, almost, by no means 等修饰。

He is far more careful than I am. 他比我仔细得多。

This is much the most important. 这是最重要的。

Hainan is China’s second largest island. 海南是中国第二大岛(from www.yygrammar.com)。

This is quite far the most expensive bicycle in the shop. 这是这家商店里最最贵的自行车。

注：very不能修饰比较级，却可修饰最高级，但它与一般的修饰最高级的副词有所不同，即它要放在最高级前的定冠词之后，而不是之前(另外，second, third, next等也要放在定冠词之后)。

2.The scientists said the results would be thirteen percent fewer heart attacks, eight percent fewer strokes, four percent fewer deaths and eleven percent fewer new cases of heart disease.

英语中表示减少的方法：

（一）a is n times as small （light，slow，…）as b.
a is n times smaller （lighter， slower，…) than b.
以上两句均应译为：a的大小（重量，速度，……）是b的1/n[或a比b小（轻，慢，……）（n-1）/n]。
e.g. The hydrogen atom is near1y l6 times as light as the oxygen atom. 氢原子的重量约为氧原子的1/16（即比氧原子约轻15/16）。
e.g. This sort of membrane is twice thinner than ordinary paper. 这种薄膜比普通纸张要薄一半（即是普通纸厚度的1/2）。
注：当相比的对象b很明显时，than/as b常被省去。

（二）decrease n times/n--fold
decrease by n times
decrease by a factor of n
以上三式均译为：减少到1/n[或：减少(n-1)/n]。
decrease常被reduce，shorten，go／slow down等词替代。
e.g. Switching time of the new-type transistor is shortened 3 times. 新型晶体管的开关时间缩短了1/3（即缩短到2/3）。
e.g. When the voltage is stepped up by ten times, the strength of the current is stepped down by ten times. 电压升高9倍，电流强度便降低9/10（即90％）。
e.g. The equipment reduced the error probability by a factor of 5. 该设备误差概率降低了4/5。

（三）there is a n-fold decrease/reduction… 应译为：减至1/n [或：减少（n一1）/n]。
这个句型还有其它一些形式，
e.g. A rapid decrease by a factor of 7 was observed． 发现迅速减少到1/7。
e.g. The principal advantage of the products is a two-fold reduction in weight. 这些产品的主要优点是重量减轻了1/2。

英语在表述或比较倍数时，无论使用什么句型（除了不含倍数词的again句型外）都包括基础倍数在内，因此都不是净增或净减n倍，而是净增或净减n-1倍。

3.Doctor Alderman says that eating less salt results in lower blood pressure.

result in导致,结果是
 
例句：The game resulted in another victory for our team.
      比赛结果, 我们队又获胜了。

      The flood resulted in a considerable reduction in production.
       这次水灾造成相当大的减产。