2017考研英语长短句翻译练习(14)
1. For retailers, who last year took in 24 percent of their revenue between Thanksgiving and Christmas, the cautious approach is coming at a crucial time.
【分析】复合句。介词结构for retailers...作状语,其中含有who引导的定语从句,修饰限制retailers;主句主干为 the cautious approach is coming;介词短语 at a crucial time作状语。
【译文】去年零售商在感恩节和圣诞节之间的收入占全年收入的24%。而现在这个关键时刻采取了谨慎的营销方式。
2. "I'm a good economic indicator," she says, "I provide a service that people can do without when they're concerned about saving some dollars."
【分析】并列多重复合句。两个引号中是两个独立的分句,she says为插入语。在后一个分句中,that引导定语从句修饰service,该从句中又包含when引导的时间状语从句。
【译文】她说,“我是个很好的经济指示器,我所提供的服务在人们考虑省钱的时候就不需要了”。
【拓展】do without sth. /doing sth.是个习惯表达,意为“将就,没有…也行”。
3. One theory, dreamt up in all the spare time enjoyed by the alphabetically disadvantaged, is that the rot sets in early.
【分析】复合句。句子主干为One theory…is that...,that 引导表语从句。句子的主语与be动词被过去分词短语 dreamt up...disadvantaged 分隔。过去分词短语 dreamt up…作后置定语,修饰theory。过去分词短语enjoyed by…为 all the spare time 的后置定语。the alphabetically disadvantaged的作用相当于名词,指一类人。
【译文】那些在字母表中排序处于劣势的人花去所有的业余时间杜撰出一种理论,认为在很早的时候情况就已经开始不妙了。
【拓展】1)rot原意为“腐烂,腐蚀,败坏”,此处的意思是“一连串的不利”,指因为姓氏的首字母在字母表中的位置靠后所遭受的歧视。2)set in“开始,到来;上涨;插入,嵌入”。
4. Narrowing your criteria, for example, may work against you:"Every time you answer a question you eliminate a possibility,"says one expert.
【分析】句子主干为Narrowing your criteria ... may work against you。for example为插入语;冒号后面的成分是对前面句子的解释说明。
【译文】例如,缩小搜索条件可能对求职者产生不利影响。一个专家说,“你每回答一个问题,就失去了一个做另外一种工作的机会”。