托福阅读长难句：雅典贵族选举

　　The first steps toward change were taken by Solon in 594 B.C., when he broke the aristocracy’s stranglehold on elected offices by establishing wealth rather than birth as the basis of office holding, abolishing the economic obligations of ordinary Athenians to the aristocracy, and allowing the assembly (of whichall citizens were equal members) to overrule the decisions of local courts in certain cases. (TPO40, 64)

　　aristocracy /??r?'st?kr?s?/ n. 贵族阶级，贵族

　　stranglehold /'str??ɡlh?uld/ n. 扼制，压制，束缚

　　abolish /?'b?l??/ v. 废除，废止

　　obligation /?bl?'ge??(?)n/ n. 义务，职责

　　assembly /?'sembl?/ n. 集合，集会;装配，安装

　　overrule /??v?'ru?l/ v. 否决，驳回

　　分析：

　　这个句子的主干就是：

　　The first steps toward change were taken by Solon in 594 B.C.

　　修饰一：(when he broke the aristocracy’s stranglehold on elected offices) ，从句

　　中文：当他打破了贵族对于选举的束缚。

　　修饰二：(by establishing wealth rather than birth as the basis of office holding, abolishing the economic obligations of ordinary Athenians to the aristocracy, and allowing the assembly (of whichall citizens were equal members) to overrule the decisions of local courts incertain cases.)，介词短语

　　这个修饰成分比较复杂，介词后面接了三个并列的非谓语动词：

　　1：establishing wealth rather than birth as the basis of office holding

　　2：abolishing the economicobligations of ordinary Athenians to the aristocracy

　　3：allowing the assembly (of which all citizens were equal members) to overrule the decisions of local courts in certain cases.

　　其中第3个非谓语动词中还有一个从句：

　　of which all citizens were equal members

　　三个并列的非谓语动词中文如下：

　　1：确定财富而不是出身作为任职的基础

　　2：废除了普通雅典民众对贵族的经济义务

　　3：并且允许大会(所有公民都是平等的成员)在一些情况下否决当地法院的决定

　　中文：他通过确定财富而不是出身作为任职的基础、废除了普通雅典民众对贵族的经济义务并且允许大会(所有公民都是平等的成员)在一些情况下否决当地法院的决定

　　参考翻译：

　　改变的第一步是在公元前594年由Solon发起的，那时候他通过确定财富而不是出身作为任职的基础、废除了普通雅典民众对贵族的经济义务并且允许大会(所有公民都是平等的成员)在一些情况下否决当地法院的决定，打破了贵族对于选举的束缚。