2017考研英语长难句解析（4）

1. In Europe this process took a little longer, mainly because there were more small producers for whom the costs of sound were prohibitive, and in other parts of the world problems with rights or access to equipment delayed the shift to sound production for a few more years (though cinemas in major cities may have been wired in order to play foreign sound films).

【主干识别】两个并列句：第一个主句this process took a little longer; 第二个主句problems with rights or access to equipment delayed the shift to sound production

【词汇突破】small producers 小型电影公司

right 版权

access to equipment 获取设备

prohibitive 和价格和成本连用表示：价格昂贵

shift to sound production 往有声电影的转变

wired 接通了声音(根据上下文而来)

【译文赏析】在欧洲这一过程花的时间会长一些，主要是因为欧洲有更多的小型的电影公司，对于他们来讲，音效的成本过于昂贵;在世界的其他地区，版权和获取设备而造成的问题将有声电影的出品推后了好几年(尽管在一些主要城市中的影院为了播放外国的有声电影已经接上了音响)。

2. Nor, if regularity and conformity to a standard pattern are as desirable to the scientist as the writing of his papers would appear to reflect, is management to be blamed for discriminating against the "odd balls" among researchers in favor of more conventional thinkers who work well with the team.

【词汇突破】regularity 常规性

conformity 一致性

desirable 令人满意的，令人希望的，值得拥有的，例：

It is desirable that you should be there by two o’clock.(希望你两点能到那里。)

conventional 传统的

【主干识别】Nor is management to be blamed.Nor置于句首引起倒装，正常语序为management is not to be blamed.

【译文赏析】如果在科学家的论文中所反应出的对于标准模板的遵守和认同正是其所想得到的话，那么管理层就不该因歧视研究者中的"思维与众不同的人"，喜欢其中较为传统的"善于团队合作"的思想者而受到指责了。

3. IF, a few years ago, somebody had suggested that a Conservative chancellor of the exchequer would hand a Labour-dominated English city much greater spending powers, few people would have believed it. But in February of this year George Osborne said he would do just that, by transferring control over a 6 billion local NHS budget to politicians in Manchester. The chancellor’s move was revolutionary. If similar powers were given to other cities it would change the way Britain is run, reversing a decades-long trend towards the centralization of power in Westminster. Many attempts have been made to give cities and regions more clout.

【词汇突破】exchequer(英国)财政部; 美国财政部treasury; 中国财政部Ministry of finance

chancellor of exchequer: the finance minister of the United Kingdom, who prepares the nation's annual budgets(英国)财政大臣(负责国家每年的财政预算)

spending powers 财政支出的权力

Conservative 保守党的;Labour工党的(英国两大政党，这是常识)

NHS(National Health Service)，即英国国家医疗服务体系

clout 权力 =power

Westminster 威斯敏斯特(伦敦市的一个行政区，英国议会所在地)就是指：英国议会，议会政治

George Osborne 乔治.奥斯本 (英国财务大臣)

budget 预算

第一句If, a few years ago, somebody had suggested that a Conservative chancellor of the exchequer would hand a Labour-dominated English city much greater spending powers, few people would have believed it.

【译文赏析】如果，几年前，某人认为保守党的财务大臣会给工党领导的城市更多的财政开支的权利，没人会信。

第二句But in February of this year George Osborne said he would do just that, by transferring control over a 6 billion local NHS budget to politicians in Manchester.

【译文赏析】但是2015年2月，乔治.奥斯本说他就会这样做。他会把超过60亿英镑的医疗服务系统的当地预算交由曼切斯特的工党领袖来管理。

第三句The chancellor’s move was revolutionary.

【译文赏析】小乔的行为是革命性的。

第四句If similar powers were given to other cities it would change the way Britain is run, reversing a decades-long trend towards the centralization of power in Westminster.

【译文赏析】如果类似的权力也给了其他城市，那么这就会改变英国的治国方式，会逆转已经有几十年历史的权力集中于议会的潮流。

第五句Many attempts have been made to give cities and regions more clout.

【译文赏析】已经有多次尝试，准备给城市和地区更多的权力。

4. The United States is the most powerful colossus in the history of the world: Our nuclear warheads could wipe out the globe, our enemies tweet on iPhones, and kids worldwide bop to Beyoncé. Yet let’s get real. All this hasn’t benefited all Americans. A newly released global index finds that America falls short, along with other powerful countries, on what matters most: assuring a high quality of life for ordinary citizens. As Porter notes, Americans generally understand that we face economic impediments such as declining infrastructure, yet we’re frozen. We appreciate that our education system is a mess, yet we’re passive.

【词汇突破】colossus大国

tweet (动词) 上Twitter

bop 舞动身体

falls short 做的不够好

impediment 障碍

infrastructure 基础设施建设

passive 消极应对

appreciate 理解;了解到

mess 混乱

wipe out 消灭

第一句The United States is the most powerful colossus in the history of the world: Our nuclear warheads could wipe out the globe, our enemies tweet on iPhones, and kids worldwide bop to Beyoncé.

【译文赏析】美国是有史以来最具影响力的大国：我们的核弹头能把整个地球夷为平地，我们的敌人用iPhone上Twitter，全世界的孩子都跟随碧昂斯(Beyoncé)的音乐舞动身体。

第二句Yet let’s get real.

【译文赏析】不过还是认清现实吧。

第三句All this hasn’t benefited all Americans.

【译文赏析】这一切并不能让每一个美国人都受益。

第四句A newly released global index finds that America falls short, along with other powerful countries, on what matters most: assuring a high quality of life for ordinary citizens.

【译文赏析】最新发布的一项全球指数表明，美国和其他大国一样，在最重要的事情上做得还不够好，即：让普通人过上高品质的生活。

第五句As Porter notes, Americans generally understand that we face economic impediments such as declining infrastructure, yet we’re frozen.

【译文赏析】正如波特所言，美国人都知道，我们面对着基础设施走下坡路等种种经济障碍，但我们一动不动。

第六句We appreciate that our education system is a mess, yet we’re passive.

【译文赏析】我们意识到我们的教育体系一团糟，但我们消极以对。

5. The first two industrial revolutions inflicted plenty of pain but ultimately benefited everyone. The digital one may prove far more divisive.

【词汇突破】inflict 使……遭受……

divisive 争议

【译文赏析】前两次工业革命曾带来了巨大的痛苦，但是最终使大家都受益了。这次的数字革命可能是最有争议的了。

Most people are discomfited by radical change, and often for good reason.

【词汇突破】discomfit = upset 使……不安，难堪

radical change 巨大的改变

【译文赏析】大多数人对巨大的改变会感到不安，而且常常有正当的理由。

Whether the digital revolution will bring mass job creation to make up for its mass job destruction remains to be seen.

【译文赏析】数字革命是否能创造出大量的工作机会来弥补其即将毁掉的工作还不得而知。

The beneficial effects of this rise in computing power have been slow to come through.

【译文赏析】数字化革命带来的好处来的比较缓慢。

Exceptional growth, in other words, looks negligible until it suddenly becomes unmanageable.

【词汇突破】exceptional growth 巨大的增长

negligible 可忽略的

in other words 换句话讲

【译文赏析】换句话讲，巨大的增长在变得不可管理之前，看起来都是可忽略的。

The digital revolution is opening up a great divide between a skilled and wealthy few and the rest of society.

【译文赏析】 数字革命使得有技术的人以及少数的富人与社会中的其他人之间的产生了巨大的鸿沟。

In both the rich and the emerging world, technology is creating opportunity for those previously held back by financial or geographical constraints; yet new work for those with modest skill levels is scarce compared with the prosperity created by earlier technological revolutions.

【词汇突破】rich and the emerging world 发达国家和新兴国家

prosperity = bonanza

【译文赏析】不管是在发达国家还是在新兴国家，技术为那些之前被财务和地域因素限制而受到阻碍的人创造了机会;但是那些没什么技能的人所能获得的机会，与前两次技术革命所创造的繁荣时期相比就很稀缺了。