《大學英語·精讀》第二冊(上海外語教育出版社出版)第十單元 Profits of Praise中有這樣一句話: While most of us are only too ready to apply to others the cold wind of criticism, we are somehow reluctant to give our fellows the warm sunshine of praise.
有許多學生翻譯不通這句話或不理解這句話的漢語意思。其實,這是句型too...to的一種特殊結構,即當too前有only, all,but等副詞時,該句型具有肯定含義。因此,這句話應該這樣理解:然而我們大多數人動不動就對別人刮起批評的寒風,不知為什么卻不愿意把表揚的溫暖陽光給予我們的同伴。
筆者將句型too...to的其他特殊結構總結了一下,請注意以下十個句子的翻譯。
1.You can not be too careful.(You cannot be careful enough.)你必須十分小心謹慎。(你不論怎樣小心也不為過。)
2.He is too clever by half.他聰明過頭了。
3.It is never too late to mend.亡羊補牢,猶未為晚。
4.That appraisalseemed all too accurate.看來,那個評價是再準確不過了。
5.We were none too early for the train.我們剛好趕上火車。
6.Beginners are too apt to make mistakes in grammar.初學者極易犯語法錯誤。
7.The news was only too true.消息極其真實。
8.It is just too,too strange.那簡直太奇怪了。
9.It was but too true.很遺憾,那是真實的。
10.He is too careful not to have noticed it.他那么細心,不會注意不到這一點的。
adj. 準確的,精確的