難句解析:
①An invisible border divides those arguing for computers in the classroom on the behalf of students' career prospects and those arguing for computers in the classroom for broader reasons of radical educational reform.
▲這是本篇首句,對于本文理解至關重要。在結構上這是個簡單句,復雜之處在于divides后面所跟的兩個作賓語的those。those后面跟的都是由arguing引導的作為限定成分的現在分詞短語,結構相似。注意短語中介詞用法,on the behalf of和本句最后一個for都有“因為……的原因”的意思。
△主要把兩個those后面的限定成分弄清楚,就知道了兩種論點的不同之處,還要注意的是本句的介詞所代表的意思。
②An education that aims at getting a student a certain kind of job is a technical education, justified for reasons radically different from why education is universally required by law.
▲首先看這個句子的主語an education,它帶了一個that引導的定語從句,其中that在這個從句中作主語,謂語是aims at,后面跟了一個動名詞短語作介詞賓語;這個句子的謂語是is,后面作表語的是名詞a technical education,在這之后是一個過去分詞justified引導的短語修飾上句的表語名詞,這個短語中作為介詞賓語的reasons帶了一個形容詞different前導的短語,其中from后面跟的介詞賓語是個why引導的從句。
△理解這個句子的關鍵,一是明白主語所帶從句的含義,再是表語所帶的過去分詞短語,尤其是其中why引導的介詞賓語從句。
③Rather, we have a certain conception of the American citizen, a character who is incomplete if he cannot competently access how his livelihood and happiness are affected by things outside of himself.
▲這個句子的難點在于conception后面所跟的限定成分,尤其是citizen后面的部分,在這里a character復指的是the American citizen,其后是一個who引導的定語從句,是個主從復合句,其中主句是who is incomplete,從句是if引導的條件從句,這個條件從句中的謂語動詞access跟了一個how引導的賓語從句。
△對這個句子的理解關鍵在于后半部分對the American citizen的解釋,尤其是if引導的條件從句的含義,是整篇文章的重點內容。
④Besides, this is unlikely to produce the needed number of every kind of professional in a country as large as ours and where the economy is spread over so many states and involves so many international corporations.
▲這里的主語this指的是前面所說的professional training,后面不定式短語中動詞produce的賓語是professional,前面的成分是修飾這個詞的短語,接著是他點狀語,其中country帶了兩個修飾成分,前一個是形容詞詞性的短語as large as ours,后一個是where引導的定語從句,這個從句的主語the economy有兩個謂語動詞:is和involves,后面都用了相似的結構so many,表示強調。
⑤But, for a small group of students, professional training might be the way to go since well-developed skills, all other factors being equal, can be the difference between having a job and not.
▲該句是個主從復合句,前面for引導的短語表示的是對象,注意主句的表語the way跟了一個不定式to go,從句由since引導,這個從句的主干結構是skills... can be the difference,其中difference帶了一個介詞短語between... and...,and后面的not可以補足為not having a job。再者就是中的插入成分,all other factors being equal,這是一個獨立主格結構,在本句中作為插入短語,起到限制的作用。
△理解好since后面的原因狀語從句是這個句子的關鍵,當然還要注意for后面所跟的對象,以及主句不太確定的語氣:might be the way。
adj. 看不見的,無形的
n. 隱形人(或物