①There are, of course, exceptions. Small-minded officials, rude waiters, and ill-mannered taxi drivers are hardly unknown in the US. Yet it is an observation made so frequently that it deserves comment.
▲第一個句子使用了there be句型，其中of course是插入語。第二句是主語+系動詞+表語結構。第三句話中使用了so... that結構：其中made so frequently是過去分詞作定語，修飾前面的observation。
△第一句中的of course作插入語，用逗號與句子的其它部分分開，在開始閱讀的時候可以不看。注意第二句話中使用了雙重否定表示肯定：hardly unknown等于pretty well-known。另外注意so... that結構的用法：太……以至于。另外observation這里的意思是“因觀察而得出的意見”。另外it deserves comment中的it指代前面的observation。
②Strangers and travelers were welcome sources of diversion, and brought news of the outside world.
▲句子的主干結構是Strangers and travelers were... and brought...。
△注意diversion在這里的含義是“解悶，取樂的事情，消遣，娛樂”，而不是“轉移，轉向”的意思。
③Someone traveling alone, if hungry, injured, or ill, often had nowhere to turn except to the nearest cabin or settlement.
▲這是一個簡單句。traveling alone是現在分詞作定語修飾前面的someone，if hungry, injured, or ill...實際上是簡略的if引導的狀語從句，相當于if (he is) hungry, injured, or ill，這里作插入成分。另外have sth.+動詞不定式，這一結構中的動詞不定式通常是相當于定語部分，修飾前面的sth.，這里就是：沒有可以投靠（to turn to/動詞不定式）的地方（nowhere/sth.）。
△注意turn to這里的引申含義是“投靠，求助于，求教于”的意思。
④It was not a matter of choice for the traveler or merely a charitable impulse on the part of the settlers.
▲句子的主干結構是It was not a matter of choice... or merely a charitable impulse...，是主語+系動詞+表語的結構。表語由并列的兩部分組成，由or來連接。
△on the part of相當于前面的for，意思是“在……方面，對……而言”。
⑤The casual friendliness of many Americans should be interpreted neither as superficial nor as artificial, but as the result of a historically developed cultural tradition.
▲這個句子的主干結構是The casual friendliness should be interpreted neither as A nor B, but as C，使用了被動語態。其中neither... nor...結構后用的是同樣詞性的成分：形容詞superficial和artificial。
△注意neither... nor... but結構的使用：既不是……也不是……而是……，重點在but之后。as the/a result of：作為……的結果，由于……而……。
⑥As is true of any developed society, in America a complex set of cultural signals, assumptions, and conventions underlies all social interrelationships.
▲句子的主干結構是... cultural signals, assumptions, and conventions underlies... interrelationships。
△注意as在這里是一個代詞，表示“這一情況，這一事實”。可以參考以下的例句來理解as的用法：The night had turned cold, as is usual around here.夜晚變得很冷，在這一帶經常如此。
來源:可可英語 http://www.ccdyzl.cn/kaoyan/201407/310046.shtml