難句類型:復雜修飾、抽象詞
Although these molecules allow radiation at visible wavelengths,where most of the energy of sunlight is concentrated,to pass through,they absorb some of the longer-wavelength,infrared emissions radiated from the Earth’s surface,radiation that would otherwise be transmitted back into space.
雖然這些分子允許可見波長的輻射——陽光的絕大部分能量就匯集于此——不受阻擋地穿透,但它們卻會吸收某些較長波長,亦即從地球表面輻射出的紅外發射,這種輻射若不是二氧化碳的緣故就會被重新輸送回太空。
解釋:前面的分句中有一個不算很長的插入語,但是因為它插入的位置正好在固定搭配allow something to do somthing中間,將allow和to分得很遠,所以讀起來讓人感覺很不舒服。后面的分句中的最后一行radiation that would otherwise be transmitted back into space是其前面的infrared emissions的同位語。其中的otherwise是副詞作狀語,表示如果后面的分句所說的they absorb some of the longer-waverlength, infrared emissions不發生時的后果。