一个英语句子之所以难以理解，有许多原因，其中一个主要原因是句子太长或者句子结构复杂。句子过长或者复杂无非是该句除了主干之外还包含了一些附加部分，如插入语、同位语、分隔现象、各种从句或较长的非谓语动词短语等等。这些附属成分常有逗号或分隔符号与句子隔开，且插在一个句子中间，使本来完整的句子被断开，因而增加句意理解的难度。分析长难句的基本方法是：首先，判断该句是简单句、并列句还是复合句;然后，找出句子的核心成分，分清主语和谓语，再分清句子附属成分。下面我们来谈谈几种长难句的处理技巧。
一、处理长难句的原则方法
如果待处理的长难句为一个复杂的单句，可这样处理：跳读修饰成分，迅速找出主谓结构。这样一来，我们便可以将长句化为短句，将难句化为易句。具体步骤是：先跳读修饰成分或附加成分，找出句子的主干并理解其意义;然后再分段理解修饰成分或附加成分。
如果待处理的长难句为一个复杂的并列句，可这样处理：先找出其中的并列连词，然后再根据并列连词的意思理清句子前后是顺连关系还是反连关系，是因果关系还是转折关系等，最后再根据不同的语境关系正确理解句意。
如果待处理的长难句为一个复杂的主从复合句，可这样处理：先分清主句与从句，然后弄清从句的性质，即弄清它是什么从句。
如果待处理的长难句为一个复杂的主从复合句，可这样处理：先分清主句与从句，然后弄清名词性从句，还是状语从句，或是定语从句。注意，弄清从句性质对于理解复合句的意思至关重要。
另外，有一点要提醒同学们，在处理长难句时，如果既能正确理解句意，又能将其准确地译成中文，那是最好了。但是，对于有些长难句，要在较短时间内(如在参加考试时)将其译成中文比较困难，此时只要能正确理解其意思就行了，如果硬要勉为其难地译成中文，不仅会浪费时间，而且在许多情况也没有必要。
二、经典高考真题实例分析
下面这篇文章共有194个单词，却只有9个句子，平均每个句子大约有22个单词，是近几年高考英语阅读理解中一篇比较典型的集中含有长难句的文章。
A 38-square-mile island, is the farthest inhabited island in the world, according to the Guinness Book of Records. It is 1,510 miles southwest of its nearest neighbor St. Helena, and 1,950 miles west of Africa. Discovered by the Portuguese admiral(葡萄牙海军上将) of the same name in 1506, and settled in 1810, the island belongs to Great Britain and has a population of a few hundred.Coming in a close second——and often wrongly mentioned as the most distant island——is Easter Island, which lies 1,260 miles east of its nearest neighbour, Pitcairn Island, and 2,300 miles west of South America.The mountainous 64-square-mile island was settled around the 5th century, supposedly by people who were lost at sea. They had no connection with the outside world for more than a thousand years, giving them plenty of time to build more than 1,000 huge stone figures, called moai, for which the island is most famous.On Easter Sunday, 1722, however, settlers from Holland moved in and gave the island its name. Today, 2,000 people live on the Chilean territory(智利领土). They share one street, a small airport and a few hours of television per day.
【解题分析】
1. 跳读插入语：请看文章第一段的第一句。第一步跳过插入语找出句子主干：Tristan da Cunha is the farthest inhabited island in the world (Tristan da Cunha 是世界上无人居住的最偏僻的岛屿);第二步理解附加的插入语部分：a 38-square-mile island(该岛面积为38平方英里，而且这是吉尼斯记录之一)，这样该句话的意思就弄明白了。
2. 跳读非谓语动词短语：我们来看第一段第三句。首先跳过前面的非谓语动词短语，找出主干：the island belongs to Great Britain and has a population of a few hundred (该岛是英国领土，人口大约几千)。然后再来理解前面的非谓语动词短语：Discovered by the Portuguese admiral of the same name in 1506, and settled in 1810(这个岛屿是在1506年被一个名叫Tristan da Cunha的葡萄牙海军上将发现的，Tristan da Cunha1810年开始有人居住)。通过这样分解难度，我们读得轻松，理解得准确。
3. 跳读分隔现象：请看文章第二段，这一段有35个单词，却只有一句话。因为该段既包括了分隔现象，又包含了定语从句，又有一个同位语，而且该句还是一个倒装句。如果从前到后按照顺序来理解，未免有点繁杂，抓不住重点。所以首先要跳过两个分隔符号之间的内容，同时也要暂时搁置后面的非限制性定语从句，找出主干并把主干重新倒置过来变成正常语序：Easter Island is coming in a close second(Easter Island is coming in a close secondEaster Island是紧跟第二的最偏僻的岛屿);然后再理解分隔符号之间的内容和后面的定语从句等附加成分：Easter Island 常常被误认为是最偏僻的岛屿，它在最临近的岛屿(Pitcairn Island)东面1,260英里，在南美西面2,300英里。
4. 跳读定语从句：定语从句在阅读理解中是很常见的，有限制性和非限制性两种。限制性定语从句用来限定所修饰的词，与之关系非常密切，阅读时要特别注意两者的密切联系，跳过限制性定语从句找到主句后要马上回头理解它的含义，确定它与先行词的修饰关系。如文章第三段的第一个句子里就有一个限制性定语从句：who were lost at sea. 阅读时一定要注意它与people的密切联系：不是别人而是在大海里迷路的人五世纪左右在那里定居。而非限制性定语从句与所修饰的词关系不是很密切，主要起补充说明作用，它可能出现在主句中间，也可能出现在句尾。如果它出现在句中，阅读时可以跳过去然后再来理解，也可以一起顺便读过去。如果非限制性定语从句出现在句尾，那阅读时很方便，看完主句后附带着看一下就可以了，因为它只是对先行词的补充说明。如这一段的最后一句：for which the island is most famous. 看完主句我们得知该岛与外界隔绝了一千多年，使得岛上的人们有充足的时间来修建一千多具巨大的石雕。然后再附带得知该岛以这些石雕而闻名。
三、针对性训练题
以下段落均选自近几年的高考英语阅读理解文章，均有一定难度，请你用以上方法试一试：
1. Decision thinking is not unlike poker — it often matters not only what you think, but also what others think you think and what you think they think you think. (NMET2000. C 篇)
2. Dad, in a hurry to get home before dark so he could go for a run, had forgotten to wear his safety belt—a mistake 75% of the US population make every day.(NMET1999. D篇)
3. First put forward by the French mathematician Pierre de Format in the seventeenth century, the theorem had baffled and beaten the finest mathematical minds, including a French woman scientist who made a major advance in working out the problem, and who had to dress like a man in order to be able to study at the Ecolab poly technique.(NMET2003.C篇)
4. It is difficult to measure the quantity of paper used as a result of use of Internet-connected computers, although just about anyone who works in an office can tell you that when e-mail is introduced, the printers start working overtime. That is, the growing demand for paper in recent years is largely due to the increased use of the Internet.(NMET2003.E篇)
5. Whereas a woman’s closest female friend might be the first to tell her to leave a failing marriage, it wasn’t unusual to hear a man say he didn’t know his friend’s marriage was in serious trouble until he appeared one night asking if he could sleep on the sofa.(NMET2001. E篇)
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