關於新概念英語靈活運用句型

1. The following day, however, the doctor consoled him by telling him that his chances of being able to leave hospital in time for New Year Celebrations were good. ( L29 )

句型解剖：sb’s chances of doing sth are good 某人做某事的可能性很大

該例句的後半部分，即“that”引導的賓語從句部分，意思就是：他能離開醫院回去過新年的可能性很大。其中“chances”一詞解釋為“可能性；很有可能發生的事情”，一般作複數。而句末的“good”是修飾“chances”一詞，在這裏作表語，引申為“（可能性）很大”；如果是“可能性不大”可以把“good” 改成“remote”或者是“slim”。整個短語還能變形為：The chances that ……are good. 或者The chances are good that…… （其中that引導的是“chances”一詞的同位語從句）。

另外再補充些有關“chance”作為“可能性”的短語：

There is a chance of / that ……. 某事很有可能

There is a remote chance of / that……. 某事不大有可能

Chances are that……某事發生很有可能

The chances are ten to one that 事情十有八九會……

sb have a chance of doing sth 某人很有可能做某事

sb have no chance of doing sth 某人不大有可能做某事

sb’s chances of…… are greatly improved / increased某人做某事的可能性大大地增加了

sb’s chances of…… are greatly reduced某人做某事的可能性大大地減小了

另外，英語中的“odds”一詞也能用來表示“可能性”代替“chances”一詞。具體例句參考下文最後兩句例句。

聯想運用：1) 看現在這種情形，他很有可能被吵魷魚。

Considering the current situation, his chances of being fired are good.

2) 根據我的經驗，這種植物很少能有捱過冬天的。

According to my experience, the chances of the plant of surviving the winter are remote.

3) 比爾已經向哈佛大學申請助教職位，但他得到它的可能性很小。

Bill has applied to Harvard University for a teaching assistantship, but his chances of getting it are remote.

4) 因為她不是很富裕，他買得起這些服裝的可能性十分渺茫。

As she is not rich, the chances that she will ever be able to afford such purchases are remote. ( 新概念第三冊，L59)

可以改成——

As she is not rich, the chances are remote that she will ever be able to afford such purchases.

5) 因此，我到革命的中國的希望相當小了，然而我並沒有放棄努力來爭取一張護照，使我得以訪問社會主義國家。

So my chances of getting to revolutionary China are pretty slim, although I have not given up my efforts to get a passport, which will enable me to visit the countries of Socialism.

6) 這天很有可能會下雨。

There is a chance of rain.

7) 那工人認為，如果他拆不開那台機器，那麼很可能廠裏的別的人也拆不開。

The worker held that if he was unable to take the medicine apart, the chances were that no other worker in the plant could, either.

8) 我們十有八九會贏。

The chances are ten to one that we will win.

9) 她很有可能過考試。

She has a chance of passing the exam.

= Her chances of passing the exam are good.

= The chances that she will pass the exam are good.

= The chances are good that she will pass the exam.

10) 當你目標明確，你成功的可能性就大大地增加了。

When you have a clear aim, your chances of success are greatly improved / increased.

11) 你能告訴我他被當選為總統的可能性是增加了還是減小了？

Could you tell me his chances of being elected president are improved or reduced?

12) 她可能會同意。

The odds are that she will give her consent.

13) 我們最可能死亡的年齡在65至80歲之間。

There are heavy odds in favour of our dying between the ages of sixty-five and eighty. ( 新概念第四冊，L37)

2. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight. ( L30)

句型解剖：“to do 不定式”的特殊涵義

如何翻譯不定式“to find that work had been done overnight” 是正確理解這句話含義的關鍵所在。一般的不定式可以在句中充當目的狀語，按照這樣的譯法，整句話的意思就是“農村裏的工人説他們常常一早醒來，為了（目的）發現有人已經在夜裏把活全乾了”；但這樣的譯法似乎又不符合邏輯。所以讓我們來重新認識一下英語中的'不定式。

其實英語中的不定式既可以充當“目的狀語”，也能夠充當“結果狀語”；充當目的狀語的時候可以放在句首也可以放在句末，而充當結果狀語的時候只能放在句末，並且一般用於表示“事與願違或沒有料到的結果”，多半帶有些不好的、失望沮喪的感情色彩；這時也可以在不定式to do前面加上“only”一詞，僅為了加語氣。表達“only to”通常翻譯為“竟然……; 往往卻……; 結果卻……”。試比較：

I’ve come to pick up my son. 我來接我兒子。（目的狀語）

What have I said （only）to make you so sad? 我説了什麼使你那麼難受啊？（結果狀語）

經過這些分析後，再回到上述例句，它應當翻譯為：農場的工人常常醒來，結果卻發現有人在一夜之間把所有的活都幹了。

聯想運用：1) 防盜警報器在白天黑夜的任何時候都會響起來，結果卻騷擾了過路人,同時也幫助竊賊入室行竊。

Burglar alarms going off at any time of the day or night serve only to annoy passers-by and actually assist burglars to burgle. （新概念第三冊，L47）

注意：句話中的短語“only to annoy… assist……”在這裏充當的是結果狀語而不是目的狀語。如果看成目的狀語的話，翻譯起來就相當彆扭：“防盜警報器在白天黑夜的任何時候都會響起來，目的就是去騷擾過路人，同時也為了幫助竊賊入室行竊”。很明顯，這樣的翻譯在邏輯上也是行不通的。

2) 在軌道上運行的衞星總是要飛離地球，而結果總是被地心引力拉回來。

The satellite traveling in the orbit is always escaping from the earth only to be pulled back by gravity.

3) 女孩子長大以後結果卻嫁到別人家給人家生孩子了。

Girls grow up only to marry into somebody else’s family and bear children.

4 )這個罪犯偷偷逃出了監獄大門，（結果）淹沒在倫敦的大霧中。

The felon slipped out the main prison gate, to be swallowed up in the British fog.

5 )簡一路飛奔回去，結果卻得知自己的母親已經在醫院去世了。

Jane dashed back only to know her mother dead in hospital.

6) 那女孩去海邊游泳卻不幸被淹死了。

The girl went to the seaside only to be drowned.

7) 她從這次空難中倖存下來卻不幸喝水時嗆死了。

She survived the air crash only to be choked by water.

8) 為了買那隻據説能下金蛋的母雞，他幾乎賣掉所有家當，沒想到這隻

雞連一般的蛋也不會下。

He spent almost all his fortune on the hen which was said to be able to lay gold eggs, only to find it could not lay eggs at all.

9) 凡事我們視而不見；凡事我們逃之夭夭；凡事我們不是否認就是貶低

或蔑視，那麼凡此種種卻往往會打敗我們。

Everything we shut our eyes to, everything we run away from, everything we deny, denigrate or despise, serves (only) to defeat us in the end. (By Henry Miller)

3. Everyone went to the funeral, for the ‘ghost’ was none other than Eric Cox, a third brother who was supposed to have died as a young man. ( L30)

句型解剖：do sth as a young man 年輕時候做某事

“as”在這裏是作介詞使用，翻譯為“當某人是（某身份）時”。有了“as”，就可以避免“when”的頻繁使用。如果這句話不用“as a young man”來表示“當某人年輕時”，一般我們只能想到用“when sb was young”這個表達。同樣，當我們説“當我是個大學生、在我大學時代”，我們也不必按照往常的思路説“when I was a university student”或“during my university days”, 而是可以説“as a university student”。

聯想運用：1) 昨天下午弗蘭克霍金斯向我講述了他年輕時候的經歷。

Yesterday afternoon Frank Hawkins was telling me about his experience as a young man. （新概念第二冊，L31）

而這句話按照一般思路則是：Yesterday afternoon Frank Hawkins was telling me about his experience when he was a young man.

2) 在退休前，弗蘭克是一家非常大的商業公司的經理，但他小時候卻在一家小鋪裏做工。

Before he retired, Frank was the head of a very large business company, but as a boy he used to work in a small shop. （新概念第二冊，L31）

這句話的中文裏提到了“小時候”，按照一般的思路往往會翻譯成：in one’s childhood或者when sb was young；但作者這裏使用了“as a boy”來表達，可謂和上文的“as a young man”有着異曲同工之妙！

3) 你有沒有讀過《青年藝術家的肖像》？

Have you ever read the book——A portrait of the artist as a young man?

4) 當我是高中生的時候，我最喜歡體育。

I was keen on sports as a senior high school student.

而這句話按照一般思路則是：I was keen on sports when I was a senior high school student.

5) 當他還是個9歲的男孩時，他因為一場悲劇性的事故而失去了雙腿。

He suffered loss of legs as a boy of nine in the wake of a tragic accident.

而這句話按照一般思路則是：He suffered loss of legs when he was a boy of nine in the wake of a tragic accident.

6) 當我還是單身的時候我總是坐飛機到處旅遊。

I used to travel a great deal by air as a bachelor.

而這句話按照一般思路則是：I used to travel a great deal by air when I was unmarried.