2011GRE考试阅读辅导：长难句实例分析88

会计考友

Anthropologists and others are on much firmer ground when they attempt to describe the cultural norms for a small homogeneous tribe or village than when they undertake the formidable task of discovering the norms that exist in a complex modern nation state composed of many disparate groups.(4)
　　当人类学家和其他人试图去描述一个小规模的同一性质(homogeneous)部落或村落的文化标准时，他们处在一种要坚实得多的基础上。相对而言，当他们着手从事这样一个艰巨的任务，即去揭示存在于一个复杂的、由许多彼此间毫无联系的群体所构成的现代单一民族的独立国家(nation-state)时，他们就具备一个同样坚实的基础。
: A& ~2 @3 |+ @& ]/ q　　难句类型：复杂修饰
　　解释：句子的结构拉得很长，主要原因是用来比较的两个when引导的状语从句都太长，句子的主干是Anthroplogists are on much firmer ground/when…/than/when…/。结果more than的结构被长长的状语从句分隔得很远。
　　另外，第二个when 引导的从句中的宾语也很复杂，解释一个单词：nation-state指单一民族的国家。此单词的词义不必背下来。
' ?9 Z; _% y# W' ~/ V　　解释：Anthropologists and others are on much firmer ground when they attempt to describe the cultural norms for a small homogeneous tribe or village than when they undertake the formidable task of discovering the norms that exist in a complex modern nation state composed of many disparate groups.
　　gre阅读长难句的并不是一天两天就能解决的，需要考生的坚持和日常的积累。