复杂的定语从句的拆分和理解 例38

例38　Towns like Bournemouth and Eastboune sprang up to house large "comfortable" classes who had retired on their incomes, and who had no relation to the rest of the community except that of drawing dividends and occasionally attending a shareholders' meeting to dictate their orders to the management.

【结构分析】主语中心语是Towns like Bournemouth and Eastboune，谓语动词是sprang up to house，宾语中心语是large "comfortable" classes, who had retired on their incomes和who had no relation to the rest of the community...两个并列的定语从句修饰前面的"comfortable" classes, except that...是个介词短语修饰前面的定语从句，that指代的是前面的relation, drawing dividends和attending a shareholders' meeting...是两个分词短语修饰前面的that。

【亮点回放】此句话的亮点在于两个并列的定语从句who修饰前面的“comfortable classes”，后面套上介词短语except that...，后面又通过of套上两个分词定语drawing和attending，这是典型的多个定语连环修饰结构，定语从句套介词短语，介词短语套分词短语，难度很大。

【核心词汇】

sprang up　拔地而起

house为……　提供住房

large "comfortable" classes　大批隐退的享乐阶层人士

retire on their incomes　靠自己的收入

draw dividends　分取红利

dictate their orders　发号施令

【参考译文】像Bournemouth和Eastboune这样的城市兴起了，大批隐退的享乐阶层人士靠自己的收入，在这里过着悠闲的生活。他们与群体之外的人没有联系，只是分取红利，偶尔参加股东会议，对管理人员发号施令。