63　Although still running in a number of cities, the electric trolley has for the most part fallen into disuse.

精品译文　无轨电车尽管在很多城市还在运营，但是在大多数地方都已经不用它了。

64　After having annoyed everybody, he went home.

精品译文　他把所有的人都惹烦了之后就回家了。

65　If seen under a microscope, a fresh snowflake has a delicate six-pointed shape.

精品译文　假如从显微镜下观察，新降的雪花有纤小的六瓣。

了解了分词作状语的各种意义，那么在英语的阅读或翻译中，我们就可以根据上下文的具体语境来选择不同的意义。

思维总结

本节详细讨论了分词作状语的结构与意义。读者需要重点掌握分词作状语的各种结构，尤其是单独分词作状语，以及独立分词结构。同时，要全面了解分词作状语可能表达的各种含义，以便于在翻译和阅读中正确理解句子意思。

思维训练

Exercise 6.2

选择最佳答案填空。

1. Before singing the school song, 　　　.

A. a poem was recited

B. recited a poem

C. they recited a poem

D. they have recited a poem

2. Working like a telescope, 　　　 the size of objects at great distances.

A. which magnifies a telephoto lens

B. a telephoto lens magnifies

C. a telephoto lens which magnifies

D. and magnifying a telephoto lens

3. Jumping into the water, 　　　.

A. the drowning child was rescued

B. the drowned child was rescued

C. the lifeguard rescued the drowning child

D. the lifeguard rescued the drowned child

4. After jumping out of a boat, 　　　.

A. the shark bites the man

B. the shark bit the man

C. the man was bitten by a shark

D. the man is bitten by a shark

5. 　　　, the dog was fed.

A. After doing my homework

B. To have done my homework

C. After I did my homework

D. My homework was done

6. 　　　, we went swimming.

A. Being a hot day

B. Due to a hot day

C. It was a hot day

D. The day being hot

7. 　　　, all the quarrels came to an end.

A. The lost money was found

B. Finding the lost money

C. Because the lost money found

D. With the lost money found

8. 　　　 James Bland, "Carry Me Back to Old Virginny" was adopted as the state song of Virginia in 1940.

A. Was written by

B. Writing by

C. He wrote the

D. Written by

9. Playing the trumpet with dazzling originality, 　　　 dominated jazz for 20 years.

A. Louis Armstrong

B. the influence of Louis Armstrong

C. the music of Louis Armstrong

D. Louis Armstrong's talent

10. 　　　 in a recent science competition, the three students were awarded scholarships totaling $21, 000.

A. To be judged the best

B. Having judged the best

C. Judged the best

D. Judging the best

11. 　　　 to steel, chromium increases the metal's hardness.

A. Added

B. In addition

C. Adding

D. Adds

12. Bob was lying on the beach, his hands 　　　 under his head.

A. were crossing

B. were crossed

C. crossing

D. crossed

13. Many strange new means of transport have been developed in our century, the strangest of them 　　　 perhaps the hovercraft.

A. is

B. being

C. will be

D. has been

14. No one else 　　　 willing to go, he offered to take the message.

A. was

B. had been

C. were

D. being

15. 　　　, a man who expresses himself effectively is sure to succeed more rapidly than a man whose command of language is poor.

A. Other things being equal

B. Were other things equal

C. To be equal to other things

D. Other things to be equal

16. Maggie ran back to the kitchen, eggs 　　　 carefully in her hands.

A. to be held

B. held

C. were held

D. holding

17. Agriculture is the country's chief source of wealth, wheat 　　　 by far the biggest cereal crop.

A. is

B. being

C. has been

D. to be

18. All things 　　　, the planned trip will have to be called off.

A. considered

B. be considered

C. considering

D. having considered

19. He wasn't asked to take on the chairmanship of the society, 　　　 insufficiently popular with all members.

A. being considered

B. considering

C. to be considered

D. having considered

20. The article opens and closes with descriptions of two news reports, each 　　　 one major point in contrast with the other. (1996考研)

A. makes

B. made

C. is to make

D. making

21. After seeing the movie, 　　　.

A. the book was read by him

B. the book mad him want to read it

C. the reading of the book interested him

D. he wanted to read the book

22. Returning to my apartment, 　　　.

A. my watch was missing

B. I found my watch disappeared

C. I found my watch missing

D. The watch was missed

23. 　　　 in this way, the situation doesn't seem so disappointing. (CET-4 2000. 01)

A. To look at

B. Looking at

C. Looked at

D. To be looked at

24. 　　　 of the burden of ice, the balloon climbed up and drifted to the South.

A. To be free

B. Freeing

C. To free

D. Freed

25. So many directors 　　　, the board meeting had to be put off. (2000年12 CET-4)

A. were absent

B. being absent

C. been absent

D. had been absent

26. Some snakes lay eggs, others 　　　 birth to live offspring.

A. give

B. giving

C. they give

D. to have given

27. Silver is the best conductor of electricity, copper 　　　 it closely.

A. followed

B. to follow

C. following

D. being followed

28. All fights 　　　 because of the snowstorm, we decided to take the train.

A. were canceled

B. had been canceled

C. having canceled

D. having been canceled

29. Good news was sometimes released prematurely, with the British recapture of the port 　　　 half a day before the defenders actually surrendered.

A. to announce

B. announced

C. announcing

D. was announced

30. Just as the value of a telephone network increases with each new phone 　　　 to the system, so does the value of a computer system increase with each program that turns out.

A. adding

B. to have added

C. to add

D. added





6.3　分词的作用（二）：定语

分词作定语与名词的位置关系有两种：置于被修饰的名词之前，或置于被修饰的名词之后。具体来说，单个分词作定语，一般置于被修饰名词的前面；分词短语作定语，只能置于被修饰名词的后面。此外，前文说过，现在分词作定语，表示与所修饰的名词有主谓关系或者说主动关系，而过去分词作定语，表示与所修饰的名词有动宾关系或者说被动关系。

6.3.1　单个分词作定语要前置

在6.1节我们讨论两类分词意义的差别时，所列举的例子主要是分词作前置定语。比如：

1　"When the Titanic began to sink, panicked women and children were the first ones loaded into lifeboats. Mr. and Mrs. Straus were calm and comforting to the passengers, and helped many of them into the boats."

精品译文　“当‘泰坦尼克’号开始下沉的时候，惊恐的妇女和孩子们第一批上了救生艇。当时施特劳斯夫妇非常的镇定，并安慰乘客，帮助他们上救生艇。”

英国《独立报》报道，2007年夏天美国正面临着一场严重的旱灾，文章中说：

2　Scorched US suffers worst drought since Great Depression.

妙语点睛　这里的since不是修饰句子的谓语suffer（否则就该用现在完成时态has suffered），而是修饰worst drought，作后置定语。

精品译文　炙热的美国正在遭受自“大萧条”以来最为严重的干旱。

再比如，有时我们要邮购东西，对方也许会要求我们附上一个贴足邮票和写明地址的回邮信封：

3　Please enclose a stamped addressed envelope.

妙语点睛　这个句子有两个过去分词stamped和addressed来修饰名词envelope。

精品译文　请附上一个贴有邮票并写好回信地址的信封。

6.3.2　分词短语作定语要后置

我们首先来分析在6.1节最后出现的那个有超多分词的例句：

1　Police hunting the killer of a part-time police officer stabbed outside her home in northwest London are seeking a man wearing a hooded top seen running away from the scene.

妙语点睛　这里作定语的四个分词短语分别是hunting the killer of a part-time police officer, stabbed outside her home in northwest London, wearing a hooded top和seen running away from the scene。因为是短语作定语，所以都采用了后置结构。具体分析如下：



被修饰的名词 分词短语 分词短语的构成

police hunting the killer of a part-time police officer 分词hunting接宾语构成分词短语

police officer stabbed outside her home in northwest London 分词stabbed接地点状语构成分词短语

man wearing a hooded top 分词wearing接宾语构成分词短语

man seen running away from the scene 分词seen接补足语构成分词短语


精品译文　伦敦一名兼职警官在其位于伦敦西北的家附近被一名男子刺死，警方目前正在搜捕这名男子。据称，该名男子作案时穿着带有兜帽的上衣，作案后有人看见他逃离了现场。

下面我们来看考研中是如何测试分词作定语的。请看真题例句：

2　There was a very interesting remark in a book by an Englishman that I read recently 　　　 what he thought was a reason for this American characteristic.

A. giving

B. gave

C. to give

D. given

正确答案　A。

妙语点睛　这是1996年的考研真题。本题考查分词的用法，要求考生能够区分现在分词和过去分词不同的意义。要想正确选出答案，我们必须弄清楚这里的分词是作什么成分以及修饰哪个名词，然后判断分词与该名词是主动还是被动关系。根据上下文的逻辑语义关系，我们判断出这里的分词修饰名词remark，作后置定语。remark后面带有两个定语，一个是in a book by an Englishman that I read recently，即“在我最近读过的一本英国人写的书里有这么一句有趣的话”；另一个定语是分词短语 　　　 what he thought was a reason for this American characteristic作后置定语。这里的问题是我们该用现在分词还是过去分词，这个问题就要看remark和分词之间的关系，显然二者是主动关系，故要用现在分词giving，即a remark...giving...表示“这句话给出”，所以正确答案为A。附带说明一下，很多考生看到remark和give，就想当然地认为二者是被动关系，从而误选过去分词given，因为他们一般误认为被修饰的名词是“人”，就是主动关系，若是“物”，就是被动关系，其实这是一个误解。

这里关键是要看到giving的逻辑主语是remark，换句话说，分词短语giving what he thought was a reason for this American characteristic是修饰remark的，但它被remark的第一个定语in a book by an Englishman that I read recently隔开。

对于这个句子更详细的分析，请参见第二章2.17.1小节。

精品译文　我最近看过一本书，它是由一个英国人写的，我还记得书里有一句十分有趣的话，作者认为这句话说明了美国人为什么是这种性格。

3　Additional social stresses may also occur because of the population explosion or problems arising from mass migration movements--themselves made relatively easy nowadays by modern means of transport.

妙语点睛　这是2000年的考研翻译真题。这里的现在分词arising修饰problems，作后置定语，与problems构成主动关系。problems arising from mass migration movements表示“大量人口流动造成的问题”。过去分词made修饰themselves，作后置定语，与themselves构成被动关系。这里的themselves指代mass migration movements。

精品译文　由于人口的猛增或大量流动（现代的交通工具使这种流动变得相对容易）造成的种种问题也会对社会造成新的压力。

4　How many of us 　　　, say, a meeting that is irrelevant to us would be interested in the discussion?

A. attended

B. attending

C. to attend

D. have attended

正确答案　B。

妙语点睛　这是1995年的考研真题。本题考查分词作定语的用法。我们知道这个句子的主句的谓语是would be，所以have attended这个完整的谓语动词不正确。这里显然要填分词作定语，修饰how many of us，再者how many of us与动词attend是主谓关系，所以要用现在分词attending，故B正确。另外，这个句子有个难点在say上，这个say并非谓语，而是在口语中常见的一个口头词，相当于“比如说”，在这里算作插入语。

精品译文　如果让我们参加一个，比如说，与我们毫不相干的会议，那么我们当中有多少人会对会议上的讨论感兴趣呢？

5　It's easy to blame the decline of conversation on the pace of modern life and on the vague changes 　　　 place in our ever-changing world.

A. taking

B. to take

C. take

D. taken

正确答案　A。

妙语点睛　这是1999年的考研真题。本题考查分词作定语的用法。我们知道这里的分词要修饰名词changes，而changes与动词短语take place构成主动关系，所以用现在分词taking，故A正确。

精品译文　我们很容易把人们之间交流的减少归咎于快节奏的现代生活和快速变化的外部世界。

6　After all, what is the one modern form of expression almost completely dedicated to depicting happiness?

妙语点睛　这里的过去分词dedicated作定语，修饰名词expression，二者构成被动关系。

精品译文　几乎完全致力于描述快乐的当代表现形式究竟是什么？

7　The emphasis on data gathered first-hand, combined with a cross-cultural perspective brought to the analysis of cultures past and present, makes this study a unique and distinctly important social science.

妙语点睛　这是2003年的考研翻译真题。这里有三个过去分词：gathered, combined和brought，它们的修饰关系是：

首先，gathered修饰data，作定语，译成“收集第一手资料”。

其次，combined with是将emphasis和perspective这两个关键词联系起来，构成一个并列关系，相当于说A, combined with B，其他类似的结构还有A, together with B或A, coupled with B，意思是将A与B结合起来，即“强调第一手资料，然后加上跨文化视角”。很多考生对这里的combined with起着连接两个并列成分的作用看不出来，造成句子的误译。这里的三个过去分词gathered, combined和brought并非并列关系。

再次，brought修饰perspective，作定语，相当于主动语态的bring a cross-cultural perspective to the analysis of cultures past and present，这里的past and present是作后置定语修饰cultures。

综上分析，这个句子的核心结构是：

The emphasis, combined with a perspective, makes this study a social science.

值得注意的是，虽然这里的combined with连接两个并列成分emphasis和perspective，但谓语动词的单复数变化要依据前一个名词即emphasis。这里的emphasis是单数，所以后面的谓语用了单数的makes，而不是make。

精品译文　强调收集第一手资料，加上在分析过去和现在文化形态时采用跨文化视角，使得这一研究成为一门独特并且非常重要的社会科学。

6.3.3　后置定语的三种被动结构

现在我们来总结一下，在英语中，作后置定语的三种被动结构。具体如下：



to be done：表示将来的动作，这里是用不定式的被动态。

being done：表示进行的动作。

done：表示一般过去或完成的动作。



请看下面用to be done作定语表示将来动作的例句：

1　For any adhesive to make a really strong bond, the surfaces to be glued must be absolutely clean and free from moisture or grease.

精品译文　对于任何黏合剂，要想粘得牢固的话，则被粘的表面必须绝对清洁且不能潮湿和有油渍。

2　More than 300 local college students attended the torch-relay to show their support for the 21st Universiade, to be held in Beijing between August 22 and September 1. (China Daily, August 7, 2007)

精品译文　三百多名当地的大学生参加了火炬接力活动，以表达它们对即将于8月22日至9月1日在北京举行的第21届世界大学生运动会的支持。

3　Are you going to attend the meeting to be held next month?

精品译文　你会参加将于下个月召开的会议吗？

请看下面用being done作定语表示进行动作的例句：

4　The question being discussed is very important.

精品译文　正在讨论的那个问题十分重要。

5　The house being built will be our library upon its completion.

精品译文　正在建设的那座房子完工后将成为我们的图书馆。

6　Whale meat is no longer a dietary staple, and whale oil hasn't fueled any lamps in well over a century. There is no byproduct taken from a whale that can't be made or obtained by other means. In other words, any whale being killed in the open ocean today is being killed for absolutely no good reason at all. Whaling is an obsolete industry, serving no one, which only makes the cruelty of the killing that much more repulsive.

精品译文　鲸肉已不再是基本食品，人们不用鲸油点灯已不止100年了。从鲸身上得到的副产品没有哪种不能以其他方式制造或取得。换句话说，今天在外海捕杀的鲸都是在根本没有过硬理由的情况下被捕杀的。捕鲸业已经过时，对谁都没有好处，只让捕鲸的残酷性更让人厌恶。

7　Global warming is the hot topic around the world at this time but, there is also dissention about the evidence being presented to support the argument. The earth is known to go through cycles although, the past has never produced an age of so much industrialization causing the pollution currently being experienced. A major source of the problem is the increase in carbon dioxide levels but, other gases, such as, sulphur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide, have also contributed.

妙语点睛　这里共有两个分词短语：being presented...和being experienced，分别修饰evidence和pollution。具体来说，the evidence being presented表示“这些被人们提出来证明这一论断的证据”，the pollution currently being experienced表示“目前人们正遭受的空气污染”。（关于这个句子更多的解释，请参见7.2.3小节。）

精品译文　目前，全球变暖成了一个世界性的热门话题。但是人们对于有关全球变暖的各项证据还有争议。现已知道，地球的发展是经历周期变化的。但在以前的周期变化中，地球上还从未经历过现如今这样的时代，即高度发达的工业化造成了人们目前正在遭受的空气污染。全球变暖主要的原因是二氧化碳气体的增多，另外，二氧化硫和二氧化氮等气体也难辞其咎。

需要注意的是，我们上面提到done作后置定语，此时的done往往与它后面的成分构成一个短语，所以要后置。比如：

8　Did you attend the meeting held last month in Shanghai?

妙语点睛　这里的held与其后的时间状语last month合在一起构成分词短语held last month，来共同修饰名词meeting，故要后置。