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问题: 新概念第4册第二课有两个问题想请教?

...;they would devour all our crops and kill our flocks and herds,if ti were not for the protection we get from insect-eating animals.
中的“for”做何解释?
Spiders are not insects, as many people think,nor ...
书中的解释是“许多人认为蜘蛛是昆虫...”这又做何解释,请教诸位了?

解答:

1.“for”做何解释?

答:这里的for 不用单独解释,因为它是用在固定表达法If it weren't for ... 或If it hadn't been for ... 中的。这两种句式都表示“要不是……;多亏了……”(= if a particular thing had not happened, if someone had not done something, or if a situation was different)

2.Spiders are not insects, as many people think,nor ...
书中的解释是“许多人认为蜘蛛是昆虫...”这又做何解释?

答:课本中的译文是根据汉语表达习惯的“意译”,这句话的“直译”应当是“蜘蛛不是昆虫,然而/尽管很多人却认为(蜘蛛是昆虫)”。关键是这里的as,它的意思是“尽管;虽然”(=though),而不是“像……一样”(used as comparison)。

呵呵,这篇课文我刚刚背过,印象还很深的。

参考文献:Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English/page 755/for