15. Although some experiments show that，as an object becomes familiar，its internal representation becomes more holistic and the recognition process correspondingly more parallel，the weight of evidence seems to support the serial hypothesis，at least for objects that are not notably simple and familiar. (4+)

　　虽然某些实验表明，随着一个物体变得熟悉起来，其内心再现图像亦更具整体感，辨认过程相应地更趋于平行，但证据的砝码似乎在支持序列假设(serial hypothesis)，至少是对于那些不甚简单、不甚熟悉的物体来说。

　　难句类型：复杂修饰、插入语、省略

　　解释：在Although引导的分句中，谓语shows后面跟着一个长长的宾语从句，从句中先出现一个插入语as an object becomes familiar,之后的内容是由and 连接的两套并列的主谓宾。其实and前后就是两个句子，只不过作者省略了后面的句子中与前面相同的引导词that和谓语 become。句子中有一个生词 holistic，其实即使不认识，也能用合理化原则猜出它是后面 serial 的反义词、parallel 的同义词，大约是统一、完整或同时的意思;其实只要能理解到其是与serial相反的意思即可。

　　意群训练：Although some experiments show that，as an object becomes familiar，its internal representation becomes more holistic and the recognition process correspondingly more parallel，the weight of evidence seems to support the serial hypothesis，at least for objects that are not notably simple and familiar.

　　16. In large part as a consequence of the feminist movement，historians have focused a great deal of attention in recent years on determining more accurately the status of women in various periods. (3+)

　　在很大程度上，由于女权主义运动(feminist movement)的缘故，史学家近年来汇聚了大量的注意力，来更为准确地确定妇女在各个历史时期的地位。 Focus A on B;

　　难句类型：倒装

　　解释：focus A on B指把 A集中于B，本句中介词on的宾语determining/more accurately the status of women invarious periods中有一个小倒装，正常语序应该是determining the status of women in various periods more accurately。

　　意群训练：In large part as a consequence of the feminist movement, historians have focused a great deal of attention in

　　recent years on determining more accurately the status of women in various periods.

　　17. If one begins by examining why ancients refer to Amazons , it becomes clear that ancient descriptions of such societies were meant not so much to represent observed historical fact –real

　　Amazonian societies – but rather to offer “moral lessons” on the supposed outcome of women’s rule in their own society . (4)

　　如果我们先研究一下为什么古人会提到亚马逊人，下面的一点就变得清晰了，那就是古希腊对于这种社会的庙睡不是太多的被用来表达观察的历史事实——真正的亚麻逊社会的——而是为了对于妇女在其社会中的统治的预期后果提供一种“道德教导”。

　　难句类型：复杂修饰、插入语、抽象词

　　解释：有两个词汇需要先解释一下：something be meant to represent 是use something to mean 的被动语态。mean在这里不是常用的"……的意思是"的意思，而是表示做某事所表达的目的、意图，其英文释义为：to serve or intend to convey,

　　show, or indicate。句中的结构为： something be meant not so much to,,, but rather to, 实际是把be meant to和not rather 的两个固定搭配套在一起，意思是：不是为了...而是为了...另外，suppose的意思很抽象，不容易理解。此词既有据信、被认为的意思，也有预期的意思，还有表示贬义的假想的被想当然的意思。本句的supposed用法极其特殊，在此处的意思，用以上任何一个释义来理解居然都可以成立，既是在说一个预期的社会状态，又是在说一个虚构出来的、本来不存在的社会状态，其用法类似于中文中的一语双关，是文章作者自以为文笔精妙之处。意群训练：If one begins by examining why ancients refer to Amazons, it becomes clear that ancient Greek descriptions ofsuch societies were meant not so much to represent observed historical fact- real Amazonian societies- but rather to offer"moral lessons" on the supposed outcome of women's rule in their own society.

　　18. Thus， for instance， it may come as a shock to mathematicians to learn that the Schrodinger equation for the hydrogen atom is not a literally correct description of this atom，but only an approximation to a somewhat more correct equation taking account of spin，magnetic dipole，and relativistic effects;and that this corrected equation is itself only an imperfect approximation to an infinite set of quantum field-theoretical equations. (5)

　　因此，举例来说，对数学家而言，了解到下述情形可能会令其惊愕不已，即薛定谔(Schrodinger)的氢原子方程式并非是对该原子作出的一种绝然正确的描述，而仅仅是个近似值，趋近于一个在某种程度上更为正确的将自旋、磁性偶极子、以及相对论效应考虑在内的方程式;而这个得以纠正的方程式就其本身而言也只是一个不完美的近似值，趋近于无穷无尽的一整套量子场论方程式。

　　难句类型：复杂修饰、插入语、省略

　　解释：读到此句时，数学家不见得震惊，晕倒的考生恐怕不在少数。不但句子结构复杂，而且罗列了大量的专有名词。对于不是理科的同学来讲，在阅读这篇文章的现场清楚地明白应该读到什么程度远比研究这些生僻的专有名词更重要。其实是否知道薛定鄂方程对读者来说并不见得重要，GRE 考试的出题者也不见得知道它;关键是要读懂句子的主要意思;数学家不能理解不精确和近似值的伟大意义。不过在本书中，出现的句子均以阅读训练为目的，所以读者仍要把句子的结构读清楚。主句中的主语it是一个开工主语，其具体的内容应该是从to learn开始一直到句子结束的长达八行的不定式，但是此不定式实在太长，如果放在句首则句子无法平衡。Learn 后面带着两个以 that 引导的宾语从句，中间以分号和 and 分开，可以把分号以后的句子看成是and it may come as a shock to mathematicians to learn that的省略形式。

　　意群训练：Thus, for instance, it may come as a shock to mathematiians to learn that the Schrodinger equation for the hydrogen atom is not a literally correct description of this atom, but only an approximation to a somewhat more correct equation taking account of spin, magnetic dipole, and relativistic effects; and that this corrected equation is itself only an imperfect approximation to an infinite set of quantum field-theoretical equations.

　　19. The physicist rightly dreads precise argument，since an argument that is convincing only if it is precise loses all its force if the assumptions on which it is based are slightly changed，whereas an argument that is convincing though imprecise may well be stable under small perturbations of its underlying assumptions. (5+)

　　物理学家恐惧于那些精确无误的论据不无道理，因为某种只有在它是精确无误的条件下才令人置信的论据，一旦它赖于建立其上的假设稍有变化，便会失去它一部的作用;而与此相反，一个尽管并不精确无误但却令人置信的论据， 本假设(underlying assumption)稍微受干扰的情况下，仍然有可能是站得住脚的。

　　难句类型：复杂修饰

　　解释：本句在文章中就是一个自然段，虽然长度比不上前面第一章中所举的那个长达10行的例子，但是难度绝不在那句话之下。本句堪称句子的大杂烩，连主句带从句居然一共有八个。从大往小说，由 whereas 连接了两个大句子，whereas 后面的句子中的主语an augument之后又跟了一个定语从句that is convincing though imprecise， 修饰augument。whereas

　　前面共有六个句子，由the physicist作主语的主句;由since引导的原因状语从句，修饰since从句中主语an augument的由that引导的定语从句，此定语从句中的条件状语从句only if it is precise; since从句中的条件状语从句if the assumptions on which it is based are slightly changed,以及修饰此从句中的主语assumptions的定语从句on which it is based一共八个句子，从句套从句，实在令人叹为观止。然而，在考试现场去数句子的数目，是只有呆子才会干的事，读者们惟一要干的事就是反复阅读这句话，什么时候练到不必去想其语法结构就能按原文顺序读懂，才算初步掌握;再进一步把它读顺，直到你看不出这个句子有什么特别的地方，看上

　　去还挺舒服就算训练成功。

　　意群训练：The physicist rightly dreads precise argument, since an argument that is convincing only if it is precise loses all its force if the assumptions on which it is based are slightly changed, whereas an argument that is convincing though imprecise may well be stable under small perturbations of its underlying assumptions.