考研英語：歷年真題閱讀要點之1991-Text 2（一）

　　The period of adolescence, i.e., the period between childhood and adulthood, may be long or short, depending on social expectations and on society’s definition as to what constitutes maturity and adulthood.

　　adolescence“青春期”，形容詞形式adolescent“青春期的”，adolescent也可以表示“青少年”;i.e., the period between childhood and adulthood充當插入語，起到補充說明的作用，閱讀中，基本上可以直接略過;depending on...and on...“取決于...也取決于...”;expectation“期望，期待”;as to“關(guān)于”，in regard to，as regards和with respect to也可以表示“關(guān)于”，寫作中經(jīng)常會用到;constitute“構(gòu)成，組成”;maturity“成熟”，動詞形式mature，也可以充當形容詞。

　　In primitive societies adolescence is frequently a relatively short period of time, while in industrial societies with patterns of prolonged education coupled with laws against child labor, the period of adolescence is much longer and may include most of the second decade of one’s life.

　　primitive“原始的，遠古的”;frequently和relatively是以-ly結(jié)尾的，通常為副詞，不認識也無所謂。閱讀中，遇到副詞基本上也可以直接略過。prolonged“延長的，持續(xù)很久的”，動詞形式prolong;coupled with=and。

　　Furthermore, the length of the adolescent period and the definition of adulthood status may change in a given society as social and economic conditions change. Examples of this type of change are the disappearance of the frontier in the latter part of the nineteenth century in the United States, and more universally, the industrialization of an agricultural society.

　　Furthermore“此外，更進一步來說”，翻譯中考查過這個詞;status“狀態(tài)”;given“特定的”;as充當連詞，引導原因狀語從句，表示“由于”，當然也可以譯為“隨著”;as充當連詞，除了引導原因狀語從句以外，還可以引導時間狀語從句、讓步狀語從句、方式狀語從句和比較狀語從句;也可以充當介詞，表示“作為”，結(jié)構(gòu)as + n./ pron./ doing(動名詞)。Examples of this type of change就是the disappearance of the frontier和the industrialization of an agricultural society;frontier邊遠地區(qū)，邊疆;industrialization工業(yè)化，形容詞industrial“工業(yè)的”，有一個詞寫法與之相似industrious“勤勉的”。agricultural形容詞“農(nóng)業(yè)的”，“農(nóng)業(yè)化”就是agriculturalization。