（二）句型结构

1. Somewhere or other I think it is in the preface of Saint Joan-Benard Shaw remarks that we are more gullible and superstitious today than we were in the Middle Ages, and as an example of modern credulity he cites the widespread belief that the earth is round.

记得在什么地方-我想大概是在《圣女贞德》的前言中萧伯纳写道，我们现今的人比中世纪的人更易容骗和更相信迷信。他举出了一个现代人轻信的例子是，人们普骗都相信，地球是圆的。
该句为一并列句，由"and"连接。破折号之间为插入部分。"that we are…Ages"为宾语从句，作remarks的宾语，其中We were后省略了gullible and superstitious.
that the earth is round 为名词belief的同位语从句。
the preface to sth.: ……的序言。介词to表示所属关系。
the Middle Ages:中世纪

2. He merely swallows this because there is something about it that appeals to the twentieth-century mentality.

他全盘接受这一观点，仅仅是因为这种观点有某种东西迎合了20世纪的心理。
He即average man（平常人）。Because there is… mentality为原因状语从句，其中that appeals… mentality为定语从句，修饰something.
appeal to: please attract or interest迎合，吸引，投人所好
例：Bright colours appeal to children鲜艳的色彩能吸引小孩。
Do these paintings appeal to you?你对这些画感兴趣吗？

3. Now, Shaw is exaggerating, but there is something in what he says, and the question is worth following up, for the sake of the light it throws on modern knowledge.

诚然，萧伯纳是夸张了，但他说的话也有些道理，并且这一问题也值得探究，因为他阐明了有关现代知识的问题。
now在此并不表示时间，而是惊叹用法，或是为了引起对方注意，或是表示说话的语气。用于这种意义时，now常放在句首或句尾。What he says为宾语从句，作介词in的宾语。it throws on…knowledge为定语从句，修饰名词light,连接代词"that"省略。
follow up:继续从事、探究
be worth doing sth.值得做某事
例：This book is well worth reading.这本书很值得一读。

4. I am not speaking of the few thousand astronomers, geographers and so forth who could give ocular proof, or have a theoretical knowledge of the proof, but of the ordinary newspaper-reading citizen, such as you or me.

当然我这里不指那些为数不多的几千位天文学家和地理学家等之类的人，他们能提出直观的证据，或从理论上加以证明，而是指你和我这样的普通的报纸读者。
"who could…proof"为定语从句，修饰astronomers, geographers and so forth。该定语从句包含两个并列的结构：give…or have…such as是插入语，表示列举，对句子本身结构无影响。but与of之间省略了speaking。
speak of:提及,谈论
例：We ask him to speak of his experience in World War II.我们请他谈谈他在二战中的经历。
not…but…不是……而是……
例：He is not a lawyer but a doctor.他不是律师而是医生。

5. But it does not follow that the earth is spherical.

但不能因此断定地球是圆的。
it在句中作形式主语，that the earth is spherical为真正主语。follow在这里用作不及物动词，表示作为必然结果或效应。
例：Because he is good, it does not follow that he is wise.他人好，并不见得就聪明。

6. I only know that they are round, and they may perfectly well be flat discs.

我只知道这些星体是圆的，但他们完全是扁平的圆盘状。
该句为并列复合句，由连词and连接。that they are round为宾语从句，作know的宾语。perfectly，副词，完全地，彻底地，修饰well may well be合理地，可能地
例：He may well be tired after a day's work工作了一天，他很可能是累了。

7. Besides, he goes on, what reason have I for thinking that the earth must be the same shape as the sun and moon?

此外他还会接着问，我有什么理由认为地球与太阳和月亮的形状一定相同？
he goes on为插入语，"他接着说"。that the earth…and moon为宾语从句，作动词think的宾语。该宾语从句中包含一个the same…as…结构
例：He has the same hobby as his father.他和他父亲有同样的嗜好。

8. Defeated in minor exchanges, I now play my queen of trumps: the opinion of the experts. The Astronomer Royal, who ought to know, tells me that the earth is round.

小小的交锋受挫之后，我打出王牌"Q"，专家们是这么说的。英国皇家天文台台长总该知道吧，他说地球是圆的。
Defeated in the minor exchanges为过去分词短语作状语，表示原因，相当于since I was defeated in minor exchanges. exchanges=exchanges of cards. Who ought to know为非限定性定语从句，修饰the Astronomer Royal:英国皇家格林威治天文台台长。that the earth is round为宾语从句，作tell的宾语。

9. If the Oval Earth man answers-what I believe is true-that the ancient Egyptians, who thought the sun goes round the earth, could also predict eclipses, then bang goes my ace.

如果"地球卵形说"者回答说（我相信是正确的），认为太阳绕地球转的古埃及人也能预测月食，那我的"爱司"牌就给压住了。What I believe is true是插入语，表明作者的看法。其中what是连接代词，引导主语从句，又作believe的宾语。if the oval…eclipses为条件状语从句，其中that the ancient…eclipses为宾语从句，作answer的宾语。在这一宾语从句中，who thought……earth为定语从句，修饰Egyptians。Then bang goes my ace为倒装句。my ace为主语，bang是副词，本为拟声词，意为"砰然，砰的一声"。

10. I believe that finishes the Oval Earth man, though even then he may possibly have some kind of counter.

我相信这次"地球圆形说"者输了，尽管他也许还会有某种反应。
"though even then…counter"为让步状语从句。That finishes the Oval Earth man为宾语从句，作believe的宾语。
finish: overcome completely彻底征服
例：That fever nearly finished him off.那次发烧几乎使他丧命。
counter n.反对，还击
例：His swift counter injured me badly.他的迅速还击使我受伤很重。

11. And how can it be otherwise, when the range of knowledge is so vast that the expert himself is an ignoramus as soon as he strays away from his own specialty?

不这样，又有什么办法呢？当今世界的知识是如此的广博，一旦超出专家们的专业范围，他们也会变得一无所知。
otherwise=in a different way即相反的情况，依靠推理实验而不是权威。
when the range…specialty为时间状语从句，其中包含一个so…that…结果状语从句结构。在这一结果状语从句中，又包含as soon as…speciality这一时间状语从句。
so+adj. /adv. that…：如此，以至于
例：He is so tired that he falls asleep at once.他如此地累，以至于立刻睡着了。
as soon as: 一……就……
例：I'll phone you as soon as I arrive there.我一到那儿就给你打电话。

12. Most people, if asked to prove that the earth is round, would not even bother to produce the rather weak arguments I have outlined above.

假如要求人们证明地球为什么是圆的，大多数人甚至不愿动脑筋说出以上概括出的说服力不强论据。
"if asked to…round"为if+动词的过去分词结构，相当于if there were asked to prove that the earth is round。其中that the earth is round为宾语从句，作prove bother to do sth.麻烦做某事
例：Don't bother to get dinner for me today.今天别麻烦为准备晚饭了。