长难句翻译

难句类型：复杂修饰

It is one of nature's great ironies that the availability of nitrogen in the soil frequently sets an upper limit on plant growth even though the plants' leaves　are bathed in a sea of nitrogen gas.

下述情形真可谓是自然界的一个莫大讽刺：土壤中所能获得的氮肥量往往对植物的生长构成了一个上限，虽然植物的叶子被沐浴在一片氮气的海洋中。

解释：It是形式主语，其真正的内容是that之后的由even though连接的两个句子。其实本句的真正难度倒不在于句子的结构，而是对于其意思的理解：尤其是文科同学，可能缺乏必要的背景知识，就更不容易读懂。句中的set an upper limit on plant growth直译为”给植物的生成设立一个上限”，其真正的意思是“限制了植物的生长”；因此the availability of nitrogen in the soil frequently sets an upper limit on plant growth之中的availability一定指的是氮的供给之少。整句话的意思是，土壤中的氮植物能够利用，却太少；而空气中虽有大量的氮，植物却不能利用，这岂不是自然界开的一个大玩笑。

长难句训练

训练：One such novel idea is that (idea) of inserting into the chromosomes of plants discrete genes that are not a part of the plants' natural constitution：specifically，the idea of inserting into nonleguminous plants the genes，if they can be identified and isolated，that fit the leguminous plants to be hosts for nitrogen-fixing bacteria. Hence，(there is) the intensified research on legumes.

答案见下期