研读近十年高考英语阅读理解题，不难发现，篇幅长，信息量大，知识覆盖面广，并且，掺杂了大量的长句、难句，有许多句子直接涉及到考题，学生尽管认识单词，但由于长、难句的语法结构复杂，学生不易抓准主句，从而导致似懂非懂，容易丢分。现将近年高考英语中出现的部分长、难句，分析其句子成分，进而翻译，理解，清除阅读理解中的障碍。
一、找准主句。其关键是看在主谓结构前有没有连词以及结构中是否有关系代词或关系副词。若有，即为从句；若无，即为主句。
例1（NMET 2000B）：
I put the dough in the rubbishbin outside， so I wouldn't have to face Doug laughing at me．
高考题：
Why did the woman put the dough in the rubbishbin ？
A．She didn't see the use of keeping it．
B．She meant to joke with her husband．
C．She didn't want her husband to see it．
D．She hoped it would soon dry in the sun．
解析：这是一个含有由连词so引导的目的状语从句的复合句。
句意：我把面团扔到外边的垃圾箱，因此不必面对丈夫Doug对我的杰作的嘲笑。
答案：C．
二、由并列句构成的长句、难句。含有两个或两个以上的中间有连词and，but，or等连接的相互独立的主谓结构，即并列句。
例2（NMET 1991D）：
He had put a few clothes and his lecture notes in his shoulder bag，but he had put Rupert，the skeleton（人体骨架）to be used in his lecture，in a large brown suitcase．
高考题：
Why did the teacher put a skeleton in his suitcase？
A．He needed it for the summer term in London．
B．He needed it for the lecture he was going to give．
C．He wanted to take it to Russia for medical research．
D．He wanted to take it home as he had finished his teaching．
解析：这是由并列连词but连接的两个并列分句。
句意：他把几件衣服和他的讲义放进背包里，把讲演中要用的人体骨架Rupert放进一个棕色的大箱子里。
答案：B．
三、由复合句构成的长句、难句。由一个主句加一个或几个从句所构成的句子，即为复合句。按从句在句子中的作用可分为名词性从句，形容词性从句（定语从句）和副词性从句（状语从句）三大类。
（I）名词性从句
例3（NMET 1995C）：
Another good thing about the use of noise-killing systems is that it saves the need for a silencer，which not only reduces the weight of a car，but also makes the motor burn less oil and work better．
高考题：
Besides its main function（功能）the noise-killing system can ____ ____ ．
A．make a car lighter
B．make a car quieter
C．reduce the cost of a silencer
D．improve the performance of a silencer
解析：这是一个含有that引导的表语从句的复合句。并且表语从句后接了which引导的两个非限制性定语从句。
句意：噪音消除系统应用的另一好处就是没有必要使用消声器，这不仅减轻了轿车的重量，而且使发动机耗油少，运转好。
答案：A．
例4（SHANGHAI 1997A）：
My parents wanted to know if I was sure， if I know what it meant and whether I realized that if I gave up my job training，it would be very difficult to get a good job．
高考题：
Which of the following is not true ？
A．His parents worried that he would have no future if he returned to school．
B．His parents worried that he would leave school again．
C．It was difficult for one who studied literature to get a job．
D．His parents didn't want him to continue his education．
解析：这是有主句开头的复合句。后接if．．．，if．．．and whether．．．引导的三个宾语从句。
句意：我的父母想知道，我是否肯定，我是否知道意味着什么，我是否认识到如果放弃了职业培训，就意味着很难再找到一份好的工作。
答案：B．
（Ⅱ）形容词性从句（定语从句）
例5（NMET 1991C）：
Victor Prozorov's disappointment was shared by several grand masters who were present，some of whom were so upset that they shouted at the computer—a better chess player．
高考题：
How did some of the grand masters feel about chess game between Prozorov and the computer？
A．They thought that the game was no fun．
B．They thought that the game was not fair．
C．They aGREed that Prozorov didn't play well．
D．They were unhappy that the computer had won．
解析：这是一个含有who引导的限制性定语从句和whom引导的非限制性定语从句的复合句。
句意：在场的几位大师和Victor Prozorov一样失望，他们中一些人甚至冲着电脑———这个更棒的棋手大喊大叫。
答案：D．
（Ⅲ）副词性从句（状语从句）
例6（SHANGHAI 1997A）：
Although I had left school against the advice of my teachers ，I had，without telling anyone，tried to continue my studies in literature（文学） at evening classes．
高考题：
Which of the following has most probably been discussed in the paragraphs above this passage ？
A．The writer's unhappy childhood．
B．The poor teaching quality of the writer's school．
C．The writer's leaving school against his teachers'advice．
D．Whether it was worth leaving school for job training．
解析：这是一个含有although在句首引导的让步状语从句的复合句。
句意：尽管我违背老师的建议离开了学校，但我尽力在夜校继续学习文学，而没有告诉任何人。
答案：C．
例7（NMET 1997D）：
Yet，in spite of these and other main differences ，Australia and the United States have more in common with each other than either one has with most of the rest of the world．
高考题：
The sentence in the last paragraph means ：
A．The U．S．and Australia do not have any main difference．
B．The U．S．and Australia have much more in common than they have with other countries．
C．The U．S．and Australia have nothing in common with the rest of the world．
D．In common with the rest of the world，the U．S．and Australia have a lot of difference．
解析：这是一个含有than引导的比较状语从句的复合句。
句意：尽管有这样和那样的不同点，澳大利亚和美国与世界上其它任何一个国家相比都具有更多的相同点。
答案：B．
四、由并列复合句构成的长句、难句。当并列句中的一个或一个以上的分句，包含有一个或一个以上的从句时，即为并列复合句。
例8（NMET 1994A）：
Normally it would be forbidden to let these poisonous snakes guard exhibition objects ，but it's different this time because the jewels are being exhibited at a hotel．
高考题：
Using snakes at exhibitions of valuable obects is ____ ．
A．quite normal B．never allowed
C．often necessary D．usually forbidden
解析：这是由并列连词but连接的并列复合句。but前为it作形式主语，真正主语为不定式短语。but后为含有because引导的原因状语从句的复合句。
句意：通常用毒蛇看护展览品是被禁止的，但这次不同，因为这些珠宝是在一个宾馆展出的。
答案：D．
高考长句难句巩固练习：
1．（NMET 2000E）
At the press of a button，a microcomputer locks all other floors' chute doors and sets the recycling container turning until the right box comes under the chute．
Before dropping rubbish into the chute you have to ____ ．
A．lock the other floors'chute doors
B．check if the container is full
C．press the correct button D．break up the rubbish
2．（NMET 2000D）
Perhaps they will spend their days gollocking to make new spundels，or struggling with their ballalators through the cribe．These words， which I have just made up ，have to stand for things and ideas that we simply can't think of．
Spundels and ballalators are used in the text to refer to ____
A．tools used in farming
B．ideas about modern life
C．unknown things in the future
D．hunting skills in the Stone Age
3．（SHANGHAI 1997B）
Jenner discovered that people who worked with cattle often suffered from a harmless disease which they caught from the cattle，but these people never seemed to get smallpox．
What led Dr．Jenner to experiment with vaccination was that ____
A．he wanted to make a GREat discovery and publish it
B．vaccination could make people's arms safe
C．he tried to cure the farmers of some disease caught from the cattle
D．those who worked with cattle seemed free from getting smallpox
4．（NMET 1997C）
A Swedish Kennel Club official explains what this means：if your dog runs out on the road and gets hit by a passing car，as the owner， you have to pay for any damage done to the car， even if your dog has been killed in the accident．
If your dog causes a car accident and gets killed，who should pay for the damage done to the car？
A．The owner of the car．B．The owner of the dog．
C．The insurance company．D．The government．
5．（NMET 1996B）
Catalogue（目录）cards usually give the following important information：（1）the name of the writer，（2）the shelf-mark（架号），that is，the Dewey number which helps people to find where the books are，（3）the title of the book ，（4）the year of publication and the publisher，and（5）the number of pages of the book．
Which of the following is the kind of catalogue card described in the text ？
A．428．65 Brooks，J．and Grundy，P．writing for study purposes Cambridge University Press（1954）78pp
B．783．25 The best book for writing practice Practical Writing（1965）213pp
C．315．08 Reading Skills Beijing University Press（1990）160pp
D．921．87 Smith，J Practical Reading．The People's Publishing House（1989）
6．（NMET 1995E）
Weekly film and concert schedules（时刻表），which are being arranged，will be posted each Wednesday outside of the student club．
Times for films and concerts are not listed in this announcement because ____ ．
A．they are not to be announced
B．they are hard to arrange
C．the full list is not ready
D．the full list is too long
7．（NMET 1994A）
Tokyo：Three snakes，whose poison could kill a person in ten minutes，are guarding a blue star sapphire（蓝宝石）worth nearly six hundred thousand dollars at a Japanese exhibition of jewels sent from an Indian museum．The jewels were being shown in ____ ．
A．an Indian hotel B．an Indian museum
C．a Japanese hotel D．a Japanese museum
