1. This is a difficult and unpleasant business and few animals would survive if they had to start from the beginning and learn about the world wholly by trial and error, for there are the have possible decisions which would prove fatal. (1992. 閱讀. 6. Text 2)
【譯文】這是個困難而又糟糕的事，因為如果動物出生後不得不從頭學習生存本領，並且僅僅依靠嘗試錯誤體驗世界，那麼只有極少數動物能夠存活，因為它們做出的決定有可能是致命的。
【析句】複合句。主句由and連線兩個並列句子組成，This is a difficult and unpleasant business and few animals would survive, and前的句子是簡單句，and後的句子後又跟有if引導的條件狀語從句和for引導的原因狀語從句for there are decisions,decisions又有which引導的定語從句修飾。
2. Vigorous criticism is constructive in science more than in some other areas of human endeavor because in it there are adequate standards of validity which can be agreed upon by competent scientists the world over.(1992. 閱讀. 6. Text 3)
【譯文】激烈的批評在科學界比在其他人類智慧領域更能起到建設性的作用，這是因為在科學世界裡有足夠多的有效標準，這些標準被全世界的優秀科學家們共同認可。
【析句】複合句。主句Vigorous criticism is constructive in science more than in some other areas of human endeavor,句中主要包含了比較級，具體是介詞短語的比較級。主句後是原因狀語從句because there are adequate standards of validity,定語從句which can be agreed upon by...修飾standards of validity。
3. He’s a historian of science at Massachusetts Institute of Technology who has discovered something else these two men-and, indeed, most of the major pioneers in science over the last 400 years-have in common: they were, like Sulloway himself, preceded in birth by at least one other brother or sister. (1992. 閱讀. 6. Text 4)
【譯文】他是麻省理工學院的.一名科學歷史學家，他發現了這兩位科學家——實際上也是過去400年裡多數科學界領軍人物的共同點：那些人和Sulloway自己一樣都至少由一個哥哥或姐姐。
【析句】複合句。主句He's a historian of science at MIT，後面是定語從句who has discovered something else,these two men-...-have in common是省略了關係代詞that的定語從句修飾something else,破折號內的內容and most of the major pioneers...作插入語。最後，引號後的句子是something else的具體內容。
