一共四个句子:
(1)American doctors say that mothers who smoke before their babies are born may slow the growth of their babies’lungs.(2) They say thatreduced lung growth could cause the babies to suffer breathing problems and lung disease later in life.(3) Doctors found that the lungs of the children whose mothers smoked were 8% less developed than the lungs of the children whose mothers did not smoke,and that the children whose mothers smoked developed 20% more cold and breathing diseases than other children later in life.(4) Another recent study found that children had a greater chance of developing lung cancer if their mothers smoked.
这段文字总共有四句话,而且都比较长.现在,我们根据句子中的“信号词”,把每个句子分割成几个相对独立的部分,分别来体会.
句(1)的主体结构是：主语(American doctors) +谓语(say)+宾语从句(that mothers may slow the growth of their babies’lungs),中间插入了一个定语从句(who smoke)和定语从句中的状语从句(before their babies are born).
这句话的意思是：美国的医生说,在婴儿出生前吸烟的母亲们可能会减缓她们孩子肺部的发育.
句(2)的主体结构是：主语(They)+谓语(say)+宾语从句(that reduced lung growth could cause the babies to suffer breathing problems and lung disease later in life).
这句话的意思是：他们说,肺发育减缓可能会使婴儿在今后的生活中有呼吸问题和患有肺部疾病(and 连接并列成分breathing problems 和lung disease).
句(3)的主体结构是：主语(Doctors)+谓语(found)+第一个宾语从句(that the lungs of the children were 8% less developed than the lungs of the children)+and 连接的第二个宾语从句(that the children developed 20% more cold and breathing diseases than other children),中间有三个whose 引起的定语从句(whose mothers smoked,whose mothers did not smoke,whose mothers smoked),分别修饰它们前面的children.
这句话的意思是:医生们发现,那些吸烟母亲的孩子们的肺要比不吸烟母亲的孩子们的肺发育减缓8%,还有,那些吸烟母亲们的孩子较其他孩子在今后的生活中患感冒和呼吸疾病的几率高20%(第二个and连接并列成分cold和breathing diseases).
句(4)的主体结构是：主语(Another recent study) +谓语(found)+宾语从句(that children had a greater chance of developing lung cancer)+宾语从句中的状语从句(if their mothers smoked).
这个句子的意思是:另一项最近的研究发现,如果母亲吸烟的话,她们的孩子患癌症的机会(比其他孩子)要大.
