英文写作句型如何通过阅读外刊进行积累

在两者中间取得平衡

下面句子选自The Economist一篇关于劳动力市场的文章 When lockdowns end, governments will have to free labour markets

Governments thus face a difficult balancing act: withdraw support too readily, and many people will suffer; withdraw it too late, and the economy will ossify. To find the right path, the most lavish support should be maintained only in industries which the government is forcibly keeping closed.

文章背景是美国政府为失业工人发放了救济金，但一些人领取到的救济金比他们的原来的工资还高。救济金政策如何调整也因此成了一个问题：如果继续发放救济金，一些人可能会没有动力找新工作;突然取消救济金，一些人生活可能会陷入困境。节选句子含义是：政府因此要在两种做法之间取得一个艰难的平衡：过于迅速地取消对失业人群的财政支持，很多人将会遭受苦难;过晚取消财政支持，那么经济会僵化。为了找到正确的道路，只有那些政府强制关闭的行业才能继续享受到最多的财政支持。

balancing act是一个固定说法，意思是“平衡各方利益的行动”，比如：I found myself having to do a balancing act between work and family. 我发现自己必须努力在工作和家庭之间得到平衡。

withdraw support too readily, and many people will suffer…这里and表示的并不是并列关系，而是因果承接，意思相当于“因此”(used for showing that one thing causes another)，比如：The government lied to us in the past and now no one will believe them. 政府在过去向我们撒谎，因此现在没有人相信他们了。

在涉及到“取舍”话题时我们可以用上段落中的句式：XX faces a difficult balancing act…To find the right path… 举个例子，对于工作和家庭的平衡问题，我们可以说：

Many office workers are facing a difficult balancing act: spend too much time on work, and it will be hard for them to build strong family relationships; put in no overtime, and they may become less competitive in the job market. To find the right path, they should try to improve their work efficiency and time management skills.

XX是某事的证明

如何表达“XX是某事的证明”?我以前介绍过一个句型：the fact that…is proof that… 比如我们可以说：The fact that science never stops developing is proof that man never stops using his imagination.

这里学习一个新表达：

It is a testament to the machinery of science that so much has been learned about covid-19 so rapidly. Since January the number of publications has been doubling every 14 days, reaching 1,363 in the past week alone.

人们对新冠病毒的了解在短时间内就增加了这么多，这证明了科学机制的有效性。自1月以来，关于新冠病毒的出版物数量每14天就翻一番，仅在过去一周内就达到1363篇。

第一句中it是一个形式主语，真正的主语是that从句引导的内容，即：That so much has been learned about covid-19 so rapidly is a testament to the machinery of science.

这个句子也提供了一个值得借鉴的句式：It is a testament to…that… 其中testament的含义是“证明，验证”，be a testament to something也是一个固定搭配，例如：The success of the album, which is only available online, is a testament to the power of the Internet.

我们在写作中可以用上这一句式，比如可以说：

It is a testament to China's poverty alleviation efforts that more than 850 million Chinese people have been lifted out of extreme poverty in the past 30 years.

是……的可悲写照

我们有时候需要表达这样的含义“某某现象是……的可悲写照”，比如“大量的森林遭到破坏，这是我们无力保护环境的一个可悲写照”，这句话如何用英文表达呢?《卫报》文章提供了一个句式：

It is great news that so many people are prepared to stand up and defend the need for evidence-based thinking and the scientific method. But it is also a sad comment on our times that a March for Science is needed at all.

文章背景是很多科学家和支持科学的人在全球各地举行了“为科学游行”(March for Science)的巡游和集会活动，以此来号召大众相信和尊重科学，关注基于实证的政策规划在维护公众利益上起的作用。节选句子含义为：如此多的人准备挺身而出捍卫对基于实证的思想以及科学方法的需求，这是一个好消息。但是，我们需要“为科学游行”这一事情本身也是我们时代的一个可悲写照。

第二句中有一个值得关注的句式：XX is a sad comment on… 意思相当于 XX shows a bad aspect of something

我们可以使用该句式来说明某不好的现象是某问题的写照，比如开头的句子“大量的森林遭到破坏，这是我们无力保护环境的一个可悲写照”，我们可以说：

That large areas of forest have been destroyed is a sad comment on our inability to protect the environment.

又比如“很多人不敢公开谈论自己的心理问题，这是公众对心理疾病了解不足的一个可悲写照”，可以说：

The fact that so many people are afraid to speak up about their mental health struggles is a sad comment on the public’s understanding of mental illness.

从……摆脱出来

下面句子选自The Economist对于疫情与经济的文章：Life after lockdowns

Many businesses will emerge from lockdown short of money, with strained balance-sheets and facing weak demand. In a survey for Goldman Sachs, almost two-thirds of American small-business owners said that their cash would run out in under three months.

很多公司在度过隔离期后会缺乏资金，它们的资产负债表会变得紧张，同时面临疲软的需求。在为高盛做的一项调查中，将近三分之二的美国小企业主表示，他们的现金储备将在三个月内耗尽。

第一句中有一个值得学习的表达：XX emerges from… 其中emerge from意思是“(从困境中)走出来”(to come to the end of a difficult period or experience)。这一表达常见句式有两个：XX emerges from…adj. 比如要表达“这家公司度过了危机，并且毫发无损”，可以说：The company emerged from the crisis unscathed.

另一个句式是somebody emerges from something a XX person(某人从……的困境中走出来后变成了一个……的人)。举个例子，“她从离婚的阴影中走出来后变成了一个更加坚强的人”，可以说：She emerged from the divorce a stronger person.

总结：

本期一共介绍了以下几个表达：

(1) It is a testament to…that…

(2) XX faces a difficult balancing act…To find the right path…

(3) XX emerges from…

(4) XX is a sad comment on…