《大学英语·精读》第二册(上海外语教育出版社出版)第十单元 Profits of Praise中有这样一句话: While most of us are only too ready to apply to others the cold wind of criticism, we are somehow reluctant to give our fellows the warm sunshine of praise.
有许多学生翻译不通这句话或不理解这句话的汉语意思。其实,这是句型too...to的一种特殊结构,即当too前有only, all,but等副词时,该句型具有肯定含义。因此,这句话应该这样理解:然而我们大多数人动不动就对别人刮起批评的寒风,不知为什么却不愿意把表扬的温暖阳光给予我们的同伴。
笔者将句型too...to的其他特殊结构总结了一下,请注意以下十个句子的翻译。
1.You can not be too careful.(You cannot be careful enough.)你必须十分小心谨慎。(你不论怎样小心也不为过。)
2.He is too clever by half.他聪明过头了。
3.It is never too late to mend.亡羊补牢,犹未为晚。
4.That appraisalseemed all too accurate.看来,那个评价是再准确不过了。
5.We were none too early for the train.我们刚好赶上火车。
6.Beginners are too apt to make mistakes in grammar.初学者极易犯语法错误。
7.The news was only too true.消息极其真实。
8.It is just too,too strange.那简直太奇怪了。
9.It was but too true.很遗憾,那是真实的。
10.He is too careful not to have noticed it.他那么细心,不会注意不到这一点的。
adj. 准确的,精确的