Answers to questions about Text A, Unit 2
Line 2-3,Alongside me was a slender woman in a black dress, my guide back to a time when the surrounding settlement in Dresden, Ontario, was home to a hero in American history. 第一个逗号前的分句为整句话的主句,正常顺序应为a slender woman in a black dress was alongside me,颠倒顺序是为了使先行词与其修饰成分靠得更紧密;其中my guide back to a time when the surrounding settlement in Dresden, Ontario, was home to a hero in American history这整个结构都为前面woman的同位语,my guide是"我的导游",back to a time指的是这个guide将带领我回到一个时代(a time),完整形式应为my guide who led me back to a time;后面的when引导的从句是这个时代的定语从句,when从句的主语是the surrounding settlement in Dresden, Ontario,系动词为was,表语为home to a hero,状语是in American history.
Line 6,…intended all men to be …其中intend sb. to do sth.结构意思为to have something in your mind as a plan or purpose.
Line 7,to be created equal,这里的equal是形容词,修饰的是all men.
Line 10,the long-suffering slave指的是这个slave逆来顺受,而若要使用the long-suffered slave则意思为受煎熬的slave,两者表达的意境不同.
Line 11-12,Ironically, that character (指Uncle Tom) has come to symbolize everything Henson was not.这里主句为that character has come to symbolize everything,Henson was not为everything 的定语从句,即to symbolize everything that Henson was not.
Line 12,A racial sellout unwilling to stand up for himself 不是一个句子,而是一个词组起到问句的作用,其中unwilling to stand up for himself是a racial sellout的后置修饰成分.
Line 19,Canada --- and liberty,意味着(逃离美国)到达加拿大就意味着他们找到的自由.
Line 20,Yet this stop was only part of a much larger mission for me.的主干为this stop was only part of a mission,a much larger修饰mission,同时这个mission是由me来完成的.
Line 21,Henson is but…这里用is表明在作者描述事件的同时还是如此,所以用一般现在时.
Line 24,…slaves traveled…这里的travel不是"旅行"的意思,而是to go a particular distance or at a particular speed.
Line 29,it's about time意思是it's high time,口语,"是(该)做……的时候了".
Line 34,…party of escaped slaves…中用escaped表示这个动作的发生完成.
Line 32,soft knock指的是the knock which is soft,可翻译为"轻轻的敲门声".
Line 32,peer后面跟了out,这里out是一个介词,是美国英语中informal的用法,意思是from the inside to the outside of sth..(很多教英国英语的老师认为这是不规范的语法,是错误的.)e.g. Get out the car.

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