Scientists try to document as many past El Nino events as possible by piecing together bits of historical evidence, such as sea-surface temperature records, daily observations of atmospheric pressure and rainfall, fisheries’ records from South America, and the writings of Spanish colonists dating back to thefifteenth century. ( TPO43, 48)
piece v.拼湊，組裝
大家自己先讀，不回讀，看一遍是否能理解
Scientists try to document as many past El Nino events as possible (by piecing together bits of historical evidence),(such as sea-surface temperature records, daily observations of atmospheric pressure and rainfall, fisheries’ records from South America, and the writings of Spanish colonists) (dating back to the fifteenth century). (TPO43,48)
托福閱讀長難句分析：
這個(gè)句子的主干是：
Scientists try to document as many past El Nino events as possible
修飾一：(by piecing together bits of historical evidence) ，介詞短語
中文：通過拼湊很多小的歷史證據(jù)
修飾二：(such as sea-surface temperature records, daily observations of atmospheric pressure and rainfall, fisheries’ records from South America, and the writings of Spanish colonists) ，介詞短語
中文：例如海面溫度記錄、氣壓和降水的日常觀察，南美洲漁業(yè)記錄以及西班牙殖民者的作品。
修飾三：(dating back to the fifteenth century)，非謂語動(dòng)詞
中文：追溯到15世紀(jì)
托福閱讀長難句參考翻譯：
科學(xué)家們通過拼湊很多小的歷史證據(jù)，來試圖盡可能多地記錄過去的厄爾尼諾現(xiàn)象，例如海面溫度記錄、氣壓和降水的日常觀察，南美洲漁業(yè)記錄，以及追溯到15世紀(jì)的西班牙殖民者的作品。
這個(gè)句子的主要修飾成分就是非謂語動(dòng)詞和介詞，大家務(wù)必想清楚，每一個(gè)修飾成分修飾的是什么，才能看清楚這個(gè)句子的結(jié)構(gòu)。