more than

原译2刚说完“无法估计”，接着却说“据估计”这不是自相矛盾吗？要想真正弄清这句译文毛病之所在，必须掌握more than的几个主要用法。

A. more than + 数词, 表示“……以上”“多于……”“……有余”。例如:

More than 100 chemical elements are known to man; of these, about 80 are metals. 人类已知的化学元素有一百种以上，其中约有八十种是金属。

在这种用法里, more than 的反义词是 less than。后者一般可译作“少于……”“不到……”“在……以下”。例如：

In a fission bomb, all the fissionable atoms are used up in less than one millionth of a second. 在原子弹中，所有裂变原子在不到百万分之一秒的时间内就会全部消耗完。

B. more than + 名词(名词从句或起名词作用的动词不定式),一般可以译作“不只”“不仅仅”“超过”“远不止”“不同于”等。例如：

1. We must consider more than the beginning of the motion, however. 然而, 我们必须考虑的不只是运动的初始阶段。

2. Peace is much more than the absence of war. 和平不仅仅是意味着没有战争。

3. Science is more than a mere accumulation of carefully collected facts. It is also a method of solving problems. 科学不仅仅是细心搜集的事实的积累,它也是解决问题的方法。

4. Mathematics, much more than technology, has a life of its own independent of science. 数学与技术不同，它本身有一段不依赖科学的历史。

5. He had forgotten that the seemingly innocuous request of all European hotels to see a passport at check-in was more than a quaint formality—it was the law. (Dan Brown, The Da Vinci Code) 他忘了，所有欧洲酒店都要求看客人的护照。这无关痛痒的请求其实不仅仅是一个古怪的登记手续，那是法律。（《达·芬奇密码》）

6. ‘Any chance you’d open the gate for an old friend?’ ‘Those who seek the truth are more than friends. They are brothers.’ (Dan Brown, The Da Vinci Code) “能为老朋友开开门吗?” “寻求真理的人不仅仅是朋友，而且是兄弟。”(《达·芬奇密码》)

7. When Hillary moved to Fayetteville, Diane and Hillary became more than friends; they were soul mates... (B. Clinton, My Life) 希拉里搬到费耶特维尔之后，黛安娜和希拉里之间的友谊超出了一般朋友的关系；她们成了心灵上的伙伴……(《我的生活》)

8. Dr. King's death provoked more than prayer; some feared, and others hoped, it marked the death of nonviolence, too. (B. Clinton, My Life) 金博士的死引起的不仅仅是祈祷；一些人担心，另一些人则希望他的死也标志着非暴力运动的死亡。（《我的生活》）

C. more than + 动词,一般可译作“十分”“大大地”“远远地”“深为”“极大地”“岂止是”“不仅仅”。例如：

1. I am sure conditions over there will more than satisfy your requirements. 我相信,那边的条件会大大满足你的要求。

2. He more than smiled, he laughed outright. 他岂止是微笑，他简直是大笑了。

more than... can/could 往往可以译作“不能”。其中的 more than 表示否定，相当于 not。例如：

1. This was more than we could bear, so we decided to spend our last day exploring the countryside. 这是我们无法忍受的，所以便决定利用最后一天的时间到农村去逛逛。

2. The average man looks upon the facts of chemistry, such as the combustion of gasoline with oxygen in an engine to produce mechanical power, as things more wonderful than he can understand. 一般人把像汽油和氧气在发动机里燃烧产生机械能这样一些化学事实，看成是他们不能理解的奇妙事情。

3. Seasonal extremes of heat and cold are more than most people can endure, even in the temperate zone in which the United States is located. 四季冷热的剧烈程度大多数人都忍受不了，即使在美国所处的温带地区也是如此。

D. more than + 形容词或副词, 在语义上表示很高的程度, 常常可译作“非常”“十分”“更加”“深为”“岂止”“不仅仅”等。例如:

1. He is more than selfish( = very selfish). 他非常自私。

2. She was more than old-fashioned, she was antediluvian. 她不单是守旧，她简直是个老古董。

3. Man is more than adaptive—he is creative. Man goes out of his way to make conditions requiring new adaptations. 人类不仅具有适应性，还具有创造性。人类竭尽全力创造条件，以适应更新的情况。

4. This line does not necessarily define the centroidal axis of the member: it more than likely will define some working axis. 这一条线并不一定能表示出构件的重心轴，它极有可能表示某一转动轴。

5. He is more than happy about it. 他对此事极为高兴(他对此事岂止高兴而已)。

6. In doing experiments you must be more than careful with the precision instruments. 在做实验时，对精密仪器必须特别小心。

7. London has a new magazine. Different publications appear all the time, but this one more than different—it is revolutionary. 伦敦出版了一份新杂志。各种出版物层出不穷。但这份杂志却大不相同，它富于革命性。

8. I am more than happy to hear that. 听到这一点,我非常高兴。

9. A tour is unnecessary. You have been more than kind. I can show myself around. (Dan Brown, The Da Vinci Code) 不用参观了。您不必这么客气。我可以自己逛逛。(《达·芬奇密码》)

现在我们回过头来研究一下你所提问的例句的原文及其译法。the wildest guess 是指“乱猜”“不切实际的猜想”“漫无边际的猜想”，more than the wildest guess，根据前面的讨论可以看出，是指“超过胡乱猜想的事情”，可以引申为“估计”“比较准确的估计”。

[试译] 蜘蛛到底能吃掉多少昆虫？要想对此作出比较准确的估计，是不可能的，但是蜘蛛是饥饿的动物，决不满足于一日三餐。据估计……

在通常的情况下, more than + 从句可以分析为: more 是 much 或 many 的比较级, than 引导一个比较状语从句(可省略谓语或主谓语), 意思是: “比……多”“甚于”:

1. He loves his dog more than (he loves) his children. 他爱他的狗甚于爱他的孩子们。

2. He loves his dog more than his children (do). 他比他的孩子们更爱他的狗。

3. Let me take you in my arms and say goodbye. I love you more than my own life, more than my wife, and more than all the world. 让我拥抱你一下，说声再见吧。我爱你胜过爱我自己的生命、自己的妻子和整个世界。

4. Mum, it isn't fair. She's got more than I have. 妈妈，这不公平。她得到的比我的多。

5. European countries are now making an active effort to reuse materials more than they used to. 为了对旧材料进行再利用,欧洲国家正在进行着比过去更加积极的努力。

6. That is the law. You wanted justice, so you shall get justice, more than you wanted. 这就是法律，你要求公正，那么就让你得到公正吧，比你要求的还要多。

有时候, more than + 从句中的 more than 具有否定意义, 可以译为“并非”“不是”(你所提问的句子里的 more than 当属此种用法)(参见 more than $^{5}$ ):

1. You remembered to thank her, which is more than I did. 你还记得感谢她，而我却忘了。

2. The noise was more than I could bear. 这噪音是我不能忍受的。

3. At least you enjoyed yourself, which is more than I did. 至少你玩得很开心，而我却不是。

[试译]……这两件事之间是否有什么联系呢？是的，但是，这并非是大多数人能想象得出来的。

此处的译文是完全准确的,因为上句中的 more than thirteen times 属于 more than + 数字结构。它与 n times more than $^{3}$ 中的 n times more than 分属于两种不同的结构。上句的主要结构是:n times as many(much) as。只不过是在数词之前加了个修饰语 more than,并且在 people 之后省略了 as (those) in Australia(参见 as much as)。

more than one 后面跟的是单数名词,因此谓语动词要用单数,尽管在概念上它具有复数意义。这就是说,在这里遵循的是语法一致原则,而不是概念一致原则。

1. More than one person has been concerned in this. 这里涉及的不止是一个人。

2. There is more than one possible explanation. 可能的解释不止一个。

3. More than one member has protested against the proposal. 不止一个成员反对这个建议。请做下面的英语试题：

More than one person ____ been infected with the disease.

A. have B. has C. having D. to have

要想正确理解和翻译上面的句子,必须首先搞清 more than 的用法。more than A can/could/would 往往可以译为“A 不能”,即其中的 more than 可以理解为“否定”(不)(参见 more than $^{1}$ ):

1. The beauty of Hangzhou is more than words can describe. (= No words can describe the beauty of Hangzhou.) 杭州景色之美, 是语言所不能描述的。

2. That's more than I can tell you, sir. 这一点我是不能告诉您的，先生。

3. The cold was more than the children could bear. 寒冷是孩子们忍受不了的。

4. In the end, it was more than he could bear. 最后，他再也忍受不住了。

5. When my old friend Brian urged me to accept a cigarette, it was more than I could bear. (New Concept English, Book 2, L.78) 当我的老朋友布赖恩怂恿我接受一支烟时，我可再也熬不住了。

6. Modern dances proved to be more than the dish could bear, for during the party it capsized and sank in seven feet of water. (New Concept English, Book 3, L. 43) 盘子承受不了在它上面跳现代舞的负担，舞会进行之中此盘倾覆，沉入七英尺深的河水中。

7. Despite the satisfaction of my work, I was lonely and missed Bill more than I could stand. (Hillary, Living History) 虽然工作的成就感十足，但我一个人难免寂寞，益发思念比尔，几乎受不了。(希拉里，《亲历历史》)

[试译]“……你还想要别的书吗？”“是的，可是我买不起。”他答道。