Chapter 4 状语从句
4.8 比较状语从句
4.8 比较状语从句
比较状语从句的结构或句型较多，下面会一一给大家讲解。本节内容安排如下：
4.8.1 连词as的基本用法
4.8.2 连词than的基本用法
4.8.3 表示倍数比较的三种句型
4.8.4 the more…, the more句型
4.8.1 连词as 的基本用法
as引导比较状语从句，其基本结构是as…as，其中前一个as是副词，后一个as是比较状语从句的连词。具体用法如下：
一、结构1：as+形容词或副词+as
1 The work is not as difficult as you think. 这项工作不像你想象的那么难。
2 Eyes are as eloquent as lips (are). 眼睛像嘴唇一样富有表现力。
3 An adult human must take eight steps to go as far as a giraffe does in one stride. 长颈鹿跨一步的距离相当于一个成年人走八步。
二、结构2：as+形容词+a(n)+可数名词单数+as
这里前一个as作为副词来修饰一个形容词，而这个形容词同时又修饰一个名词。使用时要特别注意这里形容词置于不定冠词之前这一特点。请看例句：
4 Rarely has a technological development had as great an impact on so many aspects of social, economic, and cultural development as the growth of electronics.
妙语点睛 若没有as修饰great，这句话原本的结构是a great impact，但现在将其放置在as…as结构中，则冠词和形容词的语序要互换，因此成了as great an impact as。另外要注意的是，整个句子是一个倒装句，正常语序为“A technological development has rarely had as great an impact on…as the growth of electronics.”。
5 Americans tend to think from small to large. Let us take as simple an example as the addressing of envelopes.
妙语点睛 若没有as修饰simple，这句话原本的结构是a simple example，但现在将其放置在as…as结构中，则冠词和形容词的语序要互换，因此成了as simple an example as，译成“像这样的一个简单例子”。虽然这里as…as结构并不是引导一个比较状语从句，举这个例子主要是为了说明“as+形容词+a(n)+可数名词单数+as”这一结构。
三、在否定句中第一个as可用so代替
6 This room is not so large as the one we saw yesterday. 这个房间没有我们昨天看到的那个大。
7 No other modern nation devotes so small a portion of its wealth to public health as the United States does.
妙语点睛 注意否定词（no）在句首，故此句为否定句。
四、为了保持句子平衡，从句还可以用倒装结构
此时的结构是“as…as+助动词+主语”，请看例句：
8 Small as it is, the ant is as much a creature as are all other animals on the earth.
妙语点睛 这里的as are all other animals on the earth是一个倒装结构，主语是all other animals on the earth。另外，这里的as much…as表示的是“在同等程度上”，翻译时可以处理成“和……一样”。
9 The computer revolution may well change society as fundamentally as did the Industrial Revolution.
妙语点睛 这里的as did the Industrial Revolution是一个倒装结构。
4.8.2 连词than的基本用法
一、可比性问题
可比性问题，指两个同类事物才能比较，如he 和I。不是同类事物是无法比较的。
1 He is taller than I (am). 他比我高。
The weather of the South is wetter than the North. *
妙语点睛 这是典型的句子错误，因为the weather of the South和the North是两个截然不同的事物，无法进行比较，只能是“南方的天气”和“北方的天气”这两个同类事物进行比较。故原句应改为“The weather of the South is wetter than that of the North.”。（为避免重复，用that代替 the weather。）
2 Young readers, more often than not【A】, find the novels of 【B】Dickens far more 【C】exciting than Thackeray【D】.
正确答案 D，应改为：Thackeray’s。
妙语点睛 这是一道考研真题。这里比较的对象是两个作家的小说，所以要用Thackeray’s，相当于Thackeray’s novels。
二、比较形式问题
即指在有than的比较句子里，主句中必须有比较级形式出现。
3 There are few electronic applications ______ to raise fears regarding future employment opportunities than robots.
A. likely
B. more likely
C. most likely
D. much likely
正确答案 B。
妙语点睛 这是一道四级真题。本题考查的是比较级的形式。这里只有more能与后面的than构成结构上的搭配，故B正确。
4 On the whole【A】, ambitious students are much likely 【B】to succeed in their studies than are those 【C】with little 【D】ambition.
正确答案 B，应改为：more likely。
妙语点睛 这是一道考研真题。这个句子里有than，那么其前面就应该有比较级形式与其构成结构上的呼应，所以把much likely改为more likely。
三、为了保持句子平衡，从句还可以用全部或部分倒装
此时的结构是：than助动词+主语。请看例句：
5 On the whole, ambitious students are more likely to succeed in their studies than are those with little ambition.
妙语点睛 这是上面讨论过的考研改错句子。这里的than are those with little ambition是一个倒装结构，主语是those with little ambition。
请再看更多的例句：
6 Foreign-born Asians and Hispanics“have higher rates of intermarriage than do U.S.-born whites and blacks”.
7 In addition, far more Japanese workers expressed dissatisfaction with their jobs than did their counterparts in the 10 other countries surveyed. 另外，据调查，对自己工作不满意的日本员工比另外10个国家的员工人数要多得多。
8 The surface conditions on the planet Mars are more like the Earth’s than are those of any other planet in the solar system. 与太阳系中的其他行星相比，火星表面的情况同地球表面的情况最为相似。
9 Ichthyosaurs had a higher chance of being preserved than did terrestrial creatures because, as marine animals, they tended to live in environments less subject to erosion. 与其他陆生生物相比，鱼龙的遗体更易保存，因为它是水生生物，其生活环境使它不易腐烂。
4.8.3 表示倍数比较的三种句型
在英文中，除了用than和as来对两个事物进行比较外，还可以用times和twice等词来说明两事物之间的倍数关系。在英文中，表示两事物倍数关系的比较，可用以下三种句型（以三倍即three times为例）：
1.“倍数+比较级”结构：A is three times bigger （或其他形容词的比较级） than B
2.“倍数+as…as”结构：A is three times as big （或其他形容词的原级） as B
3.“倍数+名词”结构：A is three times the size （或其他形容词对应的名词形式） of B
请看下列各例句：
1 When the United States entered just such a glowing period after the end of the Second World War, it had a market eight times larger than any competitor, giving its industries unparalleled economies of scale.
妙语点睛 这里是“倍数+比较级”结构。
2 There are about 105 males born for every 100 females, but this ratio drops to near balance at the age of maturity, and among 70-year-olds there are twice as many women as men.
妙语点睛 这里是“倍数+as…as”结构。
3 There are only half as many fisheries as there were 15 years ago.
妙语点睛 这里是“倍数+as…as”结构。
4 According to the Canadian Institute for Health Information, prescription drug costs have risen since 1997 at twice the rate of overall health-care spending.
妙语点睛 这里是“倍数+名词”结构。
5 Smoking is so harmful to personal health that it kills ______ people each year than automobile accidents.
A. seven more times
B. seven times more
C. over seven times
D. seven times
正确答案 B。
妙语点睛 这是一道考研真题。此题考查的就是倍数比较关系的表达。根据上面说到的“倍数+比较级”结构，这里的倍数seven times应该放在比较级的前面，故seven times more正确。其他的表达，如seven more times, over seven times均不符合上面的句型。
6 Americans eat ______ as they actually need every day.
A. twice as much protein
B. twice protein as much twice
C. twice protein as much
D. protein as twice much
正确答案 A。
妙语点睛 这是一道四级真题。此题考查的是倍数比较关系的表达。根据上面说到的“倍数+as…as”结构，这里的倍数twice应该放在as…as前面，故twice as much protein正确，其他的表达均不符合上面的句型。
4.8.4 the more…, the more句型
“the more…, the more”结构的基本意思是“越……，越……”。很多英语初学者在使用这个句型时常常会犯错，究其原因，就是没有把握该句型的核心要点。正确使用这个句型的关键在于，要知道这里的比较级部分都必须在各自的分句中充当一定的成分，换句话说，相当于是将分句中的某个成分变为比较级之后提到了句首。请读者先来翻译这样一个中文句子：
1 你用词越准确，人们就能越容易理解你的意思。
这里的“准确”可以用exact来表达。那么这句话该如何翻译呢？请读者不妨提笔练习一下。
下面我来提供几个版本的译文，看看与大家刚才翻译的是否相同。
1） The more exact you use your words, the easier people will understand you.*
2） The more exactly you use your words, the more easily people will understand you.
3） The more exact your words are, the easier it is for people to understand you.
4） The more exact words you use, the more easily people will understand you.
妙语点睛 上面的译文并不全对。要分析上面句子的对错，需牢牢抓住该句型的核心要点——比较级部分都必须在各自的分句中充当一定的成分。
在句1）中，两个分句的比较级部分分别是the more exact和the easier，其各自引导的分句分别是you use your words和people will understand you，这里使用的形容词比较级the more exact和the easier不能修饰句子的谓语use和understand（因为形容词不能修饰动词），即比较级部分无法充当后面分句的任何成分，因此句1）的译文不对。
在句2）中，鉴于句1）的错误原因，把比较级部分都改为副词的比较级the more exactly和the more easily，此时就能修饰句子的谓语use和understand（因为副词修饰动词），即比较级部分充当了后面分句的方式状语，因此句2）的译文非常正确。
在句3）中，鉴于句1）的错误原因，只要能够使形容词的比较级the more exact和the easier在后面的分句中充当成分就对了，所以我把后面的分句进行了改写，分别为your words are和it is for people to understand you。这样一来，形容词的比较级the more exact就在其后的分句your words are中作表语，相当于your words are more exact ；形容词的比较级the easier就在分句it is for people to understand you中作表语，相当于it is easier for people to understand you，即比较级部分充当了后面分句的表语，因此句3）的译文非常正确。
在句4）中，比较级部分the more exact words作后面分句的谓语use的宾语，相当于you use more exact words；比较级部分the more easily作后面分句谓语understand的方式状语，相当于people will more easily understand you，即比较级部分充当了后面分句的某一成分，因此句4）的译文非常正确。
综上所述，我们总结出这个句型的三个用法要点：
1. 正确使用该句型的核心：比较级部分都必须在各自引导的分句中充当一定的成分。
2. 从结构上来看，这个句型的前半部分是从句，后半部分是主句，即“the+比较级（从句），the+比较级（主句）”，这就是为什么前半句常用一般现在时态，而后半句常用一般将来时态，类似于其他状语从句的“主句用将来时，从句用一般现在时”的规则。
3. 该结构翻译成汉语时，一般是按前后正常的语序来翻译，即先译从句，后译主句。
我们再来看其他例句：
2 An archaeologist is the best husband a woman can have: the older she is, the more interested he is in her.
妙语点睛 我们看到，这里的比较级the older在分句she is中作表语，the more interested在分句he is in her中作表语。
在下面这个例句中，一位美国老年朋友把人类的衰老过程比作爬山，他告诉我们：要以一种平和而积极的心态来面对自己已逝去的青春：
3 Aging is a part of life, and it can be an exciting and rewarding part. It has been said that aging is like climbing a mountain: the higher you get, the more tired and breathless you become, but the view becomes much more extensive.
妙语点睛 我们看到，这里的比较级the higher在分句you get中作表语，the more tired and breathless在分句you become中作表语。
下面这个例句说明了“帮助别人就是在帮助自己”这样的道理：
4 The more we help others, the more we receive in return. We advance ourselves as we help others. 帮助别人越多，我们获得的回报也越多。帮助了别人，提升了自己。
朋友是什么？下面这个例句做出了回答：
5 Friends are lights in winter: the older the friend, the brighter the light.
妙语点睛 这个句子的比较部分是省略结构，完整的表达应该是the older the friend is, the brighter the light is，即这里省去了系动词is。所以，比较级都是在各自引导的分句中作表语。注意，在这个句型中，系动词常常会被省略。
下面这个例句讲了该如何学习英语，说的就是要多花时间和老外“泡”在一起，和他们“泡”的时间越多，你的英文就会越地道：
6 For a Chinese person to write in English, he or she must first be able to think in English. This can only be done after a long time of reading foreign books and magazines and interacting with other foreigners. The more time you spend with native speakers, the more you will understand how they think and the better you will be able to write in a way that is similar to theirs.
妙语点睛 我们看到，这里的比较级the more time在分句you spend with native speakers中作spend的宾语，the more在分句you will understand how they think中作状语，修饰understand，the better在分句you will be able to write in a way that is similar to theirs中作状语，修饰able，因为我们要说you will be better able to…。由此可见，所有的比较级都充当了各自分句的某一成分。
上面讲到了学习的例子，下面这个例子讲了学习有什么用。为什么这么说呢？我们来看它的“魔鬼逻辑”：
7 Why study?
The more we study, the more we know.
The more we know, the more we forget.
The more we forget, the less we know.
So, why study?
面对2007年火爆的股票市场，很多人摩拳擦掌，按捺不住想进入：
8 John: The stock market is really hot now. I’m thinking of getting into it.
Casey: Well, I suggest you be careful. It’s easy to get your fingers burnt.
John: My uncle works for a securities company. He will help me to make an investment portfolio.
Casey: But I think the hotter the market is, the more risk there is.
John: Yes, you are right. But the more risk there is, the more profit there might be.
思维总结
比较状语从句应该是九大状语从句中内容最多的一种，涉及各类句型结构。读者应该重点掌握有关as和than的用法。此外，要熟练掌握表示倍数比较的三种句型。
思维训练4.8 Key
一、请选择最佳答案填空。
1. An adult human must take eight steps to go ______ as a giraffe does in one stride.
A. as far
B. the farther
C. how far
D. farther
2. The harder you work, ______ you have of passing your exam.
A. more chance
B. more chances
C. the more chance
D. the chances
3. The knee is ______ most other joints in the body because it cannot twist without injury.
A. more likely to be damaged than
B. much likely to be damaged than
C. likely to be more damaged than
D. more than likely to be damaged
4. I would have paid ______—for my car if the salesman had insisted, because I really wanted it.
A. as much twice
B. much twice
C. twice as much
D. two times
5. Any preexisting illness, even ______ the common cold, increases the chances of contracting another disease.
A. as mild one as
B. as one mild as
C. as a mild one as
D. as mild a one as
6. After retirement my father earns only ______ as he used to. However, he lives happily enjoying his leisure time.
A. a half as much
B. a half as many
C. half as many
D. half as much
7. In China the South generally receives much less snow than ______ the North.
A. does
B. it does
C. does in
D. it does in
8. The number of registered participants in this year’s marathon was half ______.
A. of last year’s
B. those of last year’s
C. of those of last year
D. that of last year’s
9. The air inside a house or office building often has higher concentrations of contaminants ______ heavily polluted outside air.
A. than does
B. more
C. as some that are
D. like of
10. The atmosphere is as much a part of the earth as ______ its soils and the water of its lakes, rivers and oceans.
A. are
B. do
C. is
D. has
11. Do you enjoy listening to records? I find records are often ______, if not better than, an actual performance.
A. as good as
B. as good
C. good
D. good as
二、辨别改错。
12. In the long run【A】, however, this hurry 【B】to shed full-time staff may be 【C】more harmful to industry as 【D】it is to the workforce.