【问】 请讲一讲英语分隔这一语言现象的方方面面。
 【答】 语法关系密切的两个句子成分被其它句子成分分隔开的现象，叫做分隔(splitting )。例如：
 1.That loaf was stale that you sold me.(CGEL)(定语从句与其中心词that loaf被谓语分隔)
 你卖给我的那条面包是陈的。
 2.Yet the fact is we know very little about gorillas.No really satisfactory photograph hasever been taken of one in a wil d state.(定语 of one in a wild state与其中心词photo-graph被谓语分隔)
 然而，事实是我们对大猩猩了解得很少。至今还没有人给处于野生状态的大猩猩拍摄过一张真正令人满意的照片。
 3.Man has achieved remarkable success in the field of astronautics the ultimate goal andpurpose of which is to gain for man himself access to space and to other worlds.(动词
 gain与其宾语access被介词短语for man himself所分隔)
 人类在宇航方面已经取得了惊人的成就，宇航的最终目的就是使人类能够亲自进入太空并到达其它星球。
 英语分隔的类型是多种多样的，这里不拟一一列举，仅列举常见的几种类型。
 A.主语与谓语被分隔
 英语句子的主语与谓语一般都挨得很紧，它们之间很少插入介词短语等比较长的结构。但是，在较少的情况下，或是为保持句子的平衡，避免头重脚轻，或是为了语义严密，结构紧凑，在主语和谓语之间有时也会插入其它的成分。
 1.The resistance experienced when one body moves over another，with which it is in con-tact，is called the frictional force.
 当一个物体在和它相接触的另一个物体上移动时所受的阻力，叫做摩擦力。
 2.Galileo asserted that“...any velocity once imparted to a body will be rigidly maintainedas long as there are no causes of acceleration or retardation.”
 伽利略断言，“……任意大小的速度一旦给予某一物体，只要没有加速或减速的原因出现，就将保持不变”。
 B.定语(或定语从句)与其中心词被分隔
 1. The time had come to decorate the house for Christmas. (CGEL)
 已经是为了圣诞节来装饰房间的时候了。
 2. Batteries produce electron flow by chemical means—that is，chemical reactions take placeinside the battery that result in a flow of electricity.
 电池靠化学方法产生电子流——也就是在电池内发生化学反应，形成电流。
 3. A number of cars are already on the road powered by gas turbines.
 一些以燃气轮机作动力的汽车已经出现在路上。
 4. The Prime Minister's decision was welcomed over the country to raise the wages of theworkers and reduce the price of food.
 首相提高工人工资和降低食品价格的决定受到全国一致的欢迎。
 5. An order had come from Berlin that no language but German may be taught in the schoolsof Alsace and Lorraine. (The Last Lesson)
 从柏林来了命令，阿尔萨斯和洛林地区的学校里，只准教德语一种语言。
 6. When reports came into London Zoo that a wild puma had been spotted forty-five milessouth of London，they were not taken seriously. (New Concept English，Book 3，L. 1)
 伦敦动物园曾接到报告，说在伦敦南部45英里的地方发现一只美洲野狮，但当时这些报告并没有受到重视。
 C.某些词语与其所要求的介词被分隔
 This book should therefore be useful in an advanced undergraduate course in nuclearphysics，to engineers interested in the large-scale application of nuclear physics.
 因此，在核物理学方面的高年级大学生课程中，这本书想必对关心核物理大规模应用的工程师们是有用处的。
 D.动词与其宾语被分隔
 1. We might bear in mind when we pass a big building or see an airplane or a car that we arelooking at the fruits of man's labor in this tradition.
 当我们经过一幢大楼或是看见一架飞机或一辆汽车时，我们必须记住，我们所看到的正是人类劳动在这一传统中创造出来的成果。
 2. The primary aim of the present book is to supply for students beginning the study ofTheoretical Mechanics a course of such a nature as shall emphasize the fundamentalphysical principles of the subject.
 本书的主要目的就是为开始学习理论力学的学生们提供一本教材，其特色是着重介绍这一学科的基本物理原理。
 E.介词与其宾语被分隔
 A car speedometer and a clock can be used to measure velocity as a function of time for(provided it only moves forward)a moving car.
 用速度表和时钟可以为一辆运动着的汽车(假定它只是向前行驶)测定其作为时间函数的速度。
 F.同位语从句与其先行词被分隔
 1. After Galileo's work the feeling grew that there were universal laws governing the motionof bodies and that these laws might apply to motion in the heavens as well as on earth.
 在伽利略的工作以后，这样的认识加强了，即认为存在着支配物体运动的普遍规律，
 这些规律不仅支配着地球上的而且也支配着天体上的物体的运动。
 2. The question sometimes comes to my mind whether it was worth the effort.
 有时我想到这样一个问题：是否值得花这么大气力。
 从上面的实例不难看出，英语的分隔主要是受两个原则的支配：一是尾重原则(theprinciple of end-weight)，二是句尾信息焦点原则(the principle of end-focus)。
 按照尾重原则，应当把长而复杂的成分放在句末，从而使结构平衡匀称，以避免主语部分太长，谓语部分太短的毛病。请比较：
 1.
 2.
 根据句尾信息核心(焦点)原则，应把新信息(语义重点)放在句子末尾，通过分隔手段可以很容易地实现这一点。请比较：
 (A) The question whether it was worth the effort sometimes comes to my mind.
 (B) The question sometimes comes to my mind whether it was worth the effort.
 下面是英语分隔引起的误译：
 (1) As they grow old，people also accumulate belongings for two other reasons，lack ofphysical and mental energy，both of which are essential in turning out and throwingaway，and sentiment. (New Concept English，Book 3，P.142)
 [原译]随着岁月流逝人变老，人们还由于另外两个原因积累物品，即体力衰弱与精神不佳，因为在丢弃这些无用之物时这两者缺一不可;此外，还有感情的因素。(上外教版，P.34)
 原文中的两个并列成分lack of physical and mental energy和sentiment被一个定语从句分隔，致使译者弄错了语法关系：把lack of physical and mental energy理解为two other rea-sons的同位语了。
 [试译]当人们年老的时候，还由于其它两个原因而积存物品：一是缺乏体力和精力(因为清理和扔掉无用之物，体力和精力是必不可缺的)，二是出于感情上的考虑。
 (2) In 1953，a former electronics engineer in his fifties，Christopher Cockerell，who hadturned to boat-building on the Norfolk Broads，suggested an idea on which he hadbeen working for many years to the British Government and industrial circles. (NewConcept English，Book 4，P.117)
 [原译]一九五三年，一位五十多岁的原电子工程师克里斯托弗·科克雷尔，改行从事诺弗克布罗兹的造船业。他向英国政府和工业界提出了一项他研究了多年的计划。(上外教版，P.18)
 不难分析，原文中的介词短语in 1953是句子谓语动词suggested的状语。但是由于它与谓语分隔得很远，竟使译者把它误认为是had turned的状语了。
 [试译]克·科克雷尔从前是一名电子工程师，后来在诺福克郡的湖泊地区改行从事造船业，于1953年，在他五十多岁的时候，向英国政府和工业界提出了一项他研究了多年的计划。
 (3) Twenty or thirty pages of information handed to any of the major world powers aroundthe year 1925 would have been sufficient to change the course of world history. It is astrange thought，but I believe a correct one，that twenty or thirty pages of ideas andin formation would be capable of turning the present-day world upside down，or evendestroying it. (New Concept English，Book 4，P.188)
 [原译]一九二五年前后，如果把二、三十页情报提交给任何一个主要世界强国，都将足以改变世界历史的进程。这是一个奇怪的念头，但我相信是正确的。二、三十页书面的计划和情报将有能力颠倒今日的世界，甚至于摧毁它。(上外教版，P.35)
 译者之所以把it看成是代表前一个句子的内容，而没有把它看成是形式主语，主要是因为主语从句与其主句被but I believe a correct one所分隔的缘故。
 [试译]……二、三十页的计划和情报就能使今天的世界发生天翻地覆的变化，甚至于把它摧毁，这是一个奇怪的念头，但是我相信它是正确的。
 (4) Kepler discovered from the data some very beautiful and remarkable，but simple，lawsregarding planetary motion.(清华大学《英语教程》(四)，P.28)
 [原译]凯布勒耳根据一些绝妙惊人的但又是简单的数据发现了有关行星运动的定律。(教参)
 由于动词discovered与其宾语some very beautiful...laws被介词短语from the data所分隔，所以译者对句子的语法关系产生了误解：把some very beautiful and remarkable，butsimple看成是the data的后置定语了。实际上，some... simple是laws的定语，否则无法解释some的语法功能。
 [试译]开普勒根据这些资料发现了一些绝妙惊人但又非常简单的关于行星运动的定律。
 请做下面的英语试题：
  the between people， rather than the events that occur in their lives， the main focus of psychology. (TOEFL，91.8)