【问】 the smiles of delight on all the faces that he liked
 请问定语从句是修饰all the faces呢，还是修饰the smiles呢?
 【答】 在翻译英语定语从句时，虽然有时候有些语言线索可资利用，但也常常难以确定其归属。例如：
 1. the requirements of the courses which are listed (which从句是修饰the courses呢，还是修饰the requirements呢?)
 2. There are a number of methods of joining metal articles together，depending on the typeof metal and the strength of the joint which is required. (which从句是修饰thestrength呢，还是修饰the joint呢?)
 对于这样的定语从句，我们是无法根据语言知识来确定其归属的，只能根据上下文进行逻辑判断。而要作出正确的逻辑判断，就必须具备多方面的语言外的知识，就科技英语而论，还必须具备有关的专业知识。南宋著名诗人陆游，晚年教儿子学诗时说：“汝果欲学诗，工夫在诗外”。看来，我们翻译英语定语，功夫也常常是在定语之外的。
 (1)When all her Christminster cake had been disposed of she took upon her arm the emptybasket，and the cloth which had covered the standing she had hired.
 [原译]她把那些基督寺点心都卖完了以后，拿起空篮子和那块她临时租来蒙那个摊子的白布。
 不难看出，定语从句she had hired并不是修饰the cloth，而是修饰the standing的。
 [试译]……她把空篮子和那块蒙租用摊床的布挎在胳膊上。
 (2)Other animals were trapped in tar pits，like the elephants，sabre-toothed cats，and nu-merous other creatures that are found at Rancho la Brea，which is now just a suburb of Los An-geles. (New Concept English，Book 4，P. 109)
 [原译]还有些别的动物陷在风化石油坑里，如象、长着锋利犬牙的虎、以及在现在正是洛杉矶市郊的兰桥拉布里出土的很多别的动物。(中译本)
 根据上下文以及三个并列成分(elephants，sabre-toothed cats，and numerouos other crea-tures)共用一个定冠词the这一语言线索，可以判定that从句是说明前面三个并列成分的，而不是只说明numerous other creatures的。
 (3)The curtain was rung down in that phase of history，at least，by the sudden inventionof the hydrogen bomb，of the ballistic missile and of rockets that can be aimed to hit the moon.
 [原译]……由于能够击中月球的弹道导弹和火箭的突然发明……(《第三帝国的兴亡》)本条的分析见that。
 (4)Every metal possesses certain properties，or characterisics or qualities which we can findby experiment... (The Structure of Technical English，P. 6)
 [原译]每一种金属都具有一定的性能，即我们可以通过实验加以检验的特性或性质。(中译本)
 which从句是限定properties，or characteristies or qualities呢，还是限定characteristies orqualities呢?似乎难于判别。但是可以提出这样一个问题，难道properties不可以通过实验加以测验吗?事实上，人们在实验中测验的正是properties而characteristies和qualities只不过是properties的不同叫法(同位语)而已。因此，把which从句看作是限定properties，or char-acteristics of qualities的，是比较合理的。
 [试译]每种金属都具有通过实验可以测验出来的某些性能即特性或品质。
 (5)Einstein felt that he had the basis for his special theory of relativity when at the age of16 he asked himself：“What does a man see when he rides on a light wave?” This line of think-ing was typical of Einstein’s “thought experiments，” which guided his intuition in his researchfor the correct concepts and laws of physics. In this case the problem was a conflict with New-ton’s law of inertia which states that as far as the laws of mechanics are concerned there is no suchthing as absolute motion; that is，a physicist in a laboratory out off from contact with the outsideuniverse has no way of detecting whether he is in motion or at rest. (上海交大《英语》(四)，P. 132)
 [原译]爱因斯坦16岁的时候，曾经自问：“如果一个人乘着光波前进，他会看见什么呢?”爱因斯坦认为，那时他就具备了狭义相对论的基础了。这一条思路是爱因斯坦的“思想实验”的典型思路，指引他直觉地去探索物理学的正确概念和规律。在这个问题上，他的观点与牛顿的惯性定律发生了矛盾。爱因斯坦的论点是：就力学定律而言，不存在绝对运动之类的东西;也就是说，呆在与外界隔绝的实验中的一位物理学家无法测定他是处于运动状态还是静止状态。(教参)
 which从句是说明the problem，还是说明Newton’s law of inertia呢?从the problem与states搭配关系上看，which从句说明the problem的可能性是很小的。从which从句的物理内容上来看，它应当是说明Newton’s law of inertia的。何以见得?让我们从普通物理教科书中摘引几句描述牛顿惯性定律的话：
 “牛顿第一定律是参照系的一种描述。”(哈里德著《物理学》，第一卷，第一册，P.104)“同一物体的运动，对于不同的参照系，可以作不同的描述。这一事实，称为运动的相对性。”(王漠显著《物理学》，第一册，P.15)