A maritime code known as the Consulate of the Sea which originated in the western Mediterranean region in the fourteenth century, won acceptance by a majority of sea goers as the normative code for maritime conduct; it defined such matters as the authority of a ship's officers, protocols of command, pay structures, the rights of sailors, and the rules of engagement when ships met one another on the sea-lanes.
【难点解析】
本句的难点一是后置定语和定语从句分割了句子主干,造成了理解问题。主语A maritime code先是被过去分词短语known as the Consulate of the Sea修饰,而这个短语后面紧接着又出现了一个定语从句来进一步修饰A maritime code,当我们再看到won时,就得费心思寻找won这个动词的发出者。
难点二是对when引导的定语从句的理解。我们在阅读的时候还需要根据语义逻辑来对理解句子,这里when ships met one another on the sea-lanes显然不能作为时间状语从句来修饰defined……as……,意思理解不通。这时我们就要考虑其他可能被修饰的成分, the rules of engagement正好可以作为when从句的修饰对象,本身when可以引导定语从句,另外从意思上也合情合理。
忽略修饰性定语和定语从句,句子主要信息如下:
A maritime code known as the Consulate of the Sea[定语] which originated in the western Mediterranean region in the fourteenth century,[定语从句] won acceptance by a majority of sea goers[定语] as the normative code for maritime conduct; it defined such matters as the authority of a ship's officers, protocols of command, pay structures, the rights of sailors, and the rules of engagement when ships met one another on the sea-lanes.[定语从句]
另外需要注意的是,by短语虽然经常引导方式状语,但是这里by a majority of sea goers修饰的是acceptance这一名词,所以它实际上做了acceptance的后置定语。
【成分划分】
并列句一
A maritime code [主语] known as the Consulate of the Sea [定语] won [谓语] acceptance [宾语] by a majority of sea goers [定语] as the normative code for maritime conduct. [状语]
定语从句
A maritime code [主语] originated [谓语] in the western Mediterranean region [状语] in the fourteenth century. [状语]
并列句二
It [主语] defined [谓语] such matters [宾语] as the authority of a ship's officers, protocols of command, pay structures, the rights of sailors, and the rules of engagement. [同位语]
定语从句
Ships [主语] met [谓语] one another [宾语] on the sea-lanes. [状语]