托福閱讀長難句100句：生物滅絕時間

　　Scientists felt that they could get an idea of how long the extinctions took by determining how long it took to deposit this one centimeter of clay and they thought they could determine the time it took to deposit the clay by determining the amount of the element iridium (Ir) it contained. (TPO8, 52)

　　extinction /?k'st??k??n/ n. 滅絕，絕種;熄滅

　　deposit /d?'pɑz?t/ v. 將(錢)存入銀行; 付(定金);放下某物;使(淤泥等)沉積

　　clay /klei/ n. 粘土

　　我是分界線，大家先自己分析哦。

　　Scientists felt that they could get an idea (of how long the extinctions took) (by determining)(how long it took to deposit this one centimeter of clay) and they thought they could determine the time (it took to deposit the clay)(by determining the amount of the element iridium (Ir) ) (it contained. ) (TPO8, 52)

　　分析：

　　修飾一：(of how long the extinctions took)，介詞短語

　　中文：滅絕所用的時間

　　修飾二：(by determining) ，介詞短語

　　中文：通過確定

　　修飾三：(how long it took to deposit this one centimeter of clay) ，從句

　　中文：這層一厘米黏土層的沉積時間

　　修飾四：(it took to deposit the clay) ，從句，修飾time

　　中文：這層黏土層的沉積時間

　　修飾五：(by determining the amount of the element iridium (Ir) ) ，介詞短語

　　中文：通過確定黏土層包含銥的含量

　　修飾六：(it contained. ) ，從句，修飾iridium

　　中文：它(黏土層)所包含的

　　參考翻譯：

　　科學家感覺他們可以通過確定這層一厘米黏土層的沉積時間就可以知道滅絕所用的時間，而他們認為可以通過確定黏土層包含銥的含量能確定它(黏土層)所沉積的時間。(有點繞)

　　這個句子的主要修飾成分就是從句和介詞短語，大家務(wù)必想清楚，每一個修飾成分修飾的是什么，才能看清楚這個句子的結(jié)構(gòu)。