It is difficult to the point of impossibility for the average reader under the age of fortyto imagine a time?when high-quality arts criticism could be found in most big city newspapers.

【2010年-英語一閱讀-TEXT1】

詞匯

① to the point of ...?

達(dá)到...的程度

② impossibility?

n.不可能，不可能的事

③ average?

adj.普通的；平均的

④ high-quality?

高質(zhì)量的

⑤ art criticism?

藝術(shù)評論

參考譯文

四十歲以下的普通讀者，無法想象，在大多數(shù)大城市報紙上能夠找到高質(zhì)量藝術(shù)評論的年代。

難點突破

難點1：主語

It 只是形式主語，真正的主語是 to imagine a time when high-quality arts criticism could be found in most big-city newspapers.

難點2：多個介詞短語

“to the point of impossibility ”、“for the average reader under the age of forty ”

是介詞短語，不是句子的核心。

可以先去掉不看，降低閱讀難度，提高閱讀速度。

寫作運用

It is difficult to the point of impossibility for sb. to do sth.

表示：對于某人來說，做某事是困難，難到了不可能的程度。

預(yù)習(xí)作業(yè)

Of all the changes that have taken place in English-language newspapers during the past quarter-century, perhaps the most far-reaching has been the inexorable decline in the scope and seriousness of their arts coverage.

【2010年-英語一閱讀-TEXT1】