2015年6月英语四级第1套真题句子解析： The British are supposed to be famous for laughing at themselves, but even their sense of humor has a limit, as the British retailer Gerald Ratner found out to his cost.

The British are supposed to be famous for laughing at themselves, but even their sense of humor has a limit

两个独立主谓结构 "The British are supposed to be famous..." 和 "even their sense of humor has a limit" 通过对等连词 "but" 连接，构成并列句。前句说明英国人以自嘲闻名，后句转折指出即使他们的幽默感也有限度，两分句地位对等、语义转折。

supposed to be famous

"supposed" 是过去分词，在 "be supposed to" 结构中作主语 "The British" 的补足语，表示被动意义「被认为/应该」。这里 "supposed" 与主语构成被动关系，说明英国人被他人认为以自嘲著称。

as the British retailer Gerald Ratner found out to his cost

"as" 引导的方式/比较状语从句中，省略了与主句重复的内容。完整还原应为 "as the British retailer Gerald Ratner found out (that their sense of humor has a limit) to his cost"，从句中宾语部分被省略，仅保留主谓结构和状语 "to his cost"，造成理解需要还原省略成分的障碍。

as the British retailer Gerald Ratner found out to his cost

"as the British retailer Gerald Ratner found out to his cost" 是由 "as" 引导的从句，用逗号与主句隔开，插入在句末作为补充说明或例证。该从句打断了主句 "even their sense of humor has a limit" 的完整性，为主句提供具体事例支撑，符合插入语定义。

are supposed to be famous

"be supposed to do" 表达「本应、应该、被认为」的语义，强调基于惯例、期望或普遍认知而产生的义务或预期状态。本句中 "The British are supposed to be famous for laughing at themselves" 使用该结构表明「英国人被认为/理应以自嘲而闻名」，体现一种社会共识或刻板印象。

该搭配的核心要点："be supposed to" 后必须接动词不定式（to do），表达「按理说应该」的语义。它与 "should" 有细微差别："should" 强调主观建议或道德义务，"be supposed to" 更侧重客观规则、期望或普遍认知。

时态与语态变化："be" 可变化为任意时态（was supposed to、will be supposed to），"to do" 部分也可为被动或进行形态（be supposed to be done、be supposed to be doing）。本句使用一般现在时 "are supposed to"，描述一种持续的社会认知。

常见误区：不要将 "be supposed to do" 与 "suppose (that)" 混淆。前者是固定搭配表达期望或义务，后者是动词表示「假设、认为」，语义完全不同。例如："I suppose (that) he is right"（我认为他是对的）与 "He is supposed to be right"（他理应是对的）。

可迁移的学习方法：判断 "be + 过去分词 + to do" 是否为固定搭配时，关键看过去分词与 "to do" 是否共同构成一个完整的语义单元。若过去分词是普通被动语态、"to do" 仅为目的状语，则不属此类；若两者结合表达特定语义（如 supposed to = 理应、obliged to = 被迫），则为固定搭配。

写作应用示例："Students are supposed to submit their assignments by Friday"（学生应该在周五前提交作业），"The meeting was supposed to start at 9 a.m."（会议本应在上午9点开始）。

be famous for laughing

"be famous for" 是表达「因某事而出名」的核心固定搭配，"for" 后接名词或动名词，说明出名的原因或特征。

本句中 "be supposed to be famous for laughing at themselves" 完整展示了该搭配："famous" 是形容词，"for" 后接动名词 "laughing"，表示英国人以「自嘲」这一特质而闻名。

该搭配的记忆要点："famous" 必须与 "for" 配合使用才能引出出名的原因，不能用其他介词替代（如不说 famous about/with）。"for" 后常接名词或动名词短语，描述具体的特质、成就或事件。

与 "be known for" 的辨析：两者语义相近但程度有别，"famous" 强调广为人知、声名显赫，"known" 则较中性，仅表示被认知或了解。本句用 "famous" 突出英国人自嘲传统的广泛认知度。

可迁移的学习方法：遇到 "be + 形容词 + for" 结构时，判断该形容词是否表达对某事物的属性关系（如 responsible、suitable、famous），且 "for" 后内容是否为该属性的逻辑宾语。若是，则为固定搭配；若 "for" 表目的或其他独立语义，则不属此类。

写作应用示例："China is famous for its long history and diverse culture"（中国以悠久历史和多元文化而闻名），"The scientist was famous for his groundbreaking research"（该科学家因其开创性研究而出名）。