2021年12月英语六级第3套真题句子解析： Despite the widespread fears about trade, a recent report showed that just 13 percent of jobs lost in manufacturing are due to trade—the rest of the losses have been due to advances in technology.

despite (介词) — 让步逻辑的精准表达

Despite

"Despite" 是介词,表示"尽管、虽然",后面直接跟名词短语 ("the widespread fears about trade"),不能接句子。这是英语中表达让步关系最简洁、最正式的方式之一。与之对比:"in spite of" 完全同义但略显冗长;"although/though" 是连词,后接完整句子;"regardless of" 强调"不管、无论",语气更强。"Despite" 在学术写作和新闻报道中极为常见,用于引出与预期相反的事实,制造对比效果。本句用 "despite" 开头,先承认公众对贸易的普遍担忧,再用主句数据反驳这种担忧,论证结构清晰有力。

• ✓ Despite the rain, we went out. (介词 + 名词短语) ✗ Despite it rained, we went out. (误接句子) "Despite" 是介词,只能接名词性成分;若要接句子,需改用连词 "although" 或在 "despite" 后加 "the fact that"。
• ✓ Despite being tired, she continued working. (介词 + 动名词短语) ✗ Despite she was tired, she continued working. 主语相同时,可用动名词短语简化;但不能直接接主谓结构。

due to (短语介词) — 因果关系的标准表达

due to

"Due to" 是复合介词,表示"由于、因为",用于说明原因,后接名词或名词性短语。本句中两次出现:"are due to trade" (归因于贸易) 和 "have been due to advances in technology" (归因于技术进步),都是标准的因果表达。"Due to" 在正式写作中常用于系动词 (be/seem/appear) 之后作表语,说明结果的原因。与 "because of" 基本同义,但 "due to" 更正式、更书面;与 "owing to" 也接近,但 "owing to" 略显古板;"thanks to" 通常用于积极结果。需注意:传统语法认为 "due to" 只能作表语 ("The delay was due to snow"),不应作状语 (不说 "Due to snow, the flight was delayed"),但现代英语中这一区别已逐渐模糊,状语用法也被广泛接受。

• ✓ The cancellation was due to bad weather. (作表语,传统用法) ✗ Due to he was ill, he didn't come. (误接句子) "Due to" 是介词短语,后接名词性成分,不能直接接句子;需改为 "Due to his illness" 或用 "because" 引导句子。
• ✓ Due to budget cuts, the project was delayed. (作状语,现代英语接受) ✗ The project was delayed due to budget cuts. (传统语法认为不当,但现代已接受) 传统上 "due to" 只作表语,但现代英语中状语用法也很普遍,考试中两种用法都认可。

widespread (形容词) — 描述范围的精准用词

widespread

"Widespread" 是形容词,意为"广泛的、普遍的",由 "wide" (宽的) + "spread" (分布) 构成,强调在大范围内分布或影响。本句中修饰 "fears" (恐惧),表示对贸易的担忧不是个别现象,而是存在于社会各阶层、各地区的普遍情绪。"Widespread" 常与抽象名词搭配,如 "widespread belief/concern/support/criticism/panic",用于描述社会现象、公众态度或问题的普遍性。与同义词对比:"common" 侧重"常见的";"universal" 强调"全体的、无例外的",程度更绝对;"prevalent" 更正式,常用于疾病、观念的流行;"extensive" 强调"广泛的、大量的",但不一定强调普遍性。在学术写作和新闻报道中,"widespread" 是描述社会现象影响范围的标准用词。

• ✓ There is widespread support for the policy. (widespread + 抽象名词) ✗ The policy is very widespread. (误用为表语) "Widespread" 通常作定语修饰名词,较少直接作表语;表示"普遍"时,表语可用 "common/prevalent/universal"。

manufacturing (名词) — 经济领域的核心术语

manufacturing

"Manufacturing" 是名词,意为"制造业",由动词 "manufacture" (制造) + -ing 构成,指工业生产、制造活动,尤指大规模的工厂生产。本句中 "jobs lost in manufacturing" 指制造业流失的工作岗位,是经济讨论中的常见表达。"Manufacturing" 是宏观经济、产业政策、就业分析等话题的核心词汇,常见搭配包括:"manufacturing sector/industry" (制造业部门)、"manufacturing output/capacity" (制造业产出/产能)、"manufacturing jobs/employment" (制造业就业)、"advanced/traditional manufacturing" (先进/传统制造业)。与相关词对比:"production" 更广泛,可指任何生产活动;"industry" 泛指工业;"factory" 指具体的工厂。在讨论全球化、贸易政策、就业问题时,"manufacturing" 是不可回避的关键词。

advances (名词) — "进步"的正式表达

advances

"Advances" 是名词 "advance" 的复数形式,意为"进步、发展、进展",是比 "progress" 更正式、更具体的说法。本句中 "advances in technology" (技术进步) 是固定搭配,指技术领域的具体突破或发展。"Advance" 作名词时强调向前推进的具体成果,常与介词 "in" 搭配,表示某领域的进步:"advances in medicine/science/knowledge"。作可数名词时,暗示一系列具体的、可识别的进步;作不可数名词 "advance" 时,更接近抽象的"前进"。与 "progress" 对比:"progress" 更抽象,强调渐进的过程;"advances" 更具体,强调阶段性成果。与 "development" 对比:"development" 侧重演变过程;"advances" 侧重突破性进展。在学术写作中,描述科技、医学等领域的具体进步时,"advances" 比 "progress" 更精准、更正式。

• ✓ Recent advances in AI have transformed many industries. (复数形式,指具体进步) ✗ Recent advance in AI has transformed many industries. (单数形式不自然) 表示某领域的多个进步时,通常用复数 "advances";单数 "advance" 较少用于此义,更常表示"预付款"或"前进"。

just (副词) — 精确数量的强调

just

"Just" 在本句中是副词,位于数词 "13 percent" 之前,表示"仅仅、只有",用于强调数量之小,与读者预期形成反差。这是 "just" 的限定用法,与 "only" 基本同义,但 "just" 在口语和非正式语境中更常见,语气也略显强烈。本句的论证逻辑是:公众普遍担心贸易导致制造业失业,但数据显示贸易仅占 13%,其余 87% 是技术进步造成的——"just" 强化了这个反差,突出贸易影响被高估的事实。"Just" 的这一用法极为常见,尤其在新闻报道和数据陈述中,如 "just 10 minutes" (仅 10 分钟)、"just a few people" (仅少数人)。需注意 "just" 的多义性:还可表示"刚刚"(时间)、"正好"(精确)、"公正的"(形容词),需根据语境判断。

• ✓ Just 5% of the budget was spent. (修饰数量,表示"仅仅") ✗ Only just 5% of the budget was spent. (冗余,不需要同时用 only 和 just) "Just" 和 "only" 在表示"仅仅"时基本同义,通常不需要叠加使用。

the rest of (固定短语) — 表达"剩余部分"

the rest of

"The rest of" 是固定短语,意为"其余的、剩下的",用于指代前文提到的整体中除去已说明部分后的剩余部分。本句中,前半句说明了 13% 的失业归因于贸易,"the rest of the losses" 则指代剩余的 87% 失业,实现了信息的承接和对比。"Rest" 作名词,表示"剩余部分",必须与定冠词 "the" 连用,后接 "of + 名词/代词" 结构。"The rest" 可单独使用 ("Some left, the rest stayed"),也可接 "of" 短语明确所指 ("the rest of the students")。在数量或比例对比的表达中,"the rest" 是实现逻辑衔接的标准用语,避免重复罗列。注意:"the rest of" 后的名词决定动词单复数,如 "the rest of the money is..." (不可数单数)、"the rest of the books are..." (可数复数)。

• ✓ The rest of the students are absent. (复数名词,动词用复数) ✗ The rest of the students is absent. (主谓不一致) "The rest of" 后接复数名词时,动词用复数;接不可数名词时,动词用单数。
• ✓ I'll eat half; you can have the rest. (the rest 单独使用) ✗ I'll eat half; you can have rest. (缺少定冠词 the) "Rest" 表示"剩余部分"时,必须加定冠词 "the"。

现在完成时 have been due to — 强调持续影响的时态选择

have been due to

本句后半部分使用现在完成时 "have been due to",而非一般过去时 "were due to",这是精心的时态选择。现在完成时由 "have/has + 过去分词" 构成,表示过去发生的动作或状态对现在仍有影响或与现在相关。本句中,"the rest of the losses have been due to advances in technology" 强调:制造业失业的主要原因(技术进步)不是某个历史时点的孤立事件,而是一个持续到现在、并可能继续的趋势。如果用一般过去时 "were due to",则暗示这只是过去的情况,现在可能已改变;而现在完成时则传达出"一直是、并且现在依然是"的含义,增强了论证的现实性和紧迫性。这种时态选择在学术论文、政策报告、新闻分析中极为常见,用于将历史数据与当前状况联系起来。对中文学习者而言,现在完成时的"持续相关性"概念常被忽略,容易混淆为一般过去时。

• ✓ The losses have been due to technology. (现在完成时,强调持续相关) ✗ The losses were due to technology. (一般过去时,仅陈述过去事实) 现在完成时暗示该原因持续至今;一般过去时则只说明过去的情况,不涉及现在。
• ✓ Unemployment has risen since 2010. (现在完成时,连接过去与现在) ✗ Unemployment rose since 2010. (时态不搭配,since 通常要求完成时) "Since + 时间点" 强调从过去某时开始至今的状态,常与现在完成时连用。

对比论证 — 用数据反驳公众认知

Despite the widespread fears about trade just 13 percent the rest of the losses have been due to advances in technology

本句采用典型的"让步-反驳"论证结构:先用 "despite" 承认公众对贸易的普遍担忧(让步),再用研究数据 ("just 13 percent") 揭示贸易影响远低于预期,最后指出真正的主因是技术进步(反驳)。这种结构在学术写作和政策辩论中极为常见,其修辞效果在于:通过承认对方观点获得公信力,再用客观数据推翻该观点,使论证更有说服力。本句的关键修辞手段是数量对比:13% 对 87%,配合副词 "just" 强化反差,让读者直观感受到公众认知与事实的巨大差距。这种"数据驱动的反直觉论证"是英语议论文、研究报告的典型特征,要求作者既展示数据,又解释数据背后的含义(技术替代劳动力)。对中文学习者而言,掌握这种论证框架不仅有助于理解复杂文本,也能提升英语写作的逻辑性和说服力。

介词 vs. 连词的混淆 — despite/although 的正确使用

Despite the widespread fears

中文学习者常混淆 "despite" (介词) 和 "although" (连词),因为两者都表示"尽管",中文翻译相同。关键区别在于:"despite" 后接名词短语,"although" 后接完整句子。本句正确用法是 "Despite the widespread fears" (介词 + 名词短语),若改为 "Although the fears are widespread" (连词 + 主谓结构) 也正确,但表达效果不同。"Despite" 更简洁、更正式,适合书面语;"although" 更口语化,适合复杂句。常见错误是写出 "Despite the fears are widespread" (介词误接句子) 或 "Although the widespread fears" (连词误接名词短语)。记忆要点:"despite/in spite of" 是介词,后面只能是名词性成分;"although/though/even though" 是连词,后面必须是完整句子(主语+谓语)。这一区分在英语中非常重要,因为介词和连词是不同词类,用法规则完全不同。

• ✓ Despite the rain, we played. / Although it rained, we played. ✗ Despite it rained, we played. / Although the rain, we played. "Despite" 接名词 "the rain","although" 接句子 "it rained";不能混用。

百分比表达的精准性 — percent 的单复数

13 percent

英语中 "percent" 既可作单数也可作复数,但在正式写作中,尤其是新闻和学术文本,更倾向于使用单数形式 "percent",无论前面的数字是多少。本句用 "13 percent" (单数) 而非 "13 percents",这是标准用法。"Percent" 源自拉丁语 "per centum" (每一百),现代英语中已固化为单数形式。在英式英语中,也常写作 "per cent" (两个词)。需注意的是,虽然 "percent" 本身是单数,但其后的动词单复数取决于 "of" 后的名词:"13 percent of jobs are lost" (jobs 复数,动词用复数);"13 percent of the workforce is unemployed" (workforce 单数,动词用单数)。中文学习者常因中文没有名词单复数变化,而忽略英语中的这些细节;此外,口语中有时会听到 "percents",但正式写作应避免。

• ✓ 50 percent of students are present. (percent 单数,动词看 students) ✗ 50 percents of students are present. (percent 不应加 s) 正式写作中,"percent" 通常不加复数 -s,即使前面是复数数字。

"be due to" 的作表语 vs. 作状语 — 用法争议与现实

are due to trade have been due to advances

本句两次使用 "be due to" 作表语 ("are due to trade", "have been due to"),这是传统语法认可的标准用法:系动词 + "due to" 表示"归因于"。然而,在现代英语中,"due to" 也常作状语使用,如 "Due to bad weather, the flight was cancelled",相当于 "because of"。传统语法学家认为 "due to" 只能作表语,状语应用 "owing to" 或 "because of";但现代用法调查显示,"due to" 作状语已被广泛接受,尤其在新闻和学术写作中。对中文学习者而言,这一争议造成困惑:考试中两种用法通常都认可,但了解区别有助于理解语法演变和不同文体的倾向。建议:在正式写作中,若想绝对保险,作表语用 "due to" ("The delay was due to snow"),作状语用 "because of" ("Because of snow, the flight was delayed");但遇到 "due to" 作状语的用法(如本句若写作 "Due to trade, 13% of jobs were lost")也不必视为错误,这已是现代英语的常见现象。

• ✓ The problem was due to miscommunication. (作表语,传统标准用法) ✗ Due to miscommunication, the problem happened. (传统语法认为不当,但现代接受) 传统上 "due to" 只作表语;作状语是现代用法,考试通常接受,但了解区别有助于理解正式程度。