The role those anthropologists ascribe to evolution is not of dictating the details of human behavior but one of imposing constraints—ways of feeling,thinking,and acting that "come naturally" in archetypal situations in any culture. (4)

這些人類學家所歸諸于生物進化的作用,不是規(guī)定人類行為的種種細節(jié),而是將各種限制強加于人類——即在任何文化的典型情景中都會“自然表露”的情感、思維、以及行動方式。

難句類型:

復雜修飾、省略

解釋

盡管我們很熟悉the role of something的這種表達,但本句中the role of被作者勝利很活。

首先,在role后面有一個省略了引導詞that的定語從句(因為role在從句中作ascribe的賓語),這樣就把role和系動詞is隔得很遠。

其次,but前面的句子的主要結構The role is not of doing something其實是The role is not the role of doing something的省略形式,因為后面的the role與前面的完全重復,如果不把它省略掉,誰看到都要覺得啰嗦。

因為同樣的道理,but之后的one of imposing constraints實際上是is one role of imposing constraints的省略形式。

意群訓練:

The role those anthropologists ascribe to evolution is not of dictating  the details of human behavior but one of imposing constraints— ways of feeling, thinking,and acting that "come naturally" in archetypal situations in any culture.