In his autobiography，Darwin himself speaks of his intellectual powers with extraordinary modesty. He points out that he always experienced much difficulty in expressing himself clearly and concisely, but 46 he believes that this very difficulty may have had the compensating advantage of forcing him to think long and intently about every sentence, and thus enabling him to detect errors in reasoning and in his own observations, He disclaimed the possession of any great quickness of apprehension or wit, such as distinguished Huxley. 47 He asserts, also, that his power to follow a long and purely abstract train of thought was very limited, for which reason he felt certain that he never could have succeeded with mathematics. His memory, too, he described as extensive, but hazy. So poor in one sense was it that he never could remember for more than a few days a single date or a line of poetry. 48 On the other hand, he did not accept as well founded the charge made by some of his critics that, while he was a good observer, he had no power of reasoning.
This, he thought, could not be true, because the "Origin of Species" is one long argument from the beginning to the end, and has convinced many able men. No one, he submits, could have written it without possessing some power of reasoning. He was willing to assert that "I have a fair share of invention, and of common sense or judgment, such as every fairly successful lawyer or doctor must have, but not, I believe, in any higher degree."49 He adds humbly that perhaps he was "superior to the common run of men in noticing things which easily escape attention, and in observing them carefully."
Writing in the last year of his life, he expressed the opinion that in two or three respects his mind had changed during the preceding twenty or thirty years. Up to the age of thirty or beyond it poetry of many kinds gave him great pleasure. Formerly, too, pictures had given him considerable, and music very great, delight. In 1881, however, he said: "Now for many years I cannot endure to read a line of poetry; I have tried lately to read Shakspeare, and found it so intolerably dull that it nauseated me. I have also almost lost my taste for pictures or music. Music generally sets me thinking too energetically of what I have been at work on, instead of giving me pleasure. I retain some taste for fine scenery, but it does not cause me the exquisite delight which it formerly did." 50 Darwin was convinced that the loss of these tastes was not only a loss of happiness, but might possibly be injurious to the intellect, and more probably to the moral character.
试题解析
46 he believes that this very difficulty may have had the compensating advantage of forcing him to think long and intently about every sentence, and thus enabling him to detect errors in reasoning and in his own observations,
本句的句法结构为主语、谓语加上以that引导的宾语从句，句子主干为he believes that….that从句的结构是主语“this very difficulty ”加上含有情态动词的谓语“may have” 及其宾语the….advantage of forcing…, and thus enabling…。Of后面forcing和enabling组成并列结构，共同修饰advantage。并列结构的后半部分中，出现了thus enabling…，考前充分研究过往年考题的同学不难发现，这个结构和03年61题的thus subjecting…这个结构几乎完全相同，可以使用“从而“、”因而“等词来处理。。
47 He asserts, also, that his power to follow a long and purely abstract train of thought was very limited, for which reason he felt certain that he never could have succeeded with mathematics.
本句主干结构为主语he加上谓语asserts，后跟that引导的宾语从句。宾语从句的结构是his power to… was…，其中不定式to引导的部分 follow …of thought做power的定语；而在for which reason所引导的非限制性定语从句中，又包含一个由that引导的宾语从句。for which reason引导非限定性定语从句，结构复杂，信息量较大，应该采用后置法翻译，比较简便的方法是翻译为“由于这个原因”。
本题涉及到的词汇中也有不少往年考点的重现。如abstract在03年65题考过，而reason，reasoning，reasoned，reasonable这类单词考过无数次。Asserts 一词，同46题中引出观点的believe一词，也曾反复考察过多次，功能相同常考词还有 argue, claim, contend, point out, state 等。
48 On the other hand, he did not accept as well founded the charge made by some of his critics that, while he was a good observer, he had no power of reasoning.
本句篇幅最短，但是难度最大。相信许多同学在第一遍阅读过这个句子的时候，将as well 理解为一个整体词组，用于引导并列结构。但是我们在课堂上所反复接触过的并列结构具备一个非常明显的特点，就是并列成分的时态形式统一。而本句中，accept使用原型，founded 则是被动语态(将founded 理解为find的过去式的同学也大有人在，这是混淆了found作为动词“找到”的过去式和动词“建立”的原型之间意义区别的结果)。
其实，正确拆分本题的句法结构后，我们可以发现，这个结构与06年46、47题中连续出现的宾语和宾语补足语之间倒装的结构如出一辙。06年度题目中我们曾仔细分析过，谓语动词后如果跟了篇幅较长的宾语，在英语中往往会将宾语后置，而将宾语补足语前提。本句就是典型的将“as well founded”前提到accept 之后，而正常的语序应是 accept sth. as . 而accept的宾语charge这个词之后的that引导的是一个同位语从句。
理解了这个最难的部分，其他的结构就相对简单很多了，而且多数是往年考点的重现。比如 on the other hand，在07年47题刚刚考察过；而由while引导的让步状语从句，while的意思等同于although, 也在99年61题等题目中间出现过。词汇方面，critics在95年71题出现过。
49 He adds humbly that perhaps he was "superior to the common run of men in noticing things which easily escape attention, and in observing them carefully."
50 Darwin was convinced that the loss of these tastes was not only a loss of happiness, but might possibly be injurious to the intellect, and more probably to the moral character.
试题解析
本题的主干结构还是宾语从句 be convinced that, 其中谓语部分包含常考点被动语态be convinced that…，这个结构在98年75题出现过。宾语从句中的not only… but结构，和to… and to…结构都是常考的并列结构，我们曾在课堂上复习过多次。
本题考查点是宾语从句。主干是Darvin was convinced that…。其中宾语从句的结构是the loss of these tastes was not only…, but…be injurious to …, and to …。