新概念英语第四册37-03

句型变换：we admitted that …so we were obsessed…

接下来课文...The Victorians would have considered it 'painful' or 'unpleasant' were one to point out that only four marriages out of every ten are anything but forced servitudes. ...

would have considered 虚拟语气，因为猜测。

were one to point out...=if one were to point out… 倒装句型（条件句）

four marriages out of every ten 十分之四

anything but： 除去

arranged marriage 包办婚姻 red veil 红纱

接下来课文...We ourselves start from this very assumption and try to build from it a theory of more sensible relations between the sexes. ...

very ： 修饰名词，是强调词

On the very day, I met the girl. 就在这一天，我见了那个女孩。

On the very morning 就是那天早晨

from = based on

sensible = reasonable 合理的

接下来课文...Of all forms of arrant untruthfulness Victorian optimism appears to me to have been the most cowardly and the most damaging. ...

optimism ：乐观派，乐观主义（主语）

have been ：过去完成式，

damaging ：危害严重的

该句为介词短语前置句，把它恢复后如下：

Victorian optimism appears to me to have been the most cowardly and the most damaging of all forms of arrant untruthfulness.