驅逐艦 Destroyers

驅逐艦 Destroyers（114 字）

Originally built in the late nineteenth century to hunt down fast torpedo boats that threatened larger warships, destroyers, whose speed and agility made them natural escorts, have steadily grown so much larger that modern classes such as the American Arleigh Burke can rival older cruisers in firepower, though they remain smaller than true cruisers, and what now defines them is their ability to hunt submarines, shoot down aircraft and strike surface ships at the same time, a flexibility that navies prize not because destroyers are the largest ships in the fleet but because they balance cost and capability better than either cruisers or frigates can, which explains why so many navies keep building them.

1. 結構破解

Originally built in the late nineteenth century to hunt down fast torpedo boats

that threatened larger warships,

destroyers,

whose speed and agility made them natural escorts,

have steadily grown so much larger

that modern classes such as the American Arleigh Burke can rival older cruisers in firepower,

though they remain smaller than true cruisers,

and what now defines them is their ability to hunt submarines, shoot down aircraft and strike surface ships at the same time,

a flexibility that navies prize

not because destroyers are the largest ships in the fleet

but because they balance cost and capability better than either cruisers or frigates can,

which explains why so many navies keep building them.

2. 分解為短句

Destroyers have steadily grown larger.（主句骨架）

Destroyers were originally built in the late nineteenth century.

They were built to hunt down fast torpedo boats.

The torpedo boats threatened larger warships.

Their speed and agility made them natural escorts.

Modern classes can rival older cruisers in firepower.

The American Arleigh Burke is an example of these classes.

Destroyers remain smaller than true cruisers.

Their ability to hunt submarines, shoot down aircraft and strike surface ships now defines them.

They can do all of this at the same time.

This is a flexibility.

Navies prize this flexibility.

Destroyers are not the largest ships in the fleet.

Destroyers balance cost and capability better than cruisers or frigates can.

This explains why so many navies keep building them.

3. 參考譯文

驅逐艦最初建造於十九世紀末，目的是獵殺威脅大型軍艦的高速魚雷艇，其速度與敏捷使它們成為天然的護衛艦。它們逐漸變得更大，現代艦級如美國的阿利·伯克級，在火力上已可媲美較舊的巡洋艦，不過仍小於真正的巡洋艦。如今定義它們的是能同時獵潛、防空與攻擊水面艦艇的能力。各國海軍看重這種靈活性，並非因為驅逐艦是艦隊中最大的艦艇，而是因為它們在成本與能力之間取得的平衡，優於巡洋艦或巡防艦，這也說明了為何這麼多海軍持續建造它們。

4. 組合寫作練習（請勿看例句，嘗試將短句組回原長句）

5. 補充說明

句型創新：本句以過去分詞片語 Originally built ... to ... 開頭（被動語態，與前兩例的 Evolving 及形容詞片語不同），主詞 destroyers 後接 whose 子句。主句用 have grown so much larger that ... 的「如此……以至於」結果句型，再以 though 讓步補充限制。接著用 what 名詞子句當主詞（what now defines them is ...），後面以同位語 a flexibility that ... 說明，並用 not because ... but because ... 的對比結構解釋原因。結尾以非限定關係子句 which explains why ... 收束全句。

destroyer：「驅逐艦」；torpedo boat：「魚雷艇」；agility：「敏捷」

escort：「護衛艦；護送」；rival：「與……匹敵」；firepower：「火力」

hunt submarines：「獵潛（反潛）」；surface ship：「水面艦艇」；flexibility：「靈活性」

prize：「重視、珍視」；balance：「平衡、兼顧」；capability：「能力」

文法提醒：

Originally built ... 在意義上修飾 destroyers，是被動的過去分詞片語。

that threatened 的先行詞是 torpedo boats，不是 destroyers。

so much larger that ... 是「如此……以至於」，that 子句說明變大的結果。

what now defines them is ... 中，what 子句整個是主詞，is 後面才是補語。

a flexibility 是前面整串能力的同位語；that navies prize 修飾 flexibility。

not because ... but because ... 是對比結構，兩個 because 子句要並列。

最後的 which 指代前面整段內容，不是單一名詞。

舉例：

阿利·伯克級：美國海軍的主力神盾驅逐艦，1991 年首艦服役，兼具防空、反潛與對海攻擊能力。

驅逐艦的起源：早期稱為「魚雷艇驅逐艦」，原本用來攔截魚雷艇，後來任務逐步擴大。

三者比較：巡洋艦最大、火力最強、可遠洋巡弋；巡防艦最小、火力較弱、偏重近海護衛；驅逐艦居中，以多任務與成本平衡見長。