1、The time when I first met Nelson Mandela, was a very difficult period of my life.
第一次见到纳尔逊·曼德拉的时候是在我一生中非常艰难的时期。
这个句子中包含一个定语从句，该定语从句属于B句型，when I first met Nelson Mandela
是一个定语从句，when在定语从句中作状语，代替先行词time。
①This was a time when you could not read or write.
②The day when Nelson Mandela told me what to do and helped me was one of the
happiest days of my life.
2、It was 1952 and he had opened a black law firm to advise poor black people on
their problems.
那时是1952年，他开设了一家黑人律师事务所，为那些遇到麻烦的穷苦黑人提供咨询服
务。
注意advise的习惯搭配：
advise … on就某事出主意，advise sb to do sth / advise doing建议某人做某事
①The teacher advised us to do more reading in our spare time.
老师建议我们在业余时间多读点书。
②They advise planting more trees in spring.
他们建议在春季多植树。
③It’s a doctor’s job to advise patients on health problem.
医生的职责就是向病人提供有关健康的建议。
④Could you advise me on this problem?
对于这个问题你能给我一些忠告吗？
3、The school where I had studied only two years was three kilometers away.
我仅仅读了两年的那所学校有三公里远。
be … away有……远，可以指距离，也可以指时间。
①My birthday is three days away.
=My birthday is three days off.
=My birthday is in three days’time.
再过三天就是我的生日。
②The new house（that）he has just bought is about three miles away.
=The new house（that）he has just bought is about three miles off.
他新买的房子大约在三公里以外。
注意：be … away和be far away的区别，与具体数字连用时，要用be … away，不
能用be far away。
①My hometown is far away from here.
我的家乡离这儿很远。
②My hometown is 50 kilometers away from here.
我的家乡离这儿有50公里远。
4、We were put in a position in which we had either to accept we were less important,
or fight the government.
我们被置于这样一个境地：要么我们被迫接受低人一等的现实，要么跟政府作斗争。
“less+形容词（副词）原级+than”是形容词（副词）比较级的一种，表示前者不如后
者。
①This building is less tall than that one.
这栋建筑物没有那一栋高。
比较：This building is taller than that one.
This building is much taller than that one.
②This truck is running less smoothly than it used to be.
这辆卡车比如以前跑得那样稳了。
5、Only then did we decide to answer violence with violence.
只有在这时，我们才决定用暴力反对暴力。
这是一个倒装句。一般句子是主语在前，动词在后，但在倒装句中，句子的结构是动词
在前，主语在后。（该语法项目安排在高二正式学习）
only修饰的副词、介词短语和状语从句放在句首加强语气时，经常用倒装句。
①Only yesterday did his father tell the truth, which was a big surprise to him.
昨天他父亲才把真相告诉他，这对他真是一个令人吃惊的消息。
②Only by bike can you get there on time.
只有骑自行车你才能按时到达那儿。
③Only when you come and join us can we win the game.
只有你参加，我们才能赢得这场比赛。
6、Since I was better educated, I got a job working in an office.
因为我受过比较好的教育，我得到了一份坐办公室的工作。
better educated是well educated的比较级，英语中副词+过去分词的用法经常出现。
①The middle-aged woman is always well dressed.
那位中年妇女一直打扮得很好。
②The workers there are badly paid.
那儿的工人待遇很差。
③The desks and chairs in the classroom are orderly placed.
教室的桌椅摆放得很整齐。