介绍:
Though typically about two inches taller now than 140 years ago, today's people — especially those born to families who have lived in the U.S. for many generations — apparently reached their limit in the early 1960s.
劈树：本句共有两个谓语成份：“have lived”，“reached”，可以将原句切分为两个小分句。
第一分句为：Though typically about two inches taller now than 140 years ago, today's people—especially those born to families—apparently reached their limit in the early 1960s；
第二分句为：who have lived in the U.S. for many generations；
造竹：第一分句为主句，第二分句为由“who”引导的定语从句，补充说明表示人的代词“those”。
难词（词组）及在句中的含义：
typically （一般而言的，典型的）
inch（英寸）
especially（尤其）
apparently（显然的）
第一分句：Though typically about two inches taller now than 140 years ago, today's people—especially those born to families—apparently reached their limit in the early 1960s；
“Though”引导让步状语从句省略了主语和谓语，当从句主语和主句主语一致时，为避免重叠，从句中往往省略成无主形式，而省略了主语和相应的系动词“be”，具体在本句中是省略了“today’s people are”, 所以完整的分句应该是“Though （today’s people are）typically about two inches taller now than 140 years ago, today's people—especially those born to families—apparently reached their limit in the early 1960s”;
“born to”的含义为“出生于”;
“especially those born to families”为插入语，补充说明“today's people”;
其中“ those”指“those people”;
“born to families”是后置定语，修饰“those”，翻译时置于被修饰词之前。
“reached their limit”中“limit”的含义为“极限”，具体在本句中指“身高的极限”；
第二分句：who have lived in the U.S. for many generations；
此定语从句较短，翻译时可直接置于所修饰的名词(代词)之前即可;
原文回顾：
Though typically about two inches taller now than 140 years ago, today's people — especially those born to families who have lived in the U.S. for many generations — apparently reached their limit in the early 1960s.
第一分句翻译为：尽管今天的人们一般而言身高比140年前高了约两英寸，但是如今的人们——尤其是出生于这样家庭中的人们——很显然在20世纪60年代初时就已达到了（身高）极限;
第二分句翻译为：几代以来生活在美国的家庭;
全句翻译为：尽管今天的人们一般而言身高比140年前高了约两英寸，但是如今的人们——尤其是出生于这样几代以来生活在美国家庭中的人们——很显然在20世纪60年代初时就已达到了（身高）极限。
句式结构考点：让步状语，定语从句;
