例97　The assertion that it was difficult for a people to enjoy its basic rights unless it was able to determine freely its political status and to ensure freely its economic, social and cultural development was scarcely contested.

【结构分析】这句话的主干是The assertion was scarcely contested，中间加上同位语从句that it was difficult for a people to enjoy its basic rights...，同位语从句里面套有状语从句unless it was able to determine freely its political status and to ensure freely its economic, social and cultural development。

【亮点回放】此句话的亮点在于很长的同位语从句的很好的使用，而且同位语从句里面还套有很棒的条件状语从句unless，后面还用了两个to do并列，句子的延展性得到增加，很有气势。

【核心词汇】

assertion　观点

a people　一个民族

basic rights　基本权利

determine freely　自由决定

political status　政治地位

ensure freely　自由确保

scarcely contested　毋庸置疑

【参考译文】有这样一种观点说，只有一个民族自由地决定它的政治地位而且确保它的经济，社会和文化发展的自由，它才能享受最基本的权利，这个观点是毋庸置疑的。