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我们可以把than用作关系代词来引导定语从句，这一点也许很多考生还不熟悉，但却在历年考研真题中多次出现。请看下列真题例句：
71 Families have also experienced changes these years. More families consist of one parent households or two working parents; consequently, children are likely to have less supervision at home ______ was common in the traditional family structure.
A. than B. that C. which D. as
正确答案 A
妙语点睛 这里than在从句中充当主语，后面接谓语动词was，它指代的先行名词是supervision，比较的对象是现代家庭对孩子的supervision要比传统家庭少。
精品译文 这些年来家庭模式也经历了变化，更多的家庭是单亲家庭或者双职工家庭；其结果是，与传统家庭结构相比而言，孩子可能在现代家庭里所受的管教更少。
对于than作为关系代词的用法，很多考生会感到很不理解。下面将通过类比说明详细解释一下。上句中先行词supervision前面有一个比较级形容词less，而在结构上与比较级构成呼应的只能是than，也就是构成less...than这样的结构搭配（children are likely to have less supervision at home than was common in the traditional family structure）。为什么我们要把这个句子看作定语从句，而不是大家所熟悉的比较状语从句呢？为了解释清楚，现在我们试着把less...than这一结构从句子中去掉并稍加改写，原句：
Children are likely to have less supervision at home than was common in the traditional family structure.
就变为：
Children are likely to have the supervision at home that was common in the traditional family structure.
这就是一个典型的定语从句了，that取代了than在从句中作主语。这句话的意思就成了“孩子们在现代家庭里可能有的管教，在传统家庭里也有”。我们还可以更进一步用上面提到过的the same...as来替换，原句就变为：
Children are likely to have the same supervision at home as was common in the traditional family structure.
这里as取代了than在从句中作主语。这句话意思是“孩子们在现代家庭里受到了与传统家庭里相同的管教”。说到这里，我们也就解释了为什么正确答案不是that，which 或as，因为它们都无法和less构成结构上的呼应关系。从上述这样的详细分析中，我们可以归纳总结出than引导定语从句的用法特点：
1）than可作关系代词引导定语从句，在从句中一般作主语（也可作宾语）。
2）than前面的主句需有形容词比较级形式。
3）比较级所修饰的名词即为先行词。
我们下面来看更多的真题例句：
72 There ought to be less anxiety over the perceived risk of getting cancer than ______ in the public mind today.
A. exists B. exist C. existing D. existed
正确答案 A
妙语点睛 根据以上分析，我们知道，这个句子也是than引导的定语从句。在关系词than前边众多名词（如cancer, risk, anxiety）当中，哪个是先行词呢？大家只要按照我上面提到过的than用法特点3“比较级所修饰的名词即为先行词”，就很容易判断出这里的先行词是anxiety，先行词是单数，所以谓语动词应为exists。故正确答案为A。than就是指代anxiety在从句中作主语。这里我们再次看到正确判断先行词的重要性，找到了先行词，原句就好理解了，定语从句than exists in the public mind today表示的是存在于人们心中的是anxiety，不是cancer或risk。这样，整个句子的意思就明了了。
精品译文 人们不应该像如今这样担心患上癌症。
类似的考题在1999年再次出现：
73 These proposals sought to place greater restrictions on the use and copying of digital information than ______ in traditional media.
A. exist B. exists C. existing D. to exist
正确答案 A
妙语点睛 只要掌握了than引导定语从句的上述特点，很快就能判断出在than前边的众多名词（如information, use, restrictions）当中，restrictions是先行词，因为它前面带有比较级修饰语greater。先行词是复数，所以谓语动词应为exist。故正确答案为A。定语从句than exist in traditional media表示的是存在于传统媒体中的restrictions，不是information或use。
精品译文 这些提案试图寻求一种对数字化信息的使用与复制比传统媒体更加严格的限制。
再看更多例句：
74 Don't drink more wine than is good for health .
75 Don't give him more money than is needed , since money will burn a hole in his pocket.
76 For any given task in Britain there are more men than are needed . Strong unions keep them there. In Fleet Street, home of some London's biggest dailies, it is understood that when two unions quarrel over three jobs, the argument is settled by giving each union two. That means 33 percent over-manning, 33 percent less productivity than could be obtained .
77 Somewhat surprisingly, Schwenk found that opinions about conflict varied systematically as a function of the type of organization. Specifically, managers in not-for-profit organizations strongly believed that conflict was beneficial to their organizations and that it promoted higher quality decision-making than might be achieved in the absence of conflict .
在上面讨论的than引导定语从句的例子中，than都是在从句中充当主语，下面我们来看两个than在从句中作宾语的例子：
78 For now, however, it does appear that the economy can sustain a higher growth rate than most people thought plausible just a year or two ago . In that limited respect, at least, we appear to be in a “New Economy”.
妙语点睛 这里higher所修饰的名词短语growth rate是先行词，than指代growth rate, 同时在从句中作谓语动词thought的宾语（plausible作宾语补足语）。所以，定语从句than most people thought plausible just a year or two ago意思是“目前经济的增长率要高于一两年前大多数人认为有可能的增长率”，换句话说，“目前的增长率在一两年前是绝大多数人认为不可能实现的”。
精品译文 不过，目前我们的经济确实实现了持续较快的增长，该增长率在一两年前是绝大多数人认为不可能实现的。所以，仅此而言，我们正处于一个“新经济时代”。
79 He soon found it easy to make more money by thieving than his father had done by a lifetime of honest work .
妙语点睛 这里more所修饰的名词money，即为先行词，than指代money, 同时在从句中作谓语动词had done（即had made）的宾语。定语从句than his father had done by a lifetime of honest work意思是：他父亲通过一辈子辛勤劳作所挣的钱。
精品译文 很快他就发现，盗窃比他父亲一辈子勤恳劳作容易挣到更多的钱。