Fundamentally, the USPS is in a historic squeeze between technological change that has permanently decreased demand for its bread-and-butter product, first-class mail, and a regulatory structure that denies management the flexibility to adjust its operations to the new reality. (2018年 英一 Text 4)
【难点分析】本句为复合句。句子主干是 the USPS is in a historic squeeze,主干后是一个长后置定语修饰historic squeeze,定语中又包含两个定语从句,分别是that has ... mail修饰technological change和that denies ... reality修饰a regulatory structure。定语从句2中,deny sb. sth.是固定搭配,意为“不允许/不让某人拥有某物或做某事”;adjust sth. to sth.也是固定搭配,意为“调整某物适应……”。
【参考译文】从根本上说,美国邮政局处于历史性的困境:一方面是技术变革永久性地降低了对其主要产品即普通邮件的需求;另一方面,监管结构剥夺了管理层调整其业务以适应新现实的灵活性。