难句解析：
①The change met the technical requirements of the new age by engaging a large professional element and prevented the decline in efficiency that so commonly spoiled the fortunes of family firms in the second and third generation after the energetic founders.
▲句子的主干结构是The change met... requirements... and prevented the decline...。其中by engaging a large professional element是介词词组作状语，说明met the technical requirements of the new age的方式。decline in efficiency后面的that引导定语从句修饰前面的decline in efficiency。
△此句的阅读关键在于抓住句子的主干，即主要谓语动词，这样就能把握句子的基本结构，从而明白句子的主要意思。engage在这里的意思是“使卷入，涉及”。
②Such large, impersonal manipulation of capital and industry greatly increased the numbers and importance of shareholders as a class, an element in national life representing irresponsible wealth detached from the land and the duties of the landowners; and almost equally detached from the responsible management of business.
▲这个句子的主干结构是... manipulation... increased the numbers and importance of shareholders as a class...。其中an element是class的同位语，representing irresponsible wealth是现在分词作定语修饰前面的element，detached from则是过去分词作后置定语，相当于是省略了which is的定语从句。and连接两个detached from，都修饰前面的wealth。
△理解an element是a class的同位语是理解此句的关键。只要分清句子的主语、谓语动词的中心词，就能够抓住句子的主要意思。在速度的时候，也可以先抓住主句而略过an element后面的部分不看。另外句中一些短语的意思也会影响到对整句的理解，如：detach from与……相分离；irresponsible wealth不负责任的财富，在本句中指的是股东们虽然拥有大量财富，但并不参与公司的运作，不承担任何经营管理的责任。
③Towns like Bournemouth and Eastbourne sprang up to house large "comfortable" classes who had retired on their incomes, and who had no relation to the rest of the community except that of drawing dividends and occasionally attending a shareholders' meeting to dictate their orders to the management.
▲这个句子的主干结构是Towns... sprang up to house... classes，后面两个who引导两个定语从句修饰前面的classes。except在这里是介词，它后面的that指代relation。drawing和attending是并列关系，作介词of的宾语。动词不定式to dictate their orders to the management是表示目的的状语。
△理解这句的关键是两个who引导的定语从句都是修饰classes的，而且except后面的that指代的是relation。
④The "shareholders" as such had no knowledge of the lives, thoughts or needs of the workmen employed by the company in which he held shares, and his influence on the relations of capital and labour was not good.
▲这个句子是and连接的两个并列句。第一个句子的主干结构是The "shareholders" had no knowledge...。在第一个句子中，employed作定语修饰前面的workmen，相当于省略了who were (employed by)...。which引导定语从句in which he held shares修饰前面的company。第二句的主干结构是his influence... was not good，是常见的主语+系动词+表语结构。
△第一分句中要认清employed by和后面which引导的从句都是修饰什么成分的。另外，在阅读本句中，指代关系也非常重要，要看清代词he和his都是指代前面的shareholders。
⑤The paid manager acting for the company was in more direct relation with the men and their demands, but even he had seldom that familiar personal knowledge of the workmen which the employer had often had under the more patriarchal system of the old family business now passing away.
▲首先这个句子是but连接的两个转折关系的句子。第一个句子的主干结构是The... manager... was in more direct relation with...。第一个句子中acting for是现在分词作定语，修饰manager。第二个句子的主干结构是he had seldom that... knowledge of the workmen...。第二个句子中which引导定语从句which the employer had often had...修饰前面的familiar personal knowledge，passing away是现在分词作定语修饰前面的family business。under the more patriarchal system of the old family business是介词词组作状语，修饰谓语had often had。
△理解本句的重点在于对第二个分句的理解。he指代前面的the paid manager，which引导的定语从句是修饰that familiar personal knowledge的，而不是修饰workmen的，因为在这个of词组that familiar personal knowledge of the workmen当中中词词是knowledge，而且其中的that一词是用来强调familiar personal knowledge，在朗读的时候应该重读。另外现在分词词组now passing away是修饰前面的the old family business的。把这些修饰关系弄清楚，就能够把握句子的层次结构了。

来源:可可英语 http://www.kekenet.com/kaoyan/201407/310053.shtml