The shop has a fine selection of cheeses. (LDCE)
[原译1]这家商店有上乘的干酪。（《朗文现代英汉双解词典》，现代出版社，p.1290）
[原译2]这个商店有上好的干酪出售(《朗文英汉双解活用词典》, 上海译文出版社, p.785)
上面 a fine(good) selection of 结构中的 fine 是指“质量好”，还是指“数量多”呢？
首先应当明确，a selection of 结构中的 selection 并不是指“可供选择的货物”（《现代英语用法词典》，p.3916 上的注释），而是指“可供选择的数量或种类”（a quantity or variety to choose from），因而 selection 前的形容词 fine, good, wide, great 等并不是指“质量好”，而是指“数量或品种多”。请考察下面的实例：
- There is a great selection of books on that topic.
A. variety B. similarity C. deficiency D. lack (TOEFL)
关于这个问题有各种各样的书可以参考。
-
The shop offered a very good selection of hats. (WBD) 这家商店有各种各样的帽子可供选购。
-
There's very little selection of winter clothes in the spring. (FWF) 春天没有什么可选购的冬季服装。
-
The store had a wide selection of bracelets. (RCD) 这家商店有多种多样的手镯供你选购。
a selection of 的另一含义是“选集”或“选曲”：
The orchestra was playing a selection of tunes from the Merry Widow. 乐队正在演奏《快乐的寡妇》的选曲。
请做下面的英语试题：
If a shop has a good selection, ____.
A. you can get everything you want there
B. you are permitted to select anything there
C. all the things there are good and expensive
D. all the things shown are carefully selected(北京会考,94-38)