Question

2．他无法解释他缺席会议的原因，这让老板非常生气．（account for； 定语从句）
He couldn't account for his being absent from the meeting/his absence from the meeting，which made the boss very angry．．

Answer 1

分析 他无法解释他缺席会议的原因，这让老板非常生气．

解答 答案：He couldn't account for his being absent from the meeting/his absence from the meeting，which made the boss very angry．考查account for和定语从句．
句子里account for 表示"解释某事的原因"； being absent from 表示"缺席"；which 引导非限制性定语从句，代指主句．

点评 考查汉译英．
account for的用法．
1．说明（原因、理由等），是…的原因；解释，对…作出解释（或说明）：
Jack could not account for his foolish mistake．
杰克无法解释自己的愚蠢错误．
2．说出（钱物等）的处理经过，讲清（各项花费、亏空原因等），说明钱的去向，报账：
He has to account to the chairman for all the money he spends．
他必须向主席说明他所花掉所有钱的去向．
3．导致，引起，起因于：
The flood accounted for the bad crop．
水灾导致歉收．
4．[口语]打死，射死，枪杀；消灭；俘获，捕获（人、动物）；击落（飞机）；【体育】击败；击出场：
The policemen accounted for three terrorists at the airport．
警察在飞机场击毙了三名恐怖分子．
5．还钱；为（干的坏事）受处分（或赔款），受到惩罚：
It will take her fifteen years in prison to account for such horrible crime．
她犯下如此可怕的罪行，得坐15年牢．
6．对（或为）…负责：
You will have to account for the disappearance of the money．
你要对丢失了钱负责．
7．共计达；（在数量、比例上）占：
It accounts for 15 per cent of all air accidents．
它占所有空难的15%．