Question

求翻译并且分析一下句子的结构。

这是一篇GMAT里面说美国经济模式的文章。主要是在批评的他们经济模式的不灵活，改革困难之类的

But Americans imagined a condition in which speculators, self-makers, runners are always using the new opportunities given by our land. These economic leaders (front-runners) would thus be mainly agents of change. The nonstarters were considered the ones who wanted stability, a strong referee to give them some position in the race, a regulative hand （这里主要指什么）to calm manic speculation; an authority that can call things to a halt, begin things again from 【compensatorily staggered “starting lines.”】这里什么意思？
“Reform” in America has been sterile because it can imagine nochange except through the extension of this metaphor of a race, wider inclusionof competitors, “a piece of the action,” as it were, for the disenfranchised. 这一段可以帮我全部解释一下吗？ 还有这里的句子结构是怎么样的我不太懂。 那里是主句？修饰语是哪里？里面有倒装省略的吗？

Answer 1

But Americans imagined a condition in which speculators, self-makers, runners are always using the new opportunities given by our land.
可是美国设想出了这样一种状况:往往投机商、自我发家的富商还有走私商才是得到了我们的土地所提供的新的机会的人。
These economic leaders (front-runners) would thus be mainly agents of change.
这些经济领域的领导者们（在商业竞争中处于领先地位的人们）因此成为了改革的主要领导者。
The nonstarters were considered the ones who wanted stability, a strong referee to give them some position in the race, a regulative hand （这里主要指什么）to calm manic speculation;
在竞争中落后的那些人则被认为是希望经济稳定发展、强烈希望自己能在商业竞争中有一席之地的人，他们被认为是有在一些狂热的投机活动中起到稳定态势的调节作用的人。
an authority that can call things to a halt, begin things again from 【compensatorily staggered “starting lines.”】
他们是能够使得事态停止下来、使得一切又从一种补偿性的错开的起跑线重新开始的权威人士
“Reform” in America has been sterile because it can imagine nochange except through the extension of this metaphor of a race, wider inclusion of competitors, “a piece of the action,” as it were, for the disenfranchised
在美国的所谓改革不见成效因为没看到什么改变，除非通过扩大这个在比喻意义上的竞赛的规模、扩大竞争对手的范围和让没有发言权的人参与到竞争中这三种方法
这3种方式就是并列的3个分句，是由except through引导的。然而这个except through又居然被省略了两次。can imagine no change就是cannot imagine change,无法想象出会有什么变化。extension of this metaphor of a race是扩大这个在比喻意义上的竞赛的规模，as it were是仿佛好像，表示前面的部分是个类比。disenfranchised是没有发言权的，被剥夺了权利的意思。