「句1」 There had been a meeting of the minds.

　　[译文]大家已取得了一致的看法。

　　[分析]千万不要理解为“曾举行过一次会议”，“meeting of the minds”的意思是协议。

　　「句2」外面雨下得瓢泼似的，我们只好呆在家里。

　　[译文]The rain being very heavy，we had to stay at home.

　　[分析]这两句不是并列的关系，这句话后面才是重要的，所以翻译成独立结构，表示原因或伴随。

　　段子：

　　近代的上海，十里洋场，自开埠以来，固然有许多辛酸的不平等的血泪史，固然有许多污泥浊水，这里被称为是“冒险家的乐园”，这里有鸦片，有荡妇，有赌棍，使人纸醉金迷，乃至使人堕落。可是，上海这座近代大城市却更有它的另一面，它有活力、它聪慧、革新、进取，它敢于担风险，有竞争意识及机制，这种城市意识或风格，使人奋发，跟上时代，走向进步。

　　译文：

　　In the contemporary period， Shanghai as a metropolis infested by foreign adventurers has indeed recorded， since the opening of its commercial port， a bitter， blood-and-tear history of many miseries and inequalities. Referred to as the Paradise of Adventurers， Shanghai was indeed home to “human sludge and filth” where one could find opium， dissolute women and gamblers. It was a place that made people indulge in luxury and dissipation and given to sensuous pleasures， even inducing people to become degenerate. However， there is a different and more important picture of Shanghai as a modern metropolis. It has been full of vitality and vigor， displaying its unique intelligence and wisdom， characterized by an innovative and enterprising spirit. It has the courage to assume risks and is in possession of both the awareness and the mechanism of competition. Such a metropolitan mentality or style inspires its residents， encouraging them to keep abreast with the changing epochs and to make efforts toward greater progress.

　　[分析]这段话有众多的流水句和无主句构成。应该在适当的地方补充主语和连词。