1. His colleague, Michael Beer, says that far too many companies have applied re-engineering in a mechanistic fashion, chopping out costs without giving sufficient thought to long-term profitability.
【译文】他的同事迈克比尔说，太多的公司已用机械的方式进行重组，在没有充分考虑到长期赢利能力的情况下降低了成本。
【析句】句子的主干（His colleague,Michael Beer,says）比较明了，宾语是that引导的宾语从句。从句包含两个状语成分，一是in a mechanistic fashion表示方式，一是现在分词短语chopping out costs without giving sufficient thought to long-term profitability表示伴随，都是说明谓语applied的。
【讲词】apply意为"申请；应用"，在句中"运用"的意思。The purpose of the guidelines applied in the program is to improve the efficiency of the company.（在该计划中实施这些方针的目的是为了提高公司的效率。）It is more important to apply what we have learned into practice.（把我们所学的知识应用于实践更为重要。）
2. Few creations of big technology capture the imagination like giant dams. Perhaps it is humankind's long suffering at the mercy of flood and drought that makes the ideal of for cing the waters to do our bidding so fascinating.
【译文】 在重大技术所创造的东西中很少能有像大型水坝这样让人痴迷的。可能正是因为人类长期遭受旱涝灾害的摆布才使得人们治理江河、供我驱策的理想如此令人痴迷。
【析句】第一句是简单句。第二句是强调句（it is... that），所强调的是humankind's long suffering，它也是从句的实际主语，即humankind's long suffering... makes...。
【讲词】capture the imagination of是一个固定搭配，意为"为......吸引"或"激发......想象力"。The story of Harry Potter has captured the imagination of millions of readers in the world.（哈里波特的故事让全世界数以百万的读者为之痴迷。）at the mercy of意为"任......处置；无能为力"。We will not live at the mercy of terrorists.（我们不会听任恐怖主义者的摆布。）
bidding意为"命令；出价；邀请"。注意bidding相关的词组，例如at one's bidding（依嘱；遵命），do one's bidding（照......的命令做，照......的话办）。