Intellect, according to Hofstadter, is different from native intelligence, a quality we reluctantly admire.
同位语是名词词组的一部分。同位语也有限制性和非限制性之分。限制性同位语通常用逗号隔开。和定语一样，同位语应该尽量接近被解释的名词。因此，上句中的同位语解释的是intelligence. 语法上不允许将其视为intellect的同位语。如果它是intellect的同位语，就应该放在according to之前。如：
Intellect, a quality we reluctantly admire，according to Hofstadter, is different from native intelligence.
不存在就近指代的说法，
同位语或定语应该尽量接近其修饰的名词，以避免误解。注意是尽量接近，不是说离它最近的
那个名词。
如：The change met the technical requirements of the new age by engaging a large professional element and prevented the decline in efficiency that so commonly spoiled the fortunes of family firms in the second and third generation after the energetic founders.这里的“that”指代什么 是decline 还是 efficiency还是decline in efficiency？
答案是decline。
句子中the decline in efficiency, 介词短语作后置定语修饰decline，当decline再需要一个定语从句时，该定语从句应该尽量接近decline，但由于decline已经有后置的介词短语作定语，因此定语从句置于介词短语之后已经是尽量接近了。
The change met the technical requirements of the new age by engaging a large professional element and prevented the decline in efficiency that so commonly spoiled the fortunes of family firms in the second and third generation after the energetic founders.这里的“that”指代什么 是decline 还是 efficiency还是decline in efficiency？
family firms 家族企业
不过我们来分析一下这个长难句的成分：
The change met the technical requirements (of the new age) (by engaging a large professional element) and { prevented the decline in efficiency [ that so commonly spoiled the fortunes (of family firms (in the second and third generation)]( after the energetic founders ) ] }.
这种变化通过引入大量的专业元素来满足新时代的技术要求，并防止了效率的下降，这种下降通常会破坏家族企业在充满活力的创始人之后的第二代和第三代的财富。
原始句子应该是这样的：
The change met the technical requirements and prevented the decline in efficiency.
典型的不划括号读不懂系列。
专八所表现的中式考试的味道依然很重。
可以看出一些明显的中国人特有的堆垒词汇，叠加句式的现象。可以说是无病呻吟。