提问：2772-GMAT 75 (12/22)

Until recently, the most persuasive explanation for these differences was that Portuguese institutions especially the Roman Catholic church and Roman civil law (civil law: n.民法), promoted recognition of the slave’s humanity. The English colonists, on the other hand, constructed their system of slavery out of whole cloth (whole cloth: pure fabrication usually used in the phrase out of whole cloth). There were simply no precedents in English common law (common law: 习惯法), and separation of church and state barred Protestant clergy from the role that priests assumed in Brazil.

3.     In the context in which it is found, the phrase “constructed their system of slavery out of whole cloth” (lines 15-16) implies that the system of slavery established by the English settlers was

(A) based on fabrications and lies

(B) tailored to the settlers’ particular circumstances

(C) intended to serve the needs of a frontier economy

(D) developed without direct influence from the settlers’ religion or legal system（D）

(E) evolved without giving recognition to the slave’s humanity

为何选D而不是E？

由on the other hand可以看到前后的意思是转折的，那么，这个弯倒是怎么转的主要看后一句话。

“（美国的）“政教分离”使得神职人员无法像巴西的priest那样来完成他们的role”

我发现有一个no precedents，却不知指什么？所以误选了。。。。

1、请人指点这里的“先例”是指什么？难道这个“先例”是指（美国的）“政教分离”在英国是从来没有的？

2、out of whole cloth是什么意思？

The phrase "made out of whole cloth" (and variants) currently means "utterly without foundation in fact, completely fictitious."

我这样理解:

The English colonists, on the other hand, constructed their system of slavery out of whole cloth (whole cloth: pure fabrication usually used in the phrase out of whole cloth). There were simply no precedents in English common law (common law: 习惯法), and separation of church and state barred Protestant clergy from the role that priests assumed in Brazil.

后一句是前一句的补充.