In recent years cattle breeders have increasingly used crossbreeding, in part that their steers should acquire certain characteristics and partly because crossbreeding is said to provide hybrid vigor.
In recent years cattle breeders have increasingly used crossbreeding, in part that their steers should acquire certain characteristics and partly because crossbreeding is said to provide hybrid vigor.
A in part that their steers should acquire certain characteristics
B in part for the acquisition of certain characteristics in their steers
C partly because of their steers acquiring certain characteristics
D partly because certain characteristics should be acquired by their steers
E partly to acquire certain characteristics in their steers
这道题我当时也做错了,看了答案崩溃了很久。这道题GMAC出的很贱,但是说明GMAT考试的一个趋势:越来越注重考察考生对句子逻辑意思的理解,而不是单纯对句子结构的观察。
说解答。
这道题上来ABC秒死。,剩下D和E。
D看起来最顺眼,结构很平行partly becuase... and partly because...,但注意because certain characteristics should be acquired by their steers这句话,用的是被动语态,把被动还原: their steers should accquire certain characteristics,逻辑的意思是their steers需要certain characteristics。肉可能自己主动的去“要求”一些特性吗?而观察E选项,to acquire certain characteristics不定式短语的逻辑主语是cattle breeders,也就是cattle breeders需要certain characteristics。acquire这个动作的发出者一个是肉(这显然不可能),一个是饲养员(逻辑正确)。
我当时一脸懵b,paralellism不是grammar in parallel and meaning in parallel这两点么?从我们non-native speaker的角度看D选项没什么问题啊。搜了一堆帖子,看了Ron的回复,我还是没搞懂。后来,我变换思路,才发现这题用平行结构的方法根本无效。下面讲讲我的理解,希望对看帖的人有些许帮助。
D. partly because (Clause 1) and partly because (Clause 2). 我问我自己,有必要用两个because么?虽然用耳朵听起来没问题,但是书面语时,我们会写成because C1 and C2,而不会用partly because C1 and partly because C2...very redundant!
再细分析Clause 1: certain characteristics should be acquired by their steers. 这里必须要结合meaning。We do X, then the result SHOULD BE Y. “should be”告诉我们是一种casual relationship. 可是,cattle breeders have used crossbreeding 真的能导致 certain characteristics should be acquired by their steers吗?显然不是,illogical。
而E在逻辑上更准确,partly to acquire ... [目的] and partly because ... [原因]. 除了meaning in parallel, 前者是infinitive phrase,而后者是subordinate clause,都是modifiers,平行。总而言之,整个句子的结构是main clause, [modifier 1 + modifier 2].
再回头看Ron的帖子,我才发现自己和他给的解释符合:"choice (d) simply doesn't say this; the word "because" tells us that there must be some sort of causal connection, but it's unclear exactly what that connection is. "
因果与相关+平行
In recent years cattle breeders have increasingly used crossbreeding, in part that their steers should acquire certain characteristics and partly because crossbreeding is said to provide hybrid vigor.
A in part that their steers should acquire certain characteristics
B in part for the acquisition of certain characteristics in their steers
C partly because of their steers acquiring certain characteristics
D partly because certain characteristics should be acquired by their steers
E partly to acquire certain characteristics in their steers
主句:In recent years cattle breeders have increasingly used crossbreeding
近些年,cattle breeders 越来越多的使用crossbreeding
选项D: Partly because certain characteristics should be acquired by their steers
这句话是被动语态+by。那么可以把这句话改成:
certain characteristics should be acquired by their steers
Their steers should acquire certain characteristics
结合主句来看:
D: Cattle breeders 越来越多的使用crossbreeding 部分原因是 their steers 应该acquire certain characteristics
E: Cattle breeders 越来越多的使用crossbreeding 部分原因是 为了在their steers 中 acquire certain characteristics。