OG2

OG2: Since 1981, when the farm depression began, the number of acres overseen by professional farm-management companies have grown from 48 million to nearly 59 million, an area that is about Colorado’s size.

(A) have grown from 48 million to nearly 59 million, an area that is about Colorado’s size

(B) have grown from 48 million to nearly 59 million, about the size of Colorado
    

(C) has grown from 48 million to nearly 59 million, an area about the size of Colorado
    

(D) has grown from 48 million up to nearly 59 million, an area about the size of Colorado’s

(E) has grown from 48 million up to nearly 59 million, about Colorado’s size

In choice C, the best answer, an area about the size of Colorado clearly describes a rough equivalence between the area of Colorado and the area overseen by the companies. In A and B, the plural verb have does not agree with the singular subject number. Choice A is also wordy, since that is can be deleted without loss of clarity. The absence of an area in B and E impairs clarity: the phrase beginning with about must modify a noun such as area that is logically equivalent to the number of acres given. In D and E up to is unidiomatic; the correct expression is from x to y. In D, the size of Colorado’s is unidiomatic, since of Colorado forms a complete possessive.

这道题我做对了，但是有个语法现象还是不太明白（以前的帖子的讨论中好像也没有个定论）：

为什么一定要有area？为什么about the size of...一定得修饰area？为什么不能直接修饰59 million？

the number 是主语

没有area

就变成 about the size of Colorado ，则size直接指向the number

number和size无法平行

加上area就明确了所指的对象，逻辑意思也更明确

哦？是这样啊？  

如果没有area：about the size of Colorado 优先修饰主句主语是吗？  

现在有了area：an area about the size of Colorado是59 million的同位语吗？还是仍旧修饰主句主语the number，是the number的同位语呢？

an area about the size of Colorado是59 million的同位语吗？

是，59million acres 相当于an area about the size of Colorado的大小

不会是the number的同谓语

the number （数字）是 科罗拉多的大小吗？