OG184,OG114,逗号的补出问题.

184. As measured by the Commerce Department,

corporate profits peaked in the fourth quarter of 1988 and have slipped since then, as many companies have been unable to pass on higher

(A)  and have slipped since then, as many companies have been unable to pass on higher costs

(B)  and have slipped since then, the reason being because many companies have been unable to pass on higher costs

(C)  and slipped since then, many companies being unable to pass on higher costs

(D)  but, many companies unable to pass on higher costs, they have slipped since then

(E)   yet are slipping since then, because many companies were unable to pass on higher costs

A, the best choice, observes an appropriate sequence of verb tenses_ a single act in the past (peaked) followed by an extended activity reaching to the present (have slipped). The as clause states clearly the cause of the slippage. B suffers from the redundant and unidiomatic expression the reason being because. In C, the use of the simple past slipped with since then is unidiomatic because since then denotes extended time. In D, the intrusion of the awkward many ... costs causes the antecedent of they to become unclear. Further­more, a comma should precede the but since it introduces a second independent clause. In E, yet also requires a comma before it, are slipping with since then is illogical, and were unable represents an ungrammatical tense shift.

同样都是引出一个主语相同的分句,114就不用逗号,184就要(D加逗号还勉强可以理解,因为后面有一个插入语,但是E就不能理解了).