43.The United States petroleum industry’s cost to meet environmental regulations is projected at ten percent of the price per barrel of refined petroleum by the end of the decade. (A) The United States petroleum industry’s cost to meet environmental regulations is projected at ten percent of the price per barrel of refined petroleum by the end of the decade. (B) The United States petroleum industry’s cost by the end of the decade to meet environmental regulations is estimated at ten percent of the price per barrel of refined petroleum. (C) By the end of the decade, the United States petroleum industry’s cost of meeting environmental regulations is projected at ten percent of the price per barrel of refined petroleum. (D) To meet environmental regulations, the cost to the United States petroleum industry is estimated at ten percent of the price per barrel of refined petroleum by the end of the decade. (E) It is estimated that by the end of the decade the cost to the United States petroleum industry of meeting environmental regulations will be ten percent of the price per barrel of refined petroleum.
Choice A, B, C, and D are awkward and confusing. In A, for example, the issue is not the industry’s cost but the cost to the industry; also, to meet should be of meeting here, projected at is unidiomatic, and by the end of the decade is placed so that its meaning is unclear. B and C suffer from many of the same problems. The wording of D implies that cost… is estimated in order to meet environmental regulations. E alone makes a logical statement and varies verb tense to indicate that the issue is present estimates of future costs. The question is moderately difficult. 我想问的是为什么A中的by the end of the decade修饰有歧义阿? B中的是夹心形式有可能修饰前面的The United States petroleum industry’s cost 也可能修饰后面的is estimated C,D中的by the end of the decade应该就没有歧义了吧。 真希望好心的NN们解答阿~~ |