蓝皮上的一道语法题

A recent national study of the public schools shows that there are now one microcomputer for every thirty-two pupils, four times as many than there were four years ago.

(A) there are now one microcomputer for every thirty-two pupils, four times as many than there were
(B) there is now one microcomputer for every thirty-two pupils, four times as many than there were

(C) there is now one microcomputer for every thirty-two pupils, four times as many as there were

(D) every thirty-two pupils now have one microcomputer, four times as many than there were

(E) every thirty-two pupils now has one microcomputer, four times as many as

answer:c 我的问题是为什么是there were 不是there was

我问的是为什么用were而不是was四年前只能说明要用过去时呀

22, og-089, sec08-23

Choices A, B, and C appropriately
use the construction “one X for every thirty-two Y’s” to describe the ratio of
computers to pupils, but only C, the best answer, is error-free. In A, are does not agree with the subject, one microcomputer; furthermore, in A, B,
and D, than is used where as is required. Choices D and E reorder
and garble the “one X...” construction, making four times as many refer illogically to pupils.

as many as 既是个平行，也可认为是个比较，这要求前后的对象要有可比性，形式上尽量对称。

E项as
many as 后只跟four years ago时间状语没有体现出具体什么东西相比。

而且four times 所指的对象不对，原文强调的是个比率one
microcomputer for every thirty-two pupils，E的four
times as 似乎修饰thirty-two pupils，可能指pupils人数现在与four years ago的关系，所以c对。

four times as many as there
were：应该用there was吧？

there were 后不一定是1 for every 128，而更可能是个具体的比值，如10 for
1280。

多谢楼上的