[求助]新prep183

183.
   (27576-!-item-!-188;#058&002504) D  C

Despite recent increases in sales and cash flow that have propelled automobile companies' common stocks to new highs, several industry analysts expect automakers, in order to conserve cash, to set dividends more conservatively than they were

A. to set dividends more conservatively than they were

B. to set dividends more conservatively than they have been

C. to be more conservative than they have been in setting dividends

D. that they will be more conservative than they were in setting dividends

E. that they will be more conservative than they have been to set dividends

正确答案事C. 我选D

请问：

1. expect to do、 有无expect that， 若有则能否把in order to conserve cash 看作一个插入语？

2.C 中they 会不会产生指代不清的问题，如何区分存在指代不清的选项？

3.C 中have been 的时态运用准确吗？ 是否因为主句用现在完成时，后面不能用过去时，表示过去发生的事？

请高手解答，谢谢！

1.好像真没有 expect sb that这种结构。

expect sb to do./ expect that sb

2.指代不清的问题，除非很明显，一般不用考虑。除非逻辑上they指代谁都非常合理，这里显然不是这样的。

3. 很准确，present perfect和simple past在时间段上是有重合的。

present perfect表示从过去到现在一直是这样。 这里 automakers 自从sales上升后，一直很conservative 

谢谢解答，非常精彩。

那么请问，什么情况下一句句中的时态除非有明显时间标志词应保持一致呢?

一个 分句clause的时态最好一致，如果是两个甚至三个clause构成的sentence时态可以不一致。

时态是很高级的语法，要结合作者意图来看的。另外，gmat里面时态很少有错。（当然也是有的）

指导我的真正的大NN说过：要多读书，自然就搞得清了。

了解了~~~ 后面如果是than they have done就可以了吧~~~

谢谢alohabrian