大全-16-22

moveon · 发表于 2008-4-21 18:10:00

22. Car owners who inflate their tires properly can substantially boost their vehicles’ fuel efficiency, since the increase in car-road friction can waste up to five percent of car fuel by underinflation.

(A) Car owners who inflate their tires properly can substantially boost their vehicles’ fuel efficiency, since the increase in car-road friction can waste up to five percent of car fuel by underinflation.

(B) Because the underinflation of tires can waste up to five percent of a car’s fuel by increasing car-road friction, car owners can substantially boost their vehicles’ fuel efficiency by properly inflating the tires.

(C) Their vehicles’ fuel efficiency is substantially boosted by car owners through the proper inflation of tires that, when underinflated, can waste up to five percent of car fuel by an increase in car-road friction.

(D) The proper inflation of tires by car owners, due to the fact that underinflation can waste up to five percent of a car’s fuel by the increase of car-road friction, can substantially boost their fuel efficiency.（B）

(E) Because up to five percent of a car’s fuel are wasted through the increases in car-road friction when the tires are underinflated, car owners properly inflating tires can substantially boost their fuel efficiency.

The anwer is B. How to eliminate other choices?

dphxmg · 发表于 2008-4-21 21:34:00

This better way to deal with such a question is to begin with the main clause -- in this case, "Car owners who inflate their tyres properly can substantially boost their vehicles' fuel efficiency". First, ask yourself "what is objectively meant by this clause?" After answering this question, ask yourself "Is this what the writer intends to mean by the words?"

What's objectively meant by the main clause? First we exhaustively divide all car owners into two groups: the members of Group 1(M1) inflate their tyres properly; and the members of Group 2 (M2) don't inflate their tyres properly. Then M1 can substantially boost their vehicles' fuel efficiency. But why can they have this advantage? Then the subordinate clause tells us the following cause-effect chain: underinflation-->increase in friction--> waste of fuel. But this obviously can't support the conclusion that M1 can substantially boost their vehicles' fuel efficiency. Instead, it provides support for the statement that M2 can substantially boost their vehicles fuel efficiency. GMAT requires test takers to choose an answer which is not only grammatical but also logical. So we can exclude A and E. "Car owners properly inflating tires" in E and "Car owners who inflate their tyres properly" in A mean the same people.

C has two problems. First, when the active tense is available and better, it uses the passive tense. Second, the relative clause doesn't make sense. Do you really think that tyres alone can increase car-road friction, thereby wasting fuel.

In D, "due to the fact" is an awkward expression. Either "as", "since", "for" or "because" can do the job better. Also, "the proper inflation of tyres by car owners" is an awkward expression. In grammar, we call this method -- of forming a noun expression from a verb or phrasal verb -- nominalisation. I feel it isn't natural; you can rarely hear people speaking in this way, except in a very formal academic leture. Again, "by the increase of..." is guilty of the same sin. Moreover, "their" refers ambiguously. If it refers to "car owners", which is the noun closest to it, then the meaning of the sentence will be absurd unless those car owners are robots.

moveon · 发表于 2008-4-22 00:20:00

Hidphxmg, thanks for your excellent and detailed explanations!

But I don't get "So we can exclude A and E. "Car owners properly inflating tires" in E and "Car owners who inflate their tyres properly" in A mean the same people."

Anyway, based on your above explanation and some of my point of views, I highlighted the grammar mistakes of each options as below, pls feel free to correct me.

22. Car owners who inflate their tires properly can substantially boost their vehicles’ fuel efficiency, since the increase in car-road friction can waste up to five percent of car fuel by underinflation.

(A) Car owners who inflate their tires properly can substantially boost their vehicles’ fuel efficiency, since the increase in car-road friction can waste up to five percent of car fuel by underinflation. [increase主观上能…？]

(B) Because the underinflation of tires can waste up to five percent of a car’s fuel by increasing car-road friction, car owners can substantially boost their vehicles’ fuel efficiency by properly inflating the tires.

(C) Their vehicles’ fuel efficiency is substantially boosted by car owners through the proper inflation of tires that, when underinflated, can waste up to five percent of car fuel by an increase in car-road friction.

(D) The proper inflation of tires by car owners, due to the fact that underinflation can waste up to five percent of a car’s fuel by the increase of car-road friction, can substantially boost their fuel efficiency. （B）

(E) Because up to five percent of a car’s fuel are wasted through the increases in car-road friction when the tires are underinflated, car owners properly inflating tires can substantially boost their fuel efficiency.

dphxmg · 发表于 2008-4-22 01:39:00

We can give information about someone or something using an -ing, past participle (-ed) or being +past participle (-ed) clause after a noun. These clauses are often similar to definining relative clauses beginning with which, who, or that:
e.g. We stood on the bridge connecting the two halves of the building. (or...which connects the two halves)

The above materail is excerpted from Adevanced Grammar in Use by Martin Hewings, p148.

强力推荐《英语在用：剑桥高级英语语法》外研社出版。比中国人自己编的同类书强出何止百倍。

moveon · 发表于 2008-4-22 22:57:00

dphxmg, 谢谢推荐!

你是不是说A中的"Car owners who inflate their tyres properly"罗嗦,应该改为E中的表达"Car owners properly inflating"?

大全-16-22

大全-16-22

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