212. Following the destruction of the space shuttle Challenger, investigators concluded that many key people employed by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and its contractors work an excessive amount of overtime that has the potential of causing errors in judgment.
(A) overtime that has the potential of causing
(B) overtime that has the potential to cause
(C) overtime that potentially can cause
(D) overtime, a practice that has the potential for causing
(E) overtime, a practice that can, potentially, cause
这道题目大全中给出的答案是(E)，对此好象争议比较大，一部分人认为应该选(D)，因为根据OG159
159. While depressed property values can hurt some large investors, they are potentially devastating for home-owners, whose equity—in many cases representing a life’s savings—can plunge or even disappear.
(A) they are potentially devastating for homeowners, whose
(B) they can potentially devastate homeowners in that their
(C) for homeowners they are potentially devastating, because their
(D) for homeowners, it is potentially devastating in that their
(E) it can potentially devastate homeowners, whose
Choice A is the best. Its wording is unambiguous and economical. The plural pronoun they agrees with its antecedent, property values. The pronoun whose clearly refers to homeowners and efficiently connects them with the idea of lost equity. In B, C, and D, substituting in that their or because their for whose is wordy and confusing since the antecedent of their might be they, not homeowners. Furthermore, can potentially is redundant in B and E. Both D and E use the singular pronoun it, which does not agree with its logical antecedent, property values.
而支持选(E)的同志们则认为这两题是有差异的，他们觉得519中potentially修饰devastate，所以意思上和can重复，而212中potentially修饰can，所以不重复。另外，他们认为(D)中has the potential for doing的表达罗嗦，并且不准确。
详见帖子：http://forum.chasedream.com/dispbbs.asp?BoardID=23&replyID=193490&id=26366&star=1&skin=0
我认为说(E)中potentially和can不redundant的解释是很牵强的，因为就算potentially修饰can也存在语意重复的问题，况且，我们并没有足够的理由说159中的potentially一定是向后修饰的，我们也可以理解为是向前修饰can的。正如the pool is deceptively shallow这样的句子，由于无法弄清到底deceptively是修饰is还是修饰shallow，语法学家就认为这样的句子是存在歧义的一样。另外，关于has the potential for doing是罗嗦还是准确表达，我们有题为证，大全391
In large doses, analgesics that work in the brain as antagonists to certain chemicals have caused psychological disturbances in patients, which may limit their potential to relieve severe pain.
(A) which may limit their potential to relieve
(B) which may limit their potential for relieving
(C) which may limit such analgesics’ potential to relieve
(D) an effect that may limit their potential to relieve
(E) an effect that may limit the potential of such analgesics for relieving
正确答案是(E)，如果这个答案没有错的话，那此题显然是在提示我们potential for doing是完全正确的表达。至于212中has the potential for causing是否意思正确，我觉得也毫无异议，“有发生的可能性”--何错之有？
所以，我强烈地怀疑大全中补充题212的答案给错了。 | 
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发表于 2006-4-23 16:07:00
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