OG11-44

44. The automotive conveyor-belt system, which Henry Ford
                modeled after an assembly-line technique introduced by
                Ransom Olds, reduced
                from a day and a half to 93 minutes
                the required time of assembling a Model T.

(A)        from a day and a half to 93 minutes the required time of assembling a Model T

(B)        the time being required to assemble a Model T, from a day and a half down to 93 minutes

(C)        the time being required to assemble a Model T, a day and a half to 93 minutes

(D)       the time required to assemble a Model T from a day and a half to 93 minutes

(E)        from a day and a half to 93 minutes, the time required for the assembling of a Model T

Rhetorical construction + Idiom

The underlined portion of the original sentence is awkward because the verb reduced is followed by a prepositional phrase rather than the direct object time. Changing this structure so that the object immediately follows the verb, reduced the time, also allows an idiomatic error to be corrected. Required should be followed by an infinitive, to assemble, rather than a prepositional phrase, of assembling. The phrase indicating time should be used to complete the sentence: reduced the time required to assemble a Model T from a day and a half to 93 minutes.

A        Placement of phrases creates an awkward construction; required ... of assembling is not idiomatic

B        Being required and down to are wordy constructions; the comma is unnecessary

C        Being required is wordy; the construction from ...to indicates time, not to one

D       Correct. This sentence has a clear, concise, and idiomatic construction.

E        Beginning with the prepositional phrase is awkward; the comma is unnecessary; required for the assembling of is wordy and awkward

The correct answer is D.

承认D最优，但有以下疑问：

1. OG解释说：The underlined portion of the original sentence is awkward because the verb reduced is followed by a prepositional phrase rather than the direct object time.  是不是动词后面一定要紧跟宾语呢？不可以把后面的部分提前么？

2. Required should be followed by an infinitive, to assemble, rather than a prepositional phrase, of assembling. 相比之下，the time required to assemble 当然是最优的，但觉得（A）中的the required time of assembling 是用required作为time的形容词，用of assembling来形容time，同样（E）中的required是time的形容词，for修饰time，可以这样理解么？