新PREP1-183

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

再多一个形容词和副词意思不同的：conservatively
   adv. MingLiU","serif"; mso-ascii-font-family: Tahoma; mso-hansi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;">保存地, MingLiU","serif"; mso-ascii-font-family: Tahoma; mso-hansi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;">适当地conservative a.保守的，守旧的；传统的，所以选c

版主好见解！

不明白……

是说AB中的they是指代analysts吗？

可是C中的to be conservative than they have been in……感觉怎么很奇怪呢？

困惑！

B：
首先they have been没有比较对象，至少要去掉been，否则无法还原.
其次即便去掉了been，they的指代不清晰让人觉得是在指代analysts,C里面有in setting的限制，故they肯定指代automakers.
如下句该去第一个毛病后的B：
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 (analysts) have (expected).
或：
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 (automakers) have (set).

ps:关于conservatively是有“保守的”的意思的。