og－199的时态问题

Because the Earth's crust is more solid there and thus better able to transmit shock waves, an earthquake of a given magnitude typically devastates an area 100 times greater in the eastern United States than it does in the West.

(A) of a given magnitude typically devastates an area 100 times greater in the eastern United States than it does in the West

(B)  of a given magnitude will typically devastate 100 times the area if it occurs in the eastern United States instead of the West

(C) will typically devastate 100 times the area in the eastern United States than one of comparable magnitude occurring in the West

(D) in the eastern United States will typically devastate an area 100 times greater than will a quake of comparable magnitude occurring in the West

(E)  that occurs in the eastern United States will typically devastate 100 times more area than if it occurred with comparable magnitude in the West

答案是D。OG的解释也可以接受。我想问的是为什么要用将来时？描述一个客观现象不是应该用现在时嘛？我做题的时候一看时态首先就把BCDE给去了。

这里恰恰不是客观事实，100 times只是一种模拟而并非事实，可能是99 times或101 times，will含有一种推测，但是这里或许用would来表达这种可能性会更好。