50. According to some analysts, the gains in the stock market reflect growing confidence that the economy will avoid the recession that many had feared earlier in the year and instead come in for a "soft landing", followed by a gradual increase in business activity.
答案是A (原句)
我的问题是: 既然主句不是过去时, 为什么从句可以用过去完成时(had feared earlier in the year)?
过去完成时大体可以分为
1) for past actions that were ongoing until, or relevant to, a later past ACTION;
2) for past actions that were ongoing until, or relevant to, a later past TIME MARKER.
however, if the context of the sentence clearly IMPLIES a second time marker, then that second time marker may not even have to be mentioned explicitly.