求助两道语法题!!麻烦大家啦~

蛋蛋音

Prep2012-Pack1-SC-033 VSC001601
The infant mortality rate has decreased steadily over the past decades and is now at a lower rate than ever before.
A. now at a lower rate than
B. now lower than
C. now a lower rate than
D. presently lower than it was
E. presently lower than the rate was


The subject of the sentence, infant mortality rate, governs two verbs, the first describing a change over time and the second describing a present state. The subject of compound verbs does not need to be repeated in describing this present state.
A. It is redundant and nonsensical to say, as this sentence attempts to do, that a rate is at a rate.
B. Correct. This is the most direct and succinct way to explain the decline of the mortality rate to its present nadir.
C. The repetition of rate is unnecessarily redundant.
D. The phrase ever before introduces a continuous expanse of time before the present moment (presently) that should be described with the present perfect tense it has been rather than the simple past tense of it was. Also the word order it was ever is the reverse of the more standard and less awkward it ever was.
E. The repetition of rate is unnecessarily redundant. The use of was is also a problem here for the same reason as in D.
The correct answer is B.


俺不明白比较中主系表结构时态不同的话一定要补足助动词的吗？（比如说：I am taller than I was 5 years ago. ） 句子中ever since一般用现在完成那么就是“...and is now lower than it has been ever before”吗？has been 可以省略的吗？求解释=v=




Prep2012-Pack1-SC-009 VSC002452
Roughly twice each century the planet Venus passes between the Earth and the Sun, an occasion known as a transit of Venus, during which it makes the outline of the planet visible in stark relief.
A. during which it makes the outline of the planet
B. during which the outline of the planet becomes
C. so that it makes the outline of the planet
D. such that during which the of the planet becomes
E. such that the outline of the planet becomes


The sentence explains that the event known as a transit of Venus is an occasion when the outline of the planet is visible. The correct form of the sentence must clarify that the visible outline is a function of this occasion, not the result of some agent's action.
A. There is no referent for it; to say that the planet Venus makes the outline of the planet visible is nonsensical.
B. Correct. Outline is the appropriate subject for the verb becomes (visible).
C. There is no referent for it. The causal conjunction so is confusing when it immediately follows the appositive phrase an occasion known as a transit of Venus.
D. The string of connecting phrases such that during which is confusing and nonsensical; the relative pronoun which has no referent.
E. The reference of such that is ambiguous when it immediately follows the appositive phrase, an occasion known as a transit of Venus.
The correct answer is B.



这道题中的which不会有指代不清的感觉吗?毕竟occasion离得有点远而且也没有跳跃指代的hint?


麻烦大家看看啦谢谢~

风静静

第一题：
The infant mortality rate has decreased steadily over the past decades and is now lower than ever before.
比较的counterparts是now和ever before
所以ever before前面不用加东西了

比较这个东西很麻烦啊，有的时候不能想着“咦怎么不平行啊，它到底省略了神马！！”，我觉得只要意思清楚了，而且没有歧义，有很明显的平行结构的平行了，就可以了！

幸运E枪兵

我觉得during which应该说的是在一段时间之内，所以指代occasion没有问题

CEALYN

我觉得during which应该说的是在一段时间之内，所以指代occasion没有问题

-- by 会员 幸运E枪兵 (2012/8/17 22:03:11)

我同意，因为有during在，所以能作为which的先行词只有occasion，其他都不可以。不过最好是不要跳跃进行修饰。