Heating-oil prices are expected to be higher this year than last because refiners are paying about $5 a barrel more for crude oil than they were last year.
战友试解答: 先给出我对A代入原句的翻译: Heating-oil prices are expected to be higher this year than last because refiners are paying about $5 a barrel more for crude oil than they were last year. 燃用油的价格被预期今年将高于去年,因为提炼厂支付原油价格今年比去年多付5美元/桶。 楼主的问题: they应该是指代refiners的对吗? 我认为是的。 那为什么谓语动词补出were呢? 为了跟前面“refiners are”匹配。它作了省略,补全应该是refiners are paying about $5 a barrel more for crude oil than they were paying about $5 a barrel last year.要是不补出were,就成了refiners are paying about $5 a barrel more for crude oil than they last year,从意思上来讲,就表示提炼厂支付的价格比提炼厂多,“提炼厂支付的价格”和“提炼厂”不可比。 那为什么要用进行时呢? 个人认为,此处用进行时,并非表示正在进行,而是表示持续动作。 “refiners are paying about $5 a barrel more for crude oil than they were last year”不成翻译成“提炼厂正在支付原油价格今年比去年正在多付5美元/桶”。而表示持续,今年以来,一直都比去年多付。要是用一般现在时,表达不出这种意味。但是,我认为用一般现在时的话,从语法上讲也没有错,只是不如进行时好。当然,要是前面用refiners are paying,后面就只能是they were。