钻个牛角尖。OG207 OG184

小女公子

207.    In the textbook publishing business, the second quarter is historically weak, because revenues are low and marketing expenses are high as companies prepare for the coming school year.

(A) low and marketing expenses are high as companies prepare

(B) low and their marketing expenses are high as they prepare

(C) low with higher marketing expenses in preparation

(D) low, while marketing expenses are higher to prepare

      low, while their marketing expenses are higher in preparation

. Furthermore, the use of higher without a stated point of comparison makes it unclear what the expenses are higher than.

184. As measured by the Commerce Department, corporate profits peaked in the fourth quarter of 1988 and have slipped since then, as many companies have been unable to pass on higher costs.

and have slipped since then, as many companies have been unable to pass on higher costs

and have slipped since then, the reason being because many companies have been unable to pass on higher costs

and slipped since then, many companies being unable to pass on higher costs

but, many companies unable to pass on higher costs, they have slipped since then

yet are slipping since then, because many companies were unable to pass on higher costs

这里的higher也没有比较对象呀？

薰衣紫草

27 主要是因为平行的关系才不能用higher, 因为前面用了low而不是lower. 如果用比较级就破坏了平行的结构. 还有, 这句句子至始至终都只说the second quarter的情况, 当然没有比较.

184 的比较级: 首先没有选择余地, 因为所有的选项都是比较级. 其次, 根据逻辑意思判断, 句子先谈到the forth quarter of 1988, 然后从那时一直到现在一直在slip, 它的比较是在1988的forth quarter与其后延续到现在的时间段.