不定式to，OG-9和885 B-19

蓝色泡泡

9. Astronomers at the Palomar Observatory have discovered a distant supernova explosion, one that they believe is a type previously unknown to science.
(A) that they believe is
(B) that they believe it to be
(C) they believe that it is of
(D) they believe that is
(E) they believe to be of
OG对正确答案E的解释：
Choice E is best. In the context of this sentence, the infinitive to be is more appropriate than the limited present-tense is in referring to an event that occurred long ago but has been discovered only recently.
其中的referring to an event that occurred long ago but has been discovered only recently也就是说不定式在表达一个“很久以前就发生、但只到最近才发现的事情”时比较合适。但我查了两本语法书，好像也没有这样的说法。哪位大牛能为我提供关于这一点的理论依据、范例、或解释？

ETS不是认为不定式有上述含义和用法

只是因为这里用一般现在时的话会使科学家们的研究缺乏严密性,给读者一个感觉是:  这个event是现在才发生的,甚至招来质疑:那以前呢?以前的你们就不相信了吗?或是不知道?

用了to be可以将过去,现在的时间概念模糊化,甚至包含以后,不会让读者转牛角尖

而且少了点绝对化,毕竟这里科学家只是发现一个event,而没有权利决定这个event是或不是(谁知道这中发现以后会不会被推翻,认为是错误的发现呢)

tony6

以下是引用gemj在2003-9-29 9:17:00的发言：
xianwharton 说的极是，非常感谢！但总有一种死不瞑目的感觉啊！ETS不能任意地创造语法规则吧？

死不瞑目在句中属用词错误，此处用不甘心比较好，虽然运语气没有原句的强，但阁大侠不能死，CD的XDJM还需要你！

almarabbit01

Can anyone tell me if it's ok if I add "that" before answer E, i.e. "that they believe to be of "

thanks

robertchu

9. Astronomers at the Palomar Observatory have discovered a distant supernova explosion, one that they believe is a type previously unknown to science.
(D) they believe that is
(E) they believe to be of

E is better.
First, "believe ... is ..." is too affirmative.  "is" means 100%sure., but scientists are not 100% sure of things happend so long agoand so far away.
Furthermore, "a supernova explosion" is not "a type", it is "of" a type.

robertchu

9. Balzac drank more than fifty cups of coffee a day and died of caffeine poisoning; furthermore, caffeine did not seem to bother Samuel Johnson, the great writer and lexicographer, who was reported to have drunk twenty-five cups of tea at one sitting.
(B) however, caffeine did not seem to bother
(C) however, caffeine did not seem to have bothered

B is better, because a past event is discussed here -- either "caffeinedid bother SJ" or "caffeine did not bother SJ" , so there is no groundto use perfect tense "have bothered".

xealot

同意12楼pumpkin的看法；导致confused的是OG的解释，看起来OG的解释在这里语焉不详；但是另外我还有感觉，ETS热爱在类似的情况下使用不定式。需要在未来求证。

流沙

以下是引用almarabbit01在2004-6-11 9:44:00的发言：

Can anyone tell me if it's ok if I add "that" before answer E, i.e. "that they believe to be of "

thanks

定语从句中的that确实可以省略。宾语从句中的that不能省略

流沙

同意brony的看法。有很多用法是习惯用语，或者更prefer的用法，象believe sb to do sth。

不过后面对to be和 is的解释确实让我收获很多。

egretxm

以下是引用egretxm在2004-6-5 4:44:00的发言：

我苦恼于第9题的that 为什么一定要去掉.

supernova explosion, one that they bielieve to be a type previously unknown to science.
这句能说它错么?

我理解: one 是explosion 的同位语, that 以后是one 的定语从句, 定语从句用that 引导怎么就多余了?

再问!

richal

OG已经解释了: ONE已经充分指代前面,THAT重复指代,因此不可取.