请教2条白勇语法题

floraxycn

12. Affording strategic proximity to the Strait of Gibraltar, Morocco was also of interest to the French throughout the first half of the twentieth century because they assumed that if they did not hold it, their grip on Algeria was always insecure.
(A) if they did not hold it, their grip in Algeria was always insecure
(B) without it their grip on Algeria would never be secure
(C) their grip on Algeria was not ever secure if they did not hold it
(D) without that, they could never be secure about their grip on Algeria
(E) never would their grip on Algeria be secure if they did not hold it

答案是B, it指Morocco,their指French是吗？

A错在哪里？还是因为不如B简洁？

19. More and more in recent years, cities are stressing the arts as a means to greater economic development and investing millions of dollars in cultural activities, despite strained municipal budgets and fading federal support.
(A) to greater economic development and investing
(B) to greater development economically and investing
(C) of greater economic development and invest
(D) of greater development economically and invest
(E) for greater economic development and the investment of

答案是A, a means to是固定搭配吗？

[此贴子已经被作者于2007-3-7 12:03:31编辑过]

molemod

12. IT是指MOROCO(国家). THEY指THE FRENCH(法国人). GRIP ON STH. NOT IN STH.

19. 可以这么认为.类似A ROAD TO SOME PLACE.