prep2-14

kitebird

Three out of every four automobile owners in the United States also own a bicycle.

 

(A) Three out of every four automobile owners in the United States also own a bicycle.

(B) Out of every four, three automobile owners in the United States also owns a bicycle.

(C) Bicycles are owned by three out of every four owners of automobiles in the United States.

(D) In the United States, three out of every four automobile owners owns bicycles.

(E) Out of every four owners of automobiles in the United States, bicycles are also owned by three.

这道题好象哪里见过。为什么A正确？？怎么可能四分之三的人拥有一辆车？？

Zeldaw

A, the best choice, is concise, idiomatic, and maintains subject-verb agreement. In B, Out of every four, three is unidiomatic. The singular verb owns does not agree with its plural subject, three... owners. The passive construction in C (Bicycles are owned by) is cumbersome and does not contribute meaningfully to the sentence. The shift to plural Bicycles detracts from clarity by suggesting that multiple bicycles are owned by each person in question. In D, the singular owns does not agree with its plural subject three... owners. Furthermore, the plural bicycles detracts from clarity by suggesting that multiple bicycles are owned by each person in question. In E, the phrase beginning Out of every four... cannot properly modify bicycles, and the passive construction (bicycles are also owned) is awkward and does not contribute meaningfully to the sentence. The plural nouns bicycles and automobiles suggest imprecisely that each person owns more than one of each.

kitebird

版主怎么不说话？？？

被我的傻问题问的无语了？？

gonghao

似乎是每4个有汽车的人当中，3个人才拥有一辆自行车。（似乎是个饱有量的问题，中国应该人手一辆了）

B/D owns 错

C/E的被动不好，E的结构混乱

当然如果A变成bicycles的话会更好，但那样美国的自行车应该也少不了：）

kitebird

“每4个有汽车的人当中，3个人才拥有一辆自行车”那直接说每4个人中有一辆自行车就好了，为什么还要加一个“3个人”？

我也觉得C被动不好，但是在其他答案都有明显错误的时候，也只能这么选了。

不过，PREP的答案应该是很权威的，所以还是应该去理解A，可理解不了：（

gonghao

以下是引用kitebird在2007-5-23 23:29:00的发言：

“每4个有汽车的人当中，3个人才拥有一辆自行车”那直接说每4个人中有一辆自行车就好了，为什么还要加一个“3个人”？

好问题，但问题是没有这样的选项了。只能矮子里挑高个子了。不过A只有这样理解了，但是A如果是复数就最好了。

我也觉得C被动不好，但是在其他答案都有明显错误的时候，也只能这么选了。

不过，PREP的答案应该是很权威的，所以还是应该去理解A，可理解不了：（

kitebird

是啊，如果A用复数就一了百了了。问题是没有。

那么接下里的问题就是“矮子里面挑长子”这个挑的标准了。

我本来觉得A有很明显的逻辑混乱错误，宁愿选C的被动语态。

现在知道答案，也只能让自己接受。

但是能否再跳出一些C的毛病呢？

Zeldaw

我说了的，不知道怎么就看不见了

kitebird

那么麻烦版主再说一遍吧。谢谢！！

还有2天就考了