[mm讨论]新prep2-185; GWD-8-41(答案有误)

feifeizoe

When drive-ins were at the height of their popularity in the late 1950s, some 4,000 existed in the United States, but today there are less than one-quarter that many

A. there are less than one-quarter that many

B. there are fewer than one-quarter as many

C. there are fewer than one-quarter of that amount

D. the number is less than one-quarter the amount

E. it is less than one-quarter of that amount

Actually I chose C  but finally i understood that there is an apparent error in answer C, the usage of 'AMOUNT". It is usually uncountable.

In Longman, although it is said that amount can be used as uncountable and countable.

But after we read the examples given, it is clear that only when it means plenty of sth, amount can be considered as countable.

Here is the explanation of Longman:

a‧mount1
    S1
    W1 [uncountable and countable]

1
    a quantity of something such as time, money, or a substance
  

amount of
    

They spend equal amounts of time in California and New York.

a considerable/large/enormous etc amount
    

a considerable amount of money

a small/tiny etc amount
    

a tiny amount of dirt

Please pay
      the full amount (=of money)
     by the end of the month.

2
    used to talk about how much there is of a feeling or quality
  

a large/considerable etc amount of something
    

Her case has attracted an enormous amount of public sympathy.

a certain/fair amount of something
    

Dina encountered a fair amount of envy among her colleagues.

3 no amount of something can/will etc do somethingused to say that something has no effect:

No amount of persuasion could make her change her mind.

4 any amount of somethingused to say that there is plenty of something, and no more is needed:

The school has any amount of resources and equipment.

So answer C would be correct, if it is rewritten as 'C. there are fewer than one-quarter of that number'

As for answer B:

Here Longman provides the explanation for 'as many:

(Longman)

as many
a number that is equal to another number
They say the people of Los Angeles speak 12 languages and teach just as many in the schools.

Answer B: there are fewer than one-quarter as many (as the number in 1950s).

open to discussion.

[此贴子已经被作者于2009/8/12 22:45:24编辑过]

liuzhixu_ruc

这道题可以考虑简单些，因为是要修饰可数，那么选项中如果有amount和less 就是错误的，那么就可以得出B

落草然

新东方不是说GMAT里基本都可选LESS吗？还有AS many里面的as是什么意思啊？通常出现不都是as。。。as。。。吗？

andylao2000

以下是引用落草然在2009/8/16 10:15:00的发言：
新东方不是说GMAT里基本都可选LESS吗？还有AS many里面的as是什么意思啊？通常出现不都是as。。。as。。。吗？

单复数都可以的是less of, 不是less.

yiyun2

第一次见as many这样的用法，同样多 一样多之义。
amount 不可数！
记住了！

kidyrain

为什么the number is less than one-quarter of the amount 是错的啊，number 是可数名词？

newjoshkao

When drive-ins were at the height of their popularity in the late 1950s, some 4,000 existed in the United States, but today there are less than one-quarter that many

A. there are less than one-quarter that many（less than不能比较东西，只能比较数量，there are是东西不能用less than，且that many是数量，比较不同类）

B. there are（东西）
            fewer（比较东西要用fewer）than one-quarter as many（as those in the United States in the late 1950s 省略了）

C. there are fewer than one-quarter of that amount（比较数量要用less than，且there are是东西，和amount数量比较不同类，amount是不可数的物质的量）

D. the number is less than one-quarter the amount（number和amount比较不同类，amount是不可数的物质的量）

E. it（指代不清）
        is less than one-quarter of that amount（amount是不可数的物质的量）

gmat928

185.
           (26406-!-item-!-188;#058&001926)
           (GWD-8-Q41)
When drive-ins were at the height of their popularity in the late 1950s, some 4,000 existed in the United States, but today there are less than one-quarter that many

A. there are less than one-quarter that many

B. there are fewer than one-quarter as many

C. there are fewer than one-quarter of that amount

D. the number is less than one-quarter the amount

E. it is less than one-quarter of that amount
这道题GWD答案C给错了,大家快改啊,PREP正确答案是B,

谁来讲讲应该怎么做,我选了D, 彻底不会了....

-- by 会员 maimai2009 (2009/1/29 7:53:00)

由some 4,000 existed, 推出是数字。Number的比较只能用fewer不能用less，排除ADE。可数名词drive-ins搭配many而非amount，排除C，选B。



the number of A is greater/fewer than the number of B.

the amount of A is more/less than the amount of B.



I have more/less apples than you have. / This knowledge may be less useful than most people think.

The number of my apple is greater/fewer than the number of yours.

FFcapm

4000即4000 drive-ins,可以看做省略,后面要用复数形式的谓语动词。
且看GMAT里面AMOUNT的用法解释是：amount is for undifferentiated masses such as sand or water，
因为4000 drive-ins是4000个不同的个体所以that amount不可以修饰4000.

同意zjpopo对B句的还原，不过个人认为后面改成as many (as those in the United States in the late 1950s).

open to discuss.

-- by 会员 aeoluseros (2009/2/1 0:34:00)

Ding...

lovepiao

嗯嗯~结合26楼和27楼的看~终于恍然大悟！
谢谢两位\(^o^)/~