OG4

ibm1999

OG4. The only way for growers to salvage frozen citrus is to process them quickly into juice concentrate before they rot when warmer weather returns.
(A) to process them quickly into juice concentrate before they rot when warmer weather returns
(B) if they are quickly processed into juice concentrate before warmer weather returns to rot them
(C) for them to be processed quickly into juice concentrate before the fruit rots when warmer weather returns
(D) if the fruit is quickly processed into juice concentrate before they rot when warmer weather returns
(E) to have it quickly processed into juice concentrate before warmer weather returns and rots the fruit
For parallelism, the linking verb is should link two infinitives: The only way to salvage ... is to process. Choice A begins with an infinitive, but the plural pronouns them and they do not agree with the singular noun citrus. Choices B, C, and D do not begin with an infinitive, and all present pronoun errors: the plural pronouns cannot grammatically refer to citrus or fruit, nor can they refer to farmers without absurdity. The best choice, E, has parallel infinitives and uses fruit to refer unambiguously to citrus. E also expresses the cause-and-effect relationship between the return of warmer weather and the rotting of the fruit; A, C, and D merely describe these events as contemporaneous.
ETS官方解释A不对的理由是 citrus是个单数名词，不能用they和them，但我们看各种词典，包括老美的W_M，上面都说citrus的复数形式有2种，citrus或者citruses，因此citrus在这里完全可以被理解为复数。
当然E是没有任何问题的，尤其是最后用了fruit指代非常清楚。
个人认为A的错误主要不再citrus的单复数问题，而在rot应该用被动语态，warmer weather 师citrus腐烂了，warmer weather rot citrus，从E中就可看出。不知各位意见如何？

dreadpower

     关于rot，以下是longman的例子：


Many of the tomatoes had rotted on their stems. 说明OG的用法不错


     A的错误还在于before they rot when 时间状语连用

hougang

请问时间状语连用必错吗？

david_348

t is better to use the singular in referring to an anatomical feature common to an entire species;这是ets对og167的解释；是否适用这里呢？用单数表示统称更好；

老实说，这里不根据单复数一致；我还真觉得a是对的，因为e改变了原有的句子结构－－这可是sc大忌哦；不过e更适合ets强调的A correct sentence must maintain parallel structure。

LES

以下是引用hougang在2004-11-10 19:30:00的发言：
请问时间状语连用必错吗？

根据ETS的解释，可以推断before/after+when这种时间状语连用是不符合语言习惯的。请参考OG124对after when的解释。

lukrenee

E优于A是因为，暖天气来了，导致水果烂了，是有前后顺序的，但A，C，D都表达同时的概念

hougang

谢谢，les

beautywawa

up

anyname

仔细想了这道题：觉得E虽然是正确答案，但的确比较ugly。How can warm weather rot the fruit?! 怎么也觉得不通。应该是（in warm weather)繁殖的细菌才可能rot the fruit。就象说：Warm weather grows the trees。别扭。大不如说：The trees grow in warm weather.  不过，我喜欢这个have...processed，因为，growers未必自己亲自动手process。先cause再effect的说法也很好。所以，这道题最好的答案是：to have it quickly processed into juice concentrate before the warmer weather returns and the fruit rots。

当然，把citrus强行当单数（虽然仍觉得不如当复数舒服），好处是不至于把growers误process了。另外A还会被误以为：to process them quickly into juice concentrate .. when warmer weather returns。大家觉得呢？

再次感受到GMAT的“Select the best version"的玄妙。

hawkinsxie

Les 一针见血，融会贯通。

谢谢！