number, numbers: 492,530,550,709,712,764,829,908,924,

juan

16.   Los Angeles has a higher number of family dwellings per capita than any large city.

(A) a higher number of family dwellings per capita than any large city

(B) higher numbers of family dwellings per capita than any other large city

(C) a higher number of family dwellings per capita than does any other large city----比较 / a number of family dwellings 一个family dwellings的数目 /a large number of , a smaller number of

(D) higher numbers of family dwellings per capita than do other large cities（C）

(E) a high per capita number of family dwellings, more than does any other large city

Choice A is illogical because it implies that Los Angeles is not a large city. Choice B emends this problem by specifying any other large city, but the plural numbers is incorrect in that there is only a single number of such dwellings. Choice C is best. The plural numbers is again wrong in choice D, which in addition fails to establish that Los Angeles exceeds all other large cities in family dwellings per capita. Choice E is wordy and very awkward. This question is of middle difficulty.

这里a higher number of family dwellings的比较,是理解成 LA 比其他城市有更多的dwellings,还是理解成LA的dwellings的数目比其他城市的高? 不知道我有没有表述清楚意思.

我原先作题时一直是理解成 a number of family dwellings(很多family dwellings), number前加个higher,表示更多…..可看了OG红线的解释后,OG这里好象不是把a number of family dwellings理解成很多family dwellings,而是理解成一个关于family dwellings的数目.那么是不是这里的比较是在比较number的高低? 那么这里可能有歧义吗? A number of dwellings可能是很多dwellings,也可能是一个关于dwellings的数目? 晕了……

谢谢大家的指点..

tianwan

复数形式的numbers是错的，因为只有一个such dwellings的数字。

juan

谢谢tianwan.

我还有一个问题,以前说a number of people中心词是people, 那是因为我们把它理解成"很多 people". 可如果理解成"一个关于people的数目"的话,那中心词就该是number了.不是吗? 这该怎么区分呢?

请指教.谢谢.

juan

up....

tianwan

a number of people的中心词一般是people，the number of people的中心词一般是number。

juan

谢谢tianwan.

可我还是困惑..我原来也一直是向你那么理解a number of people的.

可在这道题中.

16.  Los Angeles has a higher number of family dwellings per capita than any large city.

(A) a higher number of family dwellings per capita than any large city

(B) higher numbers of family dwellings per capita than any other large city

(C) a higher number of family dwellings per capita than does any other large city

(D) higher numbers of family dwellings per capita than do other large cities（C）

(E) a high per capita number of family dwellings, more than does any other large city

Choice A is illogical because it implies that Los Angeles is not a large city. Choice B emends this problem by specifying any other large city, but the plural numbers is incorrect in that there is only a single number of such dwellings. Choice C is best. The plural numbers is again wrong in choice D, which in addition fails to establish that Los Angeles exceeds all other large cities in family dwellings per capita. Choice E is wordy and very awkward. This question is of middle difficulty.

我觉得这里ETS显然是把a higher number of family dwellings解释成一个关于dwellings的number了(a single number of such dwellings).ETS并没把它解释成是很多的dwellings呀.

a higher number of family dwellings 的含义应该是:更多的family dwellings还是family dwellings的数目更高呢?这两个含义的中心词应该是不同的吧? 我是不是在钻牛角尖了?

谢谢指点......

tianwan

我觉得中心词是family dwellings, 表示数量时用  a large number of dwellings。这一题的解释看起来有道理，但是你看看我在这个帖子里的9个例子，好像ETS在用力扇自己耳光。因为ETS也用large numbers, vast numbers表示大量的。所以按照这9个例子， a large number of 和large numbers of 都应该可以。可是这个解释又粉碎了这个结论。疑惑啊！

你没有在钻牛角尖，说明你看到了问题。实际上我提这个关于number和numbers的问题就是觉得ETS的用法不清楚，但是我查不到numbers的用法说明。请NN帮助解答。

青鸟

the numbers
a) information about something that is shown using numbers
Chris, have you got the numbers yet?
b) an illegal game in the US in which people risk money on the appearance of a combination of numbers in a newspaper
playing the numbers
14
by numbers
if you do something by numbers, you do it in a basic way by following a set of simple instructions - used to show disapproval
The last thing we want is teaching by numbers

而当number做大量的时候

才有a large number of...

▶AMOUNT◀
[uncountable and countable]an amount of something that can be counted
ￚsynonym quantity
the number of something
The number of cars on our roads rose dramatically last year.
a number of something
We have been friends for a number of years.
a large/small/significant/growing etc number of something Doctors believe only a tiny number of people are at risk.The lake produces a good number of (=a lot of) salmon each season.There was an unusually high number of entries in the competition.They were printed in limited numbers .Young people have been leaving the countryside in large numbers for urban areas.Today’s case brings the number of successful prosecutions in the region to (=makes the number rise to) thirty-four.There could be any number of (=many) reasons why she's late.The condors have dwindled to an estimated sixty in number .

在这里你们没有明白的是

a large mumber of 是指大量的意思。而numbers是指数字的意思。

所以这里ets并没有错。

[此贴子已经被作者于2004-6-6 17:57:21编辑过]

mariezhu

呵呵,我也不是很肯定,只是觉得说某物的数量应该是number, 像los angeles这题, a larger numer of ... than..其实是两个number的比较, 基本指的还是 a number (this number is larger/greater than the other number..) 还有另一题decline in number

要说两种事物的数量, 是the numbers of A and B

而如果要说大量的物或人时用large numbers of sth/sb

至于这一题908, Upset by the recent downturn in production numbers during the first half of the year, the possibility of adding worker incentives was raised by the board of directors at its quarterly meeting.  我想first half of the year里的production number大概不止一个, 因为只有多个才可以看出recent downturn, 所以用复数

arctic bird那题, 我觉得理由可能是arctic bird的分布不止一处, 考虑到DDT使用前后各处的数量,所以用了numbers. 但是这个解释我自己不很肯定,确切的说是在默认ets认真考虑了number和numbers区别而选择了后者的前提上的, (好在这题从解题角度比较好说,因为反正都用numbers. 不好意思,偶比较赖,包涵).

[此贴子已经被作者于2004-6-6 19:12:54编辑过]

蓝色泡泡

1. a higher number of family dwellings per capita than does any other large city
2. black-footed ferrets are thought to have declined in number as
这里正如ETS所说:只有一个关于family dwellings 的数量,一个black-footed ferrets 的数量,此时应把number看为一个整体概念

3. large numbers of ospreys, whose huge nests formerly obstructed the lights.
6  rich and poor alike; great numbers of people were dangerously overextended
8. kill vast numbers of humans who would have no natural defenses against it
这里的几句是一个用法,但large numbers /great numbers / vast numbers 并不是表many的含义,表many时只用
a high/ large/great/vast number
这里只能说重在强调很大的数量

4. neither vast amounts of money nor a large staff
改为large numbers of staff members是可以说通的,但太复杂,而且表达不准确,这里重心还是应该落在money 和staff上

7. Upset by the recent downturn in production numbers during the first half of the year
5. extinction; its numbers are now five times greater than
这里区别与1.2. 应将number细化,从downturn可以看出是 不只一个的生产量

个人意见,欢迎指正