大全062 （og 11版 12）

kangkangv

After gradual declension down to about 39 hours in 1970, the workweek in the United States has steadily increased to the point that the average worker now puts in an estimated 164 extra hours of paid labor a year.
(A) After gradual declension down
(B) Following a gradual declension down
(C) After gradual declining down
(D) After gradually declining
(E) Following gradually declining
这题答案是D。我当时选了E。
想问下大家，after 与 following 用法有什么区别？
谢谢

slamshady

我觉得after后面可以跟动词，而following后面一般跟的是名词，比如这里可以改成following a gradual declension