OG12 th ,73

sackie

Combining enormous physical strength with higher intelligence,the Neanderthals appear as equipped for facing any obstacle the environment could put in their path,but theri relatively sudden disappearance during the Paleolithic era indicates that an inability to adapt to some environmental change led to their extinction.

A appear as equipped for facing any obstacle the environment could put in their path,
B appear to have been equipped to face any obstacle the environment could put in their path,
C appear as equipped to face any obstacle the environment could put in their paths,
D appeared as equipped to face any obstacle the environment could put in their paths,
E appeared to have been equipped for facing any obstacle the environment could put in their path,

关于这道题，我不明白的是，咋么跟时态有关系呢？我一直以为appear to do sth，没想到还有时态的问题啊。另外为啥equip for不如equip to呢？

jiaoguitar

这题OG说的很清楚啊，appear的时态由后半句的indicates决定，but后面的句子时态是一般现在时，句子前后讲述的都是关于Neanderthals的描述，那么主句也应该优先考虑一般现在时。equip to表达了N具备体力和智力，是为了适应各样的环境威胁这一目的。equip for表原因，不表达目的。

虽然原因和目的有时候是重叠的，但是在GMAT中，当且仅当某一个描述仅表达为原因而不是目的时，才会用for，另一种用for的可能就是词组本身的固定搭配。

sackie

谢啦，听你这么一说我感觉清晰了不少。另外那个path 和paths其实是都可以的吧？

jiaoguitar

不可以，GMAT中多一个s和少一个s是差不得的。这里如果用path，就是指N这种动物作为一个种群面对的同一路径；如果是paths，就是指他们面对各自的路径，意思完全不同。

sackie

可是我不这么觉得啊，我觉得paths也可以指它们面临了很多条路，也不全是指各自面对的道路吧。

jiaoguitar

嗯，是的。无论是各自的道路还是许多不同的道路，和单数形式的path的意思是不同的。

sackie

Joehe2010

jiaoguitar 发表于 2012-6-28 11:37
嗯，是的。无论是各自的道路还是许多不同的道路，和单数形式的path的意思是不同的。 ...

看看ETS对C的解释吧，As equipped does not indicate that Neanderthals appeared this way in the past;
while individual Neanderthals may well have followed different paths, this sentence is about the single evolutionary path taken by Neanderthals as a species.