61
Geologists believe that the warning signs for a major earthquake may include sudden fluctuations in local seismic activity, tilting and other deformations of the Earth's crust, changing the measured strain across a fault zone, and varying the electrical properties of underground rocks.
(A) changing the measured strain across a fault zone and varying
(B) changing measurements of the strain across a fault zone, and varying
(C) changing the strain as measured across a fault zone, and variations of
(D) changes in the measured strain across a fault zone, and variations in
(E) changes in measurements of the strain across a fault zone, and variations among
答案：D
解析：D, the best choice, describes the warning signs in parallel phrases. Despite surface appearances, the nouns changes and variations are parallel with tilting, but the verbal forms changing and varying in A, B, and C are not: tilting, one of the deformations of the Earth's crust, is used here as a noun that is parallel to fluctuations, whereas changing and varying are used as verbs indicating some action undertaken. Moreover, these verbs are used incorrectly because the sentence mentions no subject that is performing these actions. B and E illogically state that it is not the strain but the measurements that portend danger, and among in E wrongly suggests a comparison of different electrical properties rather than of different behaviors of the same properties.
62
Health officials estimate that 35 million Africans are in danger of contracting trypanosomiasis, or "African sleeping sickness," a parasitic disease spread by the bites of tsetse flies.
(A) are in danger of contracting
(B) are in danger to contract
(C) have a danger of contracting
(D) are endangered by contraction
(E) have a danger that they will contract
答案：A
解析：Choice A, which is both idiomatic and concise, is best. In choice B, to contract is wrong because the phrase are in danger must be followed by of, not by an infinitive. The phrase have a danger is unidiomatic in C. In D, the phrase by contraction trypanosomiasis requires of after contraction; even if this correction were made, though, the passive construction in D would be unnecessarily wordy and also imprecise, because it is the disease more than the act of contracting it that poses the danger. In E, have a danger is again unidiomatic, and the to that clause following the phrase is, within the structure of the sentence, ungrammatical and awkward.
63
Unlike a funded pension system, in which contributions are invested to pay future beneficiaries, a pay-as-you-go approach is the foundation of Social Security.
(A) a pay-as-you-go approach is the foundation of Social Security
(B) the foundation of Social Security is a pay-as-you-go approach
(C) the approach of Social Security is pay-as-you-go
(D) Social Security's approach is pay-as-you-go
(E) Social Security is founded on a pay-as-you-go approach
答案：E
解析：In this sentence, the first noun of the main clause grammatically identifies what is being compared with a funded pens ion system; to be logical, the comparison must be made between comparable things. Only E, the best choice, compares one kind of system of providing for retirees, the funded pension system, with another such system. Social Security. Choices A, C, and D all illogically compare the pension system with the approach taken by Social Security itself. In B, the comparison of pension system with foundation is similarly flawed.
64
Critics of the trend toward privately operated prisons consider corrections facilities to be an integral part of the criminal justice system and question if profits should be made from incarceration.
(A) to be an integral part of the criminal justice system and question if
(B) as an integral part of the criminal justice system and they question if
(C) as being an integral part of the criminal justice system and question whether
(D) an integral part of the criminal justice system and question Whether
(E) are an integral part of the criminal justice system, and they question whether
答案：D
解析：When consider means "regard as," as it does in this sentence, its object should be followed immediately by the phrase that identifies or describes that object. Thus, to be in A, as in B, and as being in C produce unidiomatic constructions in the context of the sentence. Also, although and whether can be used interchangeably after some verbs, question if, which appears in A and B, is unidiomatic, and they in B is unnecessary. E also contains the unnecessary they, and it uses the ungrammatical construction consider...facilities are. Grammatically and idiomatically, sound D is the best choice.
65
The Federal Reserve Board's reduction of interest rates on loans to financial institutions is both an acknowledgment of past economic trends and an effort to influence their future direction.
(A) reduction of interest rates on loans to financial institutions is both an acknowledgment of past economic trends and an effort
(B) reduction of interest rates on loans to financial institutions is an acknowledgment both of past economic trends as well as an effort
(C) reduction of interest rates on loans to financial institutions both acknowledge past economic trends and attempt
(D) reducing interest rates on loans to financial institutions is an acknowledgment both of past economic trends and an effort
(E) reducing interest rates on loans to financial institutions both acknowledge past economic trends as well as attempt
答案：A
解析：Choice A is best. In B, both must come before acknowledgment if it is to link acknowledgment and effort; as misplaced here, it creates the unfulfilled expectation that the reduction of interest rates will be an acknowledgment of two different things. Moreover, both... as well as ... is redundant: the correct idiom is both x and y. In C, the plural verbs acknowledge and attempt do not agree with their singular subject, reduction; also, it is imprecise to characterize a reduction as performing actions such as acknowledging or attempting. In both D and E, the use of the participle reducing rather than the noun reduction is awkward. Like B, D misplaces both, while E repeats both the redundancy of B and the agreement error of C.
66
Congress is debating a bill requiring certain employers provide workers with unpaid leave so as to care for sick or newborn children.
(A) provide workers with unpaid leave so as to
(B) to provide workers with unpaid leave so as to
(C) provide workers with unpaid leave in order that they
(D) to provide workers with unpaid leave so that they can
(E) provide workers with unpaid leave and
答案：D
解析：Choices A, C, and E are ungrammatical because, in this context, requiring ... employers must be followed by an infinitive. These options display additional faults: in A, so as to fails to specify that the workers receiving the leave will be the people caring for the infants and children; in order that they, as used in C, is imprecise and unidiomatic; and E says that the bill being debated would require the employers themselves to care for the children. Choice B offers the correct infinitive, to provide, but contains the faulty so as to. Choice D is best.
67
Often visible as smog, ozone is formed in the atmosphere from hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides, two major pollutants emitted by automobiles, react with sunlight.
(A) ozone is formed in the atmosphere from
(B) ozone is formed in the atmosphere when
(C) ozone is formed in the atmosphere, and when
(D) ozone, formed in the atmosphere when
(E) ozone, formed in the atmosphere from
答案：B
解析：In choice A, the construction from hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides ... react is ungrammatical. In B, the best choice, the conjunction when replaces the preposition from, producing a grammatical and logical statement. In choice C, the use of the conjunction and results in the illogical assertion that the formation of ozone in the atmosphere happens in addition to, rather than as a result of, its formation when hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxide react with sunlight. Choice D omits the main verb, is, leaving a sentence fragment. E compounds the error of D with that of A.
68
Although she had signed a pledge of abstinence while being an adolescent, Frances Willard was 35 years old before she chose to become a temperance activist.
(A) while being an adolescent
(B) while in adolescence
(C) at the time of her being adolescent
(D) as being in adolescence
(E) as an adolescent
答案：E
解析：Choices A, B, and D are unidiomatic. Choice C is awkward and wordy; furthermore, the phrase at the time of her being adolescent suggests that Willard's adolescence lasted only for a brief, finite moment rather than for an extended period of time. Choice E, idiomatic and precise, is the best answer.
69
A President entering the final two years of a second term is likely to be at a severe disadvantage and is often unable to carry out a legislative program.
(A) likely to be at a severe disadvantage and is often unable to
(B) likely severely disadvantaged and often unable to
(C) liable to be severely disadvantaged and cannot often
(D) liable that he or she is at a severe disadvantage and cannot often
(E) at a severe disadvantage, often likely to be unable that he or she can
答案：A
解析：Choice A is best. Choice B lacks the necessary infinitive after likely. In B and C, disadvantaged, which often means "hampered by substandard economic and social conditions," is less precise than at a disadvantage. In C and D, cannot often carry out suggests that a President with limited time suffers only from an inability to achieve legislative goals frequently, not from a frequent inability to achieve them at all. In C, liable, followed by an infinitive, can legitimately be used to express probability with a bad outcome, but C is otherwise flawed as noted. D's liable and E's unable should be followed by an infinitive rather than by a relative clause beginning with that.
70
Unlike computer skills or other technical skills, there is a disinclination on the part of many people to recognize the degree to which their analytical skills are weak.
(A) Unlike computer skills or other technical skills, there is a disinclination on the part of many people to recognize the degree to which their analytical skills are weak.
(B) Unlike computer skills or other technical skills, which they admit they lack, many people are disinclined to recognize that their analytical skills are weak.
(C) Unlike computer skills or other technical skills, analytical skills bring out a disinclination in many people to recognize that they are weak to a degree.
(D) Many people, willing to admit that they lack computer skills or other technical skills, are disinclined to recognize that their analytical skills are weak.
(E) Many people have a disinclination to recognize the weakness of their analytical skills while willing to admit their lack of computer skills or other technical skills.
答案：D
解析：Choice D is best. Choice A illogically compares skills to a disinclination; choice B compares skills to many people. Choice C makes the comparison logical by casting analytical skills as the subject of the sentence, but it is awkward and unidiomatic to say skills bring out a disinclination. Also in C, the referent of they is unclear, and weak to a degree changes the meaning of the original statement. In E, have a disinclination... while willing is grammatically incomplete, and admit their lack should be admit to their lack. By making people the subject of the sentence, D best expresses the intended contrast, which pertains not so much to skills as to people's willingness to recognize different areas of weakness.