OG-89

[Ethan]

大家別鬧了!
^_^ 不要讓我笑。

[訪客]

這樣的省略, 就考試而言,真的很難讓考生有一個可以依循的方向

[agk99]

莫老師的確和ETS寫的不一樣
他是寫：

as many as there was one microcomputer for every 128 pupils 4 years ago.

動手腳後：

as many as there were every 128 pupils for one microcomputer 4 years ago.

就我個人的理解
我會覺得ETS與 Ethan的說法
在這一題的詮釋是較好理解的

因為仔細看莫老師的寫法，實在是沒有必要前後對調，刻意改變動詞單複數的必要性實在不大

[吳]

我在想此文中提到的4倍有可能來自:
(other things equal)
Now : 4年前
1.人數 1/4 : 1
2.電腦 4 : 1
3.比率 1/32 : 1/128 => 4 : 1
所以可能的只有電腦跟比率是四倍,可是比率用as many as 又太怪了
所以只好選電腦是四倍=> there were...
不知這樣想是不是對ㄟ.........

[haijung]

可是看了ETS官方回覆覺得更奇怪了~~ 前面是...there is now one microcomputer... 這個還比4年前多四倍喔! 那為什麼後面的microcomputer是複數?? 前面都用 is... microcomputer..了，後面是前面的1/4可是卻用了 were microcomputers... 這不是很怪嗎? 還是我哪裡有了迷思呢? 請各位大大指點~~

[hcgh]

可是看了ETS官方回覆覺得更奇怪了~~ 前面是...there is now one microcomputer... 這個還比4年前多四倍喔! 那為什麼後面的microcomputer是複數?? 前面都用 is... microcomputer..了，後面是前面的1/4可是卻用了 were microcomputers... 這不是很怪嗎? 還是我哪裡有了迷思呢? 請各位大大指點~~

綜合眾多前輩的討論

比較的主題是microcomputer
for thirty-two pupils是修飾語
Ethan與ETS說省略的是microcomputer
4年後變成1/4
8妹說1/4microcomputers用複數
通通把他們填回去, 就變成了
A recent national study of the public schools shows that there is now one
microcomputer for every thirty-two pupils, four times as many as there were 1/4 microcomputers for every thirty-two pupils four years ago.

[dibert8]

感謝各方回應, 道理真是越辯越明了;整理一下.
1. 還原 there IS now one microcomputer for every thirty-two pupils; there WERE 1/4 microcomputers for every thirty-two pupils four years ago.
=> there is now one microcomputer for every thirty-two pupils, four times as many as there WERE four years ago.
仔細推敲 1/4 microcomputer 其實應該是單數, 答案用複數動詞表示原意並不知道是多少microcomputer(s) 對應多少 pupil(s), 但 microcomputer 是可數名詞, 所以用複數動詞, 隱喻 microcomputers for pupils, 而保留與主句的平衡結構.
2. 平衡結構不必拘泥於數量, 句子就不會有文法的問題了: there is now one microcomputer for every thirty-two pupils, four times as many as there WERE (microcomputers for pupils) four years ago.