③相比较的内容在第二次提到时常可省略。例如:
These proposals sought to place greater restrictions on the use and copying of digital information than _____ in traditional media. (1999.10)
[A] exist[B] exists[C] existing[D] to exist
答案为[A]。本句省略了主语——复数名词 restrictions,再结合上下文的时态,可断定只有[A] 符合语法。
④常用来修饰比较级的词语有a little,a lot,much,a bit,far,hardly,slightly,even,still,rather,the,any 等。例如:
He knows little of mathematics, and _____ of chemistry. (1991)
[A] even[B] still less[C] no less[D] still more
答案为[B]。由 and 一词可知前后两个分句间为并列或递进关系,所以可排除[A]、 [C]、 [D]。只有[B] 符合语法和句子意思。医学全在.线www.med126.com
2.引导比较状语从句的特殊句型及词语
(1)表示比较的特殊词语:inferior to,senior to,prior to,superior to,junior to,preferable to,minor to等。例如:
Their watch is _____ to all the other watches on the market. (1991)
[A] superior[B] advantageous[C] super[D] beneficial
答案为[A]。能和to搭配的选项有[A]、[B] 和[D]。但根据句中空格前后出现的相同成分watch可知这是两者之间进行比较,而选项中只有[A] superior to有比较的意义,指“比…高级,质量好”。
(2)特殊的比较句型:not so much...as...(与其说…,不如说…);not/no more...than...(两者一样都不…);not any/no less...than...(两者一样都…);just as...so...(正如…,也…)等。
例1:It wasn't so much that I disliked her _____ that I just wasn't interested in the whole business.(2000.9)
[A] rather[B] so[C] than[D] as
答案为[D]。本句的基本结构仍然是not so much...as...,只是so和as后面接的是that引导的从句。本句大意是:与其说我不喜欢她,不如说我对整件事情根本不感兴趣。
例2:The heart is _____ intelligent than the stomach, for they are both controlled by the brain. (1994.4)
[A] not so[B] not much[C] much more [D] no more
答案为[D]。全句意为:心脏和胃一样都不聪明,因为它们都受控于大脑。
3.最高级
英语中的最高级常用the +形容词或副词的最高级形式,注意这种形式仅限于三者或三者以上,且常有表示比较范围的介词in, over, of, among等。如:
The Social Security Retirement Program is made of two trust funds, _____ could go penniless by next year. (1997.1)
[A] the larger one[B] the larger of which[C] the largest one[D] the largest of which
答案为[B]。本题涉及两个方面的语法问题:一是定语从句的使用,二是形容词的比较级和最高级。首先,从句子的结构来看,空格前面的部分是一个完整的句子,而且在空格的前面是一个名词结构two trust funds,这就说明空格所在的部分是一个非限定性定语从句,因此,我们可以排除选择项[A]、[C]。同样它也表明这是两者之间的比较,所以要用比较级形式,而非三者或三者以上的最高级形式。这样,只有[B] 符合条件。
(三)倒装结构
1.倒装句的种类
倒装语序有两类:全部倒装和部分倒装。全部倒装指谓语部分全部提到主语之前,部分倒装指谓语的一部分提到主语之前。全部倒装语序常出现在下列情况中:
(1)为避免句子部分内容重复,英语中常用倒装句,即:so(neither,nor)+ be动词(助动词,情态动词)+ 主语。
例1:Just as the soil is a part of the earth, _____ the atmosphere.(1995)
[A] as it is[B] the same is[C] so is[D] and so is
答案为[C]。just as ... so为固定搭配,意为“正如…一样,也…”。so后面的句子要求完全倒装。