Q1:

Scientists claim that the discovery of the first authenticated mammal bones in amber could provide important clues of determining, in addition to how, when mammals colonized the islands of the West Indies.

1. of determining, in addition to how, when mammals colonized the islands of the West Indies
2. in the determination of how and when the islands of the West Indies were colonized by mammals
3. to determine how mammals colonized the islands of the West Indies and when they did
4. for determining when the islands of the West Indies were colonized by mammals and how they were
5. for determining how and when mammals colonized the islands of the West Indies

   Answer: E

为什么不选c?

有provide sth for doing的用法吗?

不应该是provide sth to do吗

如果这里是考provide的用法，应该是这样：provide sth. for sb.

provide sb. with sth. 意思是提供某人某物，而且这里明显不是这个意思。

不过这里显然都不是考这两个意思，这里就是表目的，提供这个线索是为了... 所以我认为是C

前面有人提到过的they的歧义问题我认为不存在，明显how和when是并列的，所以他们的主语一致优先。

我认这道题不是在考目的。因为discovery of the first authenticated mammal bones in amber的目的性不是很明显。换句话说， 这个discovery 不是专门为determining how and when mammals 。。。 而做的。它还是强调这个discovery的作用，这一点从could可以看出。

所以还应该选E, 强调discovery 可以为 determining ... 提供某种clue

应该用provide sth for sth (doing sthe)

for + Ving 也是可以表目的指是沒有 to V來的好

不过在简洁的原則下

仍要以简洁为主

C虽然用了 to determine可是and when they did其实就是and when they colonized the island of West Indies的缩写

明显的是wordy且unnecessary

所以因该选E