Since February, the Federal Reserve has raised its short-term interest rate target five times, and because of the economy’s continued strength, analysts have been predicting for weeks that the target will be raised again in November.

1. because of the economy’s continued strength, analysts have been predicting for weeks that the target will

2. with the economy’s strength continuing, analysts predicted for weeks that the target

3. because the economy continues strong, analysts predicted for weeks that the target would

4. due to the economy’s continued strength, analysts have been predicting for weeks that the target

5. due to the fact of the economy’s continued strength, analysts predicted for weeks that the target will

我觉得应该选A，未划线部分用的现代完成时，显示从2月开始美联储5次上调短期目标利率；然后，由于经济在这段时间持续走强，分析师预测会再次上调利率。显然，that the target will应使用一般将来时，have been predicting 也没有问题，因为它表达的是分析师持续的关注和预测。无论如何不能用过去时。

英语的行为动词有持续性动词和瞬间性动词之分。

持续性动词: 表示一个动作可以持续一段时间或更长时间。

常见的--study, play, do, read, learn, drive, write, clean, slean, sleep, speak, talk, wait, fly, stay, sit, stand, lie, keep等。

瞬间性动词:  表示一个动作发生在一瞬间，非常短暂。亦称终止性动词。

常见的--begin, start, finish, go, come, leave, find, get up, arrive, reach, get to, enter, hear, stop, open, close, become, buy, borrow, lend, happen, join, lose, renew, die, take away, put up, set out, put on, get on/off等.

持续性动词在完成时中能与表示持续一段时间的状语连用，而瞬间性动词则不能。

同时，薄冰语法提到，表示状态，感情，感觉的动词只能用一般时态而不能用进行时态，如be, know, believe等。

我认为predict既属于瞬间性动词又属于感觉动词，不能在完成进行时中出现。请指教。

我支持选A，have been predicating没什么错，尽管这个用法不常见，意思是一直

以来都预测。关键是注意到后面有个for weeks，说明是个完成时态。

个人选A，理由：

紧接划线部分的单词是be，说明划线部分的结尾有一个词，导致了动词原形的出现，所

以排除B,D；E,wordy&awkward;C, continue is a verb. It is uncorrectly followed

by an adj., strong.

我觉得这题考点在前半句

continued strength无法说明其经济到底是strong还是weak，所以是错误的。

就像length无法说明long or short