90. Since 1986, when the Department of Labor began to allow investment officers' fees to be based on how the funds they manage perform, several corporations began paying their investment advisers a small basic fee, with a contract promising higher fees if the managers perform well.

(A) investment officers’ fees to be based on how the funds they manage perform, several corporations began

(B) investment officers’ fees to be based on the performance of the funds they manage, several corporations began

(C) that fees of investment officers be based on how the funds they manage perform, several corporations have begun

(D) fees of investment officers to be based on the performance of the funds they manage, several corporations have begun

(E) that investment officers' fees be based on the performance of the funds they manage, several corporations began

the clause beginning Since 1986... indicates that the practice described in the second clause continued for some period of time after it began. Choice D, the best answer, supplies the present perfect have begun, which conveys this continuity; D also uses a construction that is appropriate when "allow" means "permit": allow... to be based on. Choices A, B, and E incorrectly use the past tense began rather than the present perfect; furthermore, in each of these options, they has no referent, since officers is a possessive modifier of fees. Choices A and C include the awkward phrase based on how the funds they manage perform Choices C and E incorrectly use allow that ... fees be based

答案D,没有问题

我知道代词的指代只能指代中心词,所以OG说ABE中间的they没有指代对象:Choices A, B, and E incorrectly use the past tense began rather than the present perfect; furthermore, in each of these options, they has no referent, since officers is a possessive modifier of fees.

但是选项中fees of investment officers 的中心词同样是fee啊，难道后面的they就可以指代officers了么?

Well, I think you can eliminate answers in this way

1. ABE錯在tense. Since S+past tense, S+ have/has+V-pp. Therefore, ABE are wrong and you can just "fast" eliminate them. 這是很明顯的錯誤.

2.至於they, in all answer choices we can find they but they represents the different words. we can find"~funds they manage~ in all the answer choices;therefore, they should be a "subject". Then, we have to figure out what "they" refers to. From the sentence meaning, we should know that "they" refers to investment officers(people) rather than "officers' fees" ( material, anyway not people) as mentioned in ABE of OG.

3. Now from C and D, choose D cause' the idiomatic expression: allow something/someone to + V

Well, in conclusion, if you really don't know what they refers to or are confused with that, it's still ok to choose the right answer.

Hope it will be helpful for you~

代词指代只能指代中心词，不能指代修饰成分。

A, B, E中的“offers'”都是所有格形式，是修饰成分。