PREP-2-83，以前好像没有问过，谢谢

rosswye

83.     

The number of plant and animal species that humans are known to have forced to extinction in the last half millennium is over 800.

(A) humans are known to have forced to extinction

(B) humans are known as having forced to become extinct

(C) humans are known for forcing to become extinct

(D) are known that humans forced to become extinct

(E) are known as having been forced to extinction by humans

以前好像有人提过，但没有解答。答案是A。但我感觉A中的extinction的用法很怪，不是变成了do to sth.的结构？是不是应该加become extinct更合理些呢？

请大家帮着分析一下，谢谢。

dimder

这个是定语从句，你应该这样理解：

humans are known to have forced plant and animal species to extinction
   

所以是force sth to...

rosswye

谢谢LZ的解释，完全明白了。以前是我对to的用法理解有问题，以为不能直接连接名词...

基本常识错误，呵呵。

aster2009

 还是不太理解这里的force to something, to是介词？感觉用不定式to extinct舒服一些

amorer

 'to become extinct' does seem, to my eyes, more awkward and wordy than 'to extinction', but there are other issues in choices b and c.

choice b:
biggest problem = incorrect idiom: 'known as having forced'
known as is used with nouns: al capone was known as a gangster rather than as a tax cheat, but he was ultimately imprisoned only on charges of tax evasion.

with verbs, you have to use 'known to infinitive' or 'known for gerund'.

choice c:
fatal change of meaning.
this sentence implies that we are currently 'forcing [these species] to become extinct', a meaning that not only differs from the original but also borders on absurdity.
the original meaning, which we're not allowed to change, is that humans have forced the species into extinction at some point in the last 500 years, not that humans are doing so currently.
analogies:
the island's natives are known for stealing tourists' money, passports, and jewelry. --> these things go on today
the island's natives are known to have stolen tourists' money, passports, and jewelry. --> not necessarily still happening, but it has happened at some point