XY13第24题
T-9-Q24. 大全987-304For many people, household labor remains demanding even if able to afford household appliances their grandparents would find a miracle.
(A) even if able to afford household appliances their grandparents would find a miracle
(B) despite being able to afford household appliances their grandparents would find a miracle
(C) even if they can afford household appliances their grandparents would have found miraculous
(D) although they could afford household appliances their grandparents would find miraculous
(E) even if they are able to afford household appliances which would have been a miracle to their grandparents
这题我选了D，答案给了C，这里的时态语气的选用希望请教！ D 用的是 the hypothetical past。
Randolph Quirk、Sidney Greenbaum、Geoffrey Leech、Jan Svartvik 的 [i]A Comprehensive Grammar of the English Language[/i] (Longman, 1985) 是现代英语最权威的语法书。（权威是因为这是根据一个极度庞大的语用库来写的。）这是这本书的解释（第 188 页）：
The HYPOTHETICAL PAST is used in certain subordinate clauses, especially [i]if[/i]-clauses, and expresses what is contrary to the belief or expectation of the speaker:
If you really [i]worked[/i] hard, you would soon get promoted. [1]
It's time we all [i]took[/i] a rest. [2]
I wish I [i]had[/i] a memory like yours. [3]
The hypothetical past, as in [1−3], implies the nonoccurrence of some state or event in the present or future. The implication of [1], for example, is that the hearer does [i]not[/i] work hard. 意思是，Although 后面是要接与现状不矛盾的，所以要用can,
用了could就是一种假设了？ 这里其实也不是与现状不符，就是说得不那么肯定而已。
这些 subjunctive 的用法是没有系统的方法的，只能多阅读来慢慢吸收。我也是从来没有学过的，因为英文课里面不教 present subjunctive 或是 hypothetical past。但是因为书看得多了，后来就不知不觉地会用了。 thanks~ helped too
页:
[1]