问题
选择题
______ final competitors is limited though _____ people have signed up for the short list.
A．The number of; a number of
B．The number of; the number of
C．A number of; a number of
D．A number of; the number of
答案
答案：A
题目分析：The number of+名词的复数“……的数量”； a number of+名词的复数“许多……。句意：最后参赛的人数有限，尽管有许多人已经填表报名。根据句意故选A。
点评：相近的短语的用法及区别是近几年高考的热点，需要考生平时注意它们的区别。
即学即练：______ tigers has reduced abruptly in the last fifty years.
A. The number B. The number of C. A number of D. A number
解析：B 句意:在过去的五十年里，老虎的数目锐减。