Soprano Julia Migenes-Johnson believes in that her Latin American background helped her A B C interpret the role of the Spanish character Carmen in a 1984 opera film. (TOEFL)
一本托福教程在解释这道试题 A 为错误(应去掉 in)时说: that 从句之前不能加介词。但是我却遇到下面两个句子, 都是在 that 从句之前加介词:
(1) I like the city, but I like the country better in that I have more friends in the country. (DAI)
(2) I'm in a slightly awkward position, in that he's not arriving until the 10th. (LDCE)
说在 that 从句之前不能加介词, 是符合英语实际使用情况的。因为按照 R. Quirk 等人的说法, 不与 that 从句连用, 乃是介词的标准之一。你所引用的两个句子之中的 in that 并不是 that 从句之前加介词 in, 而是复合从属连词 (complex subordinator), 意思是“因为”:
The evidence is invalid in that it was obtained through illegal means. (CGEL)
此证据无效,因为它是通过非法手段获取的。
要想做好你所引用的托福题,必须弄明白 believe 与 believe in 的区别,见 believe/ believe in。