15. Heating-oil prices are expected to be higher this year than last because refiners are paying about $5 a barrel more for crude oil than they were last year.

A、 Heating-oil prices are expected to be higher this year than last because refiners are paying about $5 a barrel more for crude oil than they were
B、 Heating-oil prices are expected to rise higher this year over last because refiners pay about $5 a barrel for crude oil more than they did
C、 Expectations are for heating-oil prices to be higher this year than last year's because refiners are paying about $5 a barrel for crude oil more than they did
D、 It is the expectation that heating-oil prices will be higher for this year over last because refiners are paying about $5 a barrel more for crude oil now than what they were
E、 It is expected that heating-oil prices will rise higher this year than last year's because refiners pay about $5 a barrel for crude oil more than they did

【正确答案】 A

【答案解析】 Rhetorical Construction; Idiom
The sentence connects a comparison between this year's and last year's heating-oil prices with a comparison between this year's and last year's crude-oil prices, The most efficient, parallel expression of those comparisons is to use two comparative expressions, higher than and more than.
A Correct. This sentence expresses the comparison in succinct, parallel phrases.
B The comparative form, higher, anticipates the comparative term than, not over; in the second clause, the comparative terms more than should immediately follow $5 a barrel.
C Expectations are for... is an unnecessarily wordy and indirect expression; the possessive year's is not parallel with the adverbial phrase this year.
D It is the expectation that... is wordy and awkward; for and what are unnecessary.
E It is expected that... is wordy and awkward; the possessive last year's does not parallel the adverbial phrase this year.
The correct answer is A.