Rather than _____ smoothly into a crucial financial summit in December,the EU
seems to be cruising for a bruising.
(A)sailing (B)sails (C)sailed (D)have sailed
答案是（A)
请问各位这边的sailing他的用法和词性是当作什么功能呢？？非常谢谢！！

https://tinyurl.com/yat8fpfh 找 Rather than: alternatives and preferences基本上这是惯用法/固定用法