GMAT考试写作指导：Argument范文十五

　　75. The author of this government agency memorandum argues that the government

　　should not spend any money this year fixing the bridge that crosses the Styx River,

　　given the limited resources available for building and repair of roads and bridges. The

　　author reasons that this bridge is less important than others because it is located near a

　　city with a weakening economy, and because the citys small population is unlikely to

　　contribute enough tax revenue to Justify fixing their bridge. This argument is

　　unconvincing for four reasons.

　　First of all, the author unfairly assumes that the importance of a bridge is

　　determined solely by the economic condition of nearby cities. This assumption

　　overlooks other criteria for determining a bridges importance―such as the number of

　　commuters using the bridge, the role of the bridge in local emergencies and disasters,

　　and the impact that bridge closure would have on the economies of nearby cities.

　　Without accounting for these other potential factors, the author fails to provide a

　　convincing argument that the Styx River Bridge is unimportant.

　　Secondly, the author fails to provide any evidence that other bridges are more

　　important than the Styx River Bridge. Without such evidence, we cannot accept the

　　authors conclusion that no government funds should be directed toward maintaining

　　the Styx River Bridge.

　　Thirdly, the fact that the nearby city has a weakening economy does not prove that

　　the city will not contribute significantly to tax revenues. Perhaps tax revenues are based

　　on property taxes, which are not related directly to economic conditions. If so, and if

　　property values and taxes are high in this nearby city, then the city would contribute

　　significantly to tax revenues, and the bridge would be important to maintain those

　　property values and the revenues they generate.

　　Finally, the author assumes that a city should receive government services

　　commensurate with the tax dollars it contributes. Substantiating this assumption

　　requires examining the proper duty of government. However, the author provides no

　　such examination. Accordingly, this assumption is simply an unproven claim.

　　In conclusion, this editorial fails to substantiate its claim that the Styx River

　　Bridge is not important enough for the government to spend tax dollars to maintain and

　　repair it. To strengthen the argument, the author must account for other factors that also

　　determine a bridges importance, and must compare the importance of this bridge

　　relative to other bridges.