95. The following was excerpted from an article in a farming trade publication.
Farmers who switched from synthetic to organic farming last year have seen their crop yields decline. Many of these farmers feel that it would be too expensive to resume synthetic farming at this point, given the money that they invested in organic farming supplies and equipment. But their investments will be relatively minor compared to the losses from continued lower crop yields. Organic farmers should switch to synthetic farming rather than persist in an unwise course. And the choice to farm organically is financially unwise, given that it was motivated by environmental rather than economic concerns.
Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.
In this article the author recommends that farmers who switched from synthetic to organic farming last year should switch back to synthetic farming as soon as possible. Citing a decline in crop yields as the primary reason for the recommendation to reverse course, the author predicts that crop yields for organic farmers will continue to be lower unless synthetic farming is resumed. Moreover, the author argues that organic farming is not a financially viable choice for farmers in any case because it is motivated by environmental, not economic, concerns. The authors position is unconvincing for several reasons.
First, there is no evidence that the first-year yields of farmers who switched to organic farming are representative of their future yields. Common sense would lead one to expect that first-year yields would be lower simple due to the inexperience of farmers accustomed to synthetic farming methods. Moreover, other factors such as weather or infertile seed stock could be responsible for the lower yields. Since the author does not address these or other factors that could account for the lower yields, his prediction that yields will continue to be lower unless a switch is made back to synthetic farming is not well founded.
Second, the author assumes that economic and environmental concerns are mutually exclusive and that only enterprises motivated by economic concerns are financially rewarding. These assumptions are not supported in the argument. Moreover, there are good reasons to suspect they may be false in the case at hand. For example, while it may be true that synthetic farming methods produce significantly higher yields in the short term, it may also be the case that they fail to sustain this yield in the long term, whereas the opposite is true for organic methods. If this were the case, the financial advantage of synthetic over organic method would be illusory.
In conclusion, the authors prediction that yields will continue to lower for farmers who adopt organic farming methods is not well reasoned. To strengthen this forecast it would be necessary to examine and eliminate other possible factors that could account for the lower yields experienced. Lacking a full examination of these factors, it is difficult to accept the authors position. Finally, the authors view that organic farming is financially unwise is completely unsupported.
英语考试听力易出错词汇辨析(7)
名师总结 历真题必会短语(8)
英语四级考试听力过关必备短语(8)
四级听力备考容易混淆单词(5)
名师总结六级历真题必会短语(4)
英语 听力备考同音词总结(2)
考试听力场景词汇完整版-职业场景
听力复合听写答题顺序及技巧
四级听力真题高分句型总结其他形式
英语考试听力易出错词汇辨析(3)
四级听力备考常考习语详解(3)
英语听力备考多义词总结(1)
四级听力备考常考习语详解(4)
考试听力场景词汇完整版-书馆
英语考试听力复合听写提高练习方法
英语四级考试听力过关必备短语(1)
英语考试听力易出错词汇辨析(5)
英语四级考试听力过关必备短语(12)
英语四级考试听力过关必备短语(10)
英语四级考试听力提高常见缩读
名师总结历真题必会短语(6)
英语四级考试听力过关必备短语(7)
考试听力场景词汇完整版-购物
英语四级考试听力过关必备短语(3)
四级听力备考容易混淆单词(1)
英语考试听力常考高频词汇(12)
四级听力备考容易混淆单词(4)
四级听力真题高分句型总结否定句
名师总结历真题必会短语(7)
英语 听力备考多义词总结(3)
不限 |
英语教案 |
英语课件 |
英语试题 |
不限 |
不限 |
上册 |
下册 |
不限 |