A major chemical spill occurred five years ago at Baker’s Beach, the world’s sole nesting ground for Merrick sea turtles, and prevented nearly all the eggs laid that year from hatching.Yet the number of adult female Merricks returning to lay their eggs at Baker’s Beach has actually increased somewhat since five years ago.Clearly, environmentalists’ prediction that the world’s Merrick population would decline as a result of the spill has proven unfounded. Which of the following, if true, most seriously undermines the argument offered in refutation of the environmentalists’ prediction?
A.The chemical spill five years ago occurred at a time when there were neither Merrick sea turtles nor Merrick sea turtle eggs on Baker’s Beach.
B.Female Merrick sea turtles begin returning to Baker’s Beach to lay their eggs when they are ten years old.
C.Under normal conditions, only a small proportion of hatchling female Merrick sea turtles survive in the ocean until adulthood and return to lay their eggs at Baker’s Beach.
D.Environmental pressures unrelated to the chemical spill have caused a significant decline in the population of one of the several species of sea birds that prey on Merrick sea turtle eggs.
E.After the chemical spill, an environmental group rejected a proposal to increase the Merrick sea turtle population by transferring eggs from Baker’s Beach to nearby beaches that had not been affected by the spill. 答案是B,我选的D. 答案的B选项只是说雌性在她们10岁时回去孵化，那怎么消弱环境学家呢？谢谢！！！作者: 塔罗牌 时间: 2011-8-1 17:20
我也选的d!!求解！作者: lianlianchen 时间: 2011-8-1 21:34
首先结论是environmentalists’ prediction that the world’s Merrick population would decline as a result of the spill has proven unfounded，也就是说 Merrick population 不会减少， 作者的论据是 the number of adult female Merricks returning to lay their eggs at Baker’s Beach has actually increased somewhat since“ five years ago”， 而B说Female Merrick sea turtles begin returning to Baker’s Beach to lay their eggs when they are “ten years old”， 也就是说chemical spill occurred 之后五年来下蛋的乌龟出生在chemical spill occurred 之前，其数量的增多不能说明environmentalists’ prediction that the world’s Merrick population would decline as a result of the spill has proven unfounded.