2004-12-A-18 这里是怎么strengthen的

Columnist的point到底是什么？

Columnist: Much of North America and western

Europe is more heavily forested and has less acid

rain and better air quality now than five decades

ago. Though this may be clue largely to policies

advocated by environmentalists, it nonetheless

lends credibility to the claims of people who

reject predictions of imminent ecological doom

and argue that environmental policies that

excessively restrict the use of natural resources

may diminish the wealth necessary to adopt and

sustain the policies that brought about these

improvements.

Which one of the following, if true, most strengthens

the columnist's reasoning?

(A)       Nations sustain their wealth largely through

industrial use of the natural resources found

within their boundaries.

(B)       The more advanced the technology used in a

nation's industries, the greater is that nation's

ability to devote a portion of its resources to

social programs.

(C)       A majority of ecological disasters arise from

causes that are beyond human control.

(D)       If a compromise between the proponents of

economic growth and the environmentalists had

been enacted rather than the current policies,

the environment would have seen significantly

less improvement.

(E)       The concern demonstrated by a nation for the

health and integrity of its natural ecosystems

leads to an increase in that nation's wealth.

哦，明白了。policy leads to improvement, wealth maintain policy, policy restrict natural resources usage. conclusion: policy diminish wealth. So the missing link is between wealth and restricting natural resources usage.

好复杂。