我觉的答案应该是A，大家给点意见

Historian: We can learn about the medical
history of individuals through chemical analysis of their hair. It is likely, for
example, that Isaac Newton’s psychological problems were due to mercury
poisoning; traces of mercury were found in his hair. Analysis is now being done
on a lock of Beethoven’s hair. Although no convincing argument has shown that
Beethoven ever had a venereal disease, some people hypothesize that venereal
disease caused his deafness. Since mercury was commonly ingested in Beethoven’s
time to treat venereal disease, if researchers find a trace of mercury in his
hair, we can conclude that this hypothesis is correct.

Which one of the following is an assumption
on which the historian’s argument depends?

(A) None of the mercury introduced into the
body can be eliminated.

(B) Some people in Beethoven’s time did not
ingest mercury.

(C) Mercury is an effective treatment for
venereal disease.

(D) Mercury poisoning can cause deafness in
people with venereal disease.

(E) Beethoven suffered from psychological
problems of the same severity as Newton’s.

    标准答案给的是B

我觉的A比较正确。We can learn about the medical
history of individuals through chemical analysis of their hair ， "because of A: None of the mercury introduced into the
body can be eliminated.“你们觉的怎样？

题目中出现的是hair, 不是body.

这题的结论是: 如果在Beethoven的头发中发现了Mercury, 则认定Beethoven患有venereal disease. 因为那时, 是用mercury来治疗的. 问题是要找出作者的assumption. B: some people in Beethoven's time did nto ingest mercury.  如果有人没有患venereal disease也服用mercury, 则作者的结论是得不出的.