[求助]PREP1-55

55.   (34557-!-item-!-188;#058&007575)

According to the Tristate Transportation Authority, making certain improvements to the main commuter rail line would increase ridership dramatically.  The authority plans to finance these improvements over the course of five years by raising automobile tolls on the two highway bridges along the route the rail line serves.  Although the proposed improvements are indeed needed, the authority's plan for securing the necessary funds should be rejected because it would unfairly force drivers to absorb the entire cost of something from which they receive no benefit.

Which of the following, if true, would cast the most doubt on the effectiveness of the authority's plan to finance the proposed improvements by increasing bridge tolls?

(A) Before the authority increases tolls on any of the area bridges, it is required by law to hold public hearings at which objections to the proposed increase can be raised.

(B) Whenever bridge tolls are increased, the authority must pay a private contractor to adjust the automated toll-collecting machines.

(C) Between the time a proposed toll increase is announced and the time the increase is actually put into effect, many commuters buy more tokens than usual to postpone the effects of the increase.

(D) When tolls were last increased on the two bridges in question, almost 20 percent of the regular commuter traffic switched to a slightly longer alternative route that has since been improved.

(E) The chairman of the authority is a member of the Tristate Automobile Club that has registered strong opposition to the proposed toll increase.

这个题PREP上给的答案是D，可是我记得以前老师说过，20%这样的数量太少了，不足够说明会流失很多regular commuters，所以我觉得D有点问题。我选的是C，就很多人赶在涨价前提前买票。不知道这样合理吗？求教~~十分感谢~~

it's og11-114

Situation         A transportation authority plans to pay for improvements to a commuter rail line by raising automobile tolls on the two highway bridges along the route the rail line serves. One objection to this plan is that drivers will have to pay for something from which they will not benefit.

Reasoning      What casts doubt on how well the financing plan would work? Any financing plan is based on estimates of costs and revenues, and any factor that significantly increases costs or lowers revenues threatens the effectiveness of that plan. The authority’s plan makes a revenue projection based on the current number of drivers who use the bridges and thus will pay the increased tolls. If there is a precedent that a significant percentage of regular commuters had previously used an alternate route in order to avoid the increased tolls on these specific bridges, then the revenue basis for the financing plan is considerably undermined. If that substitute route has since become an even more appealing alternative, the effectiveness of the plan is further threatened. //本题是在问财务计划的有效性，而不是问计划是否被reject

A     Objections to the plan at public hearings do not affect how well the financing plan will work.

B     The one-time costs of changing the automatic toll-collectors would not be significant given the five years of revenue from the increased tolls.

C     Revenue lost to token hoarding is insignificant compared to the revenue gained from five years of increased tolls.

D     Correct. This statement properly identifies a factor that weakens the authority’s financing plan. //20%是不是太少了？Lawyer:关键是搞清weaken的本质，WEAKEN 的本质是对结论产生怀疑，而不是使结论不能成立。所以，对于D，由于走了部分人，所以该计划的效力就产生了怀疑，所以起WEAKEN作用。

E      Opposition to the increased toll can be expected; it does not mean that the plan will be less effective.

Lawyer:关键是搞清weaken的本质，WEAKEN 的本质是对结论产生怀疑，而不是使结论不能成立。所以，对于D，由于走了部分人，所以该计划的效力就产生了怀疑，所以起WEAKEN作用.

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