大全-D-7

7.     The postal service is badly mismanaged. Forty years ago, first-class letter delivery cost only three cents. Since then, the price has increased nearly tenfold, with an actual decrease in the speed and reliability of service.

Each of the following statements, if true, would tend to weaken the argument above EXCEPT:

(A) The volume of mail handled by the postal service has increased dramatically over the last forty years.

(B) Unprecedented increases in the cost of fuel for trucks and planes have put severe upward pressures on postal delivery costs.

(C) Private delivery services usually charge more than does the postal service for comparable delivery charges.

(D) The average delivery time for a first-class letter four decades ago was actually slightly longer than it is today.（E）

(E) The average level of consumer prices overall has increased more than 300 percent over the last forty years.

我选c, c是明显的无关项。

E的consumer prices在这里是指什么？

答案为E。

C说私人的可比服务更贵，说明邮政服务涨10倍不算贵，价格低点，可靠性当然差点，不是管理的问题。涨价支持结论受削弱。

E说价格指数才涨3倍多。而邮政服务却涨近10倍，还是贵了，而服务的可靠性和速度却减少。所以还是管理问题。支持结论。

C points out private delivery services charge more than the postal services, but it did no say that no mismanaged problems exist in private delivery services. If that problem existed in private services is heavier than in postral services. then private services charge more is reasonble. So it can not weaken the argument that badly mismanaged problem causes the increased price.

Maybe E is not a strong reason to explain that not the badly mismanaged problem caused the increased price. But it can weaken the conclusion.

Strongly support!

這題要選的市可以直接weaken結論的，C有可能但不一定，E直接weaken結論，因此E比C好

5楼的好像看错题目了，这题是要选不能weaken的答案