Lyme disease is caused by a bacterium transmitted to humans by deer ticks. Generally, deer ticks pick up the bacterium while in the larval stage by feeding on infected white-footed mice. However, certain other species on which the larvae feed do not harbor the bacterium. If the population of these other species were increased, more of the larvae would be feeding on uninfected hosts, so the number of ticks acquiring the bacterium would likely decline.
Which of the following would it be most important to ascertain in evaluating the argument?
Lyme disease is caused by a bacterium transmitted to humans by deer ticks.Generally, deer ticks pick up the bacterium while in the larval stage by feeding on infected white-footed mice.However, certain other species on which the larvae feed do not harbor the bacterium.If the population of these other species were increased, more of the larvae would be feeding on uninfected hosts, so the number of ticks acquiring the bacterium would likely decline.
Which of the following would it be most important to ascertain in evaluating the argument?
A. Whether populations of the other species on which deer tick larvae feed are found only in areas also inhabited by white-footed mice
B. Whether the size of the deer tick population is currently limited by the availability of animals for the tick's larval stage to feed on
C. Whether the infected deer tick population could be controlled by increasing the number of animals that prey on white-footed mice
D. Whether deer ticks that were not infected as larvae can become infected as adults by feeding on deer on which infected deer ticks have fed无关
E. Whether the other species on which deer tick larvae feed harbor any other bacteria that ticks transmit to humans无关 这题正确选项是B。为什么我觉得是C呢? 原文翻译:L是一种通过鹿的虱子传播给人的一种疾病。一般来看,鹿虱子一般是在幼虫阶段吃了感染的白脚鼠。但是幼虫吃的其它物种就不会感染病菌。如果别的物种增多,那么幼虫吃其他物种变多,所以虱子吃到细菌的机会就会降低。
认真思考了一下这道题,终于想通了一种逻辑,不知道对不对,具体如下:
首先本题的论证结构是:
前提:if 未感染的 other species 增加,那么更多的Dt larvea就会寄宿在未感染的宿主里;
结论:the number of ticks acquiring the bacterium would likely decline.
Dt 有两种宿主:1. 未感染的 other species, 2. 感染的白足鼠。
假设 Dt 总共需要100个宿主,这个时候 1. 有30个,2 有30个,那么,随着1(未感染的其他宿主)数量增加,dt 肯定会增加;
但是如果dt总共需要60个宿主,这个时候同样 1.有30个,2.有30个,无论1(未感染的其他宿主)数量会不会增加,Dt都不会增加,因为此时已经饱和了。
所以Dt的数量是受到larvea能够寄宿宿主的限制的。这也就是B说的 “Whether the size of the deer tick population is currently limited by the availability of animals for the tick's larval stage to feed on”