argument71 十二月高强组第一周周二作业

waidswUID: 2256074

题目：ARGUMENT 71 - Copper occurs in nature mixed with other minerals and valuable metals in ore, and the proportion of copper in the ore can vary considerably. Until fairly recently, the only way to extract pure copper from ore was by using a process that requires large amounts of electric energy, especially if the proportion of copper in the ore is low. New copper-extracting technologies can use up to 40 percent less electricity than the older method to process the same amount of raw ore, especially when the proportion of copper in the ore is high. Therefore, we can expect the amount of electricity used by the copper-extraction industry to decline significantly.
字数：459          用时：0:48:40          日期：2006-11-21
1 每份原材料用的电少不一定代表省电，有可能每份原料提取的铜也少。
2 只指出最多省40%电而没有提供平均情况使得作者的用电量的巨大降低的观点没有说服力
3 没有证据说明冶炼公司都愿意采纳这种技术
4 可能铜的总产量会上升使得用电量上升。

The arguer claims that the amount of electricity used by copper-extraction will decline significantly due to the new technologies which use up to 40 percent less electricity to process the same amount of raw material. At the first glance, the arguer's reasoning seems to be appealing. Careful scrutiny, however, reveals several flaws.

To begin with, the arguer points out that the new technologies using less electricity to extract the same amount of raw ore, whereas fails to offer the information about whether the new technologies could extract the same amount of pure copper from the same amount of raw ore as former technologies. It is very likely that the amount of electricity comes down while the average amount of copper exacted form certain amount of raw ore declines, and the declination of product is greater that the decrease of the electricity. If it is the case, the claim that the amount of electricity used by the copper-extraction industry will decline is unsubstantiated. Without informed with the output data of the new technologies, we could not stand for the arguer's claim.

Secondly, the new technologies can save the up to 40 percent of the former method lend little credible support to the arguer's claim. Probably that the new technologies only do well in raw ore which the proportion of copper is high. Consider that the proportion of copper in the ore can vary considerably, absent data about the average savings of electricity in processing different proportions of copper in raw ore,
it is unpersuasive to claim the significant decline of electricity.

Thirdly, even assume the new technologies are effective in saving electrical energy; the arguer fails to prove us that the copper extraction companies are intent to adopt the new technologies in order to save electricity. Maybe the procedure of the new technologies is complex and therefore hard to handle, or the cost of the new technologies is too high to exceed the acceptance of companies, which result in little support from the companies.

Last but not least, there are other facts that may cause the increase of the use of electricity in exaction, such as the need of copper increase thus the amount of raw material need to be extracted rises. Even concerning the decrease of the electricity used for the same amount of raw ore, the entire amount of electricity jumps.

To sum up, the claim is unjustified in several points. To strengthen the claim, the arguer has to prove us that the new technologies can actually decrease the use of electricity for the same amount of raw ore. And the copper extraction companies are intent to adopt the new technologies. To better evaluate the claim, we still have to know that the entire output of the copper is not increasing.