argument71 同主题2,小美女的第一个ARGU

氧气是你UID: 2229443

0610G同主题写作第二期——Argument71

【题目】
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.  


The author argues that the total amount of electricity consumption in the copper-extraction industry will largely decline because of the use of new copper-extracting technologies. To support the argument the author points out that to process the same amount of raw ore, the new technologies only can use up to 40 percent less electricity than the previous way. And the author points out that the lower proportion of copper in the ore, the more electric energy will be needed to extract pure copper from ore. However the author' argument is problematic in several critical respects.

To begin with, the author unfairly assumes that new technologies can extract pure copper from the same amount of raw ore by using only 60 percent electricity as the older method. But the article fails to tell us how much pure copper will be extracted from an unit raw ore. It is quite possible that there are less copper extracted from the same amount and quality of raw ore. Even if the extent to which the pure copper is extracted from the same amount and quality of raw ore is tantamount to the older method. It is entirely possible that the new method tends to successfully gain pure copper from the high quality ore but fails when the ore possesses low portion of copper. In either case, the fact that new cooper-extracting technologies is efficient in declining the amount of electricity would amount to scant support for the author's argument.

Even if the new method has the same copper-extracting capacity as the previous way, the argument is also problematic. Such a case is that the author fails to tell us how long will the new technologies to be taken to use. Perhaps the expense of the new method is so high that no cooper-extracting factory could afford. Or perhaps that such a method exists some unstable problems that should be in experiment for years. Without accounting for these likelihoods the author cannot rely this claim to conclude that the electricity consumption of copper-extraction industry will reduce.

To sum, the argument is unreasonable as it stands. To strengthen the argument I must know how much pure copper could the new method gain from the same amount and quality of ore. And I also need to know to what range of the copper proportion in the ore the new method can be suitable. To better evaluate the argument the author should provide the evidence that the new technologies would be used in a short while.