Argument71【jet小组】第6次作业

yimengshanUID: 2392100

TOPIC: ARGUMENT71 - Copper occurs in naturemixed with other minerals and valuable metals in ore, and the proportion ofcopper in the ore can vary considerably. Until fairly recently, the only way toextract pure copper from ore was by using a process that requires large amountsof electric energy, especially if the proportion of copper in the ore is low.New copper-extracting technologies can use up to 40 percent less electricitythan the older method to process the same amount of raw ore, especially when theproportion of copper in the ore is high. Therefore, we can expect the amount ofelectricity used by the copper-extraction industry to decline significantly.
WORDS: 425          TIME: 上午 12:40:00          DATE: 2008-2-15

In the argument, the author concludes thatwith the new technologies, the amount of electricity used by copper-extractingindustry will surely decrease significantly. To support the conclusion, theauthor compares the two technologies on the level of electricity consumption.Yet, after serious examination, there exist several defects, which render theargument unwarranted as it stands. All my perspectives will be presented asfollows.

First, there is no detailed informationabout the new technology. To prove its efficiency, the author only cites asingle aspect of the technology, which could save large amount of electrictechnology only when the proportion of copper in the ore is high. Yet, theauthor fails to consider other aspects. For instance, it is entirely possiblethat the new technology will consume more electric energy than old technologyif the proportion of the ore is low. Or perhaps the new technology will consumemore other resources like human resources and water, and therefore causing theincrease of costs. If these are the cases, then perhaps there is no way toexpect the electricity consumption to decline.

Second, the author fails to take in accountwhy the old technology is the only way to extract pure copper from ore untilfairly recently. Perhaps the author is just a layman of this industry, andactually the old technology is widely praised. For example, it is known to allthat there exist other minerals and valuable metals in the ore, perhaps theyare also necessary to be extracted, and the old technology will serve toaccomplish that mission while it extract copper, yet any new technologies haveto way to pure several minerals at the same time. Another possibility is thatthe old technology is much easier for workers to learn to use. Withoutconsidering the advantage of the old technology, it is irrational to draw anyfirm speculation.

In the final analysis, even assuming theold technology cause more waste and lower efficiency, there is lack ofconcerning experiment to prove the ability of the new technology. It seems thatthe author just calculate the electricity cost of the new technology in theory,in which case we have no idea of the circumstance when it is put into practice.

In conclusion, the author makes a rashspeculation for there is no careful comparison between the two technologies. Tomake it more convincing, the author should provide more advantages of the new technologythan old technology, moreover, the author should provide adequate statistics toprove the new technology will be welcomed in the market.