argument53 [AWER]小组，求拍

zhuzz05UID: 2355356

Argument53.Thirteen years ago, researchers studied a group of 25 infants who showed signs of mild distress when exposed to unfamiliar stimuli such as an unusual odor or a tape recording of an unknown voice. They discovered that these infants were more likely than other infants to have been conceived in early autumn, a time when their mothers' production of melatonin-a hormone known to affect some brain functions-would naturally increase in response to decreased daylight. In a follow-up study conducted earlier this year, more than half of these children-now teenagers-who had shown signs of distress identified themselves as shy. Clearly, increased levels of melatonin before birth cause shyness during infancy and this shyness continues into later life.


In this argument, the speaker claims that increased levels of melatonin before birth cause shyness during infancy an this shyness continues into later life. To support this claim the speaker point out that, in a research of thirteen years ago, 25 infants who showed signs of mild distress when exposed to un familiar stimuli were more likely than other infants to have been conceived in early autumn, a time when their mothers' production of melatonin. And these children-now teenagers-who hand shown signs of distress identified themselves as shy. However, I find the argument unpersuasive in many respects.

Firstly, the argument shows that melatonin could affect some brain functions, but provides no information that mothers' production of melatonin can cause infants to be shy. Perhaps that melatonin only could affect mother’s brain funcation, but not to infant’s. It is also possible  that melatonin has nothing to do with shyness. The speaker fails to provide some scientific reaearchs to prove that melatonin indeed could cause shyness during infancy.

Secondly, the reaearch lends no support to the argument. The reason of a group of 25 infants showed signs of mild distress when exposed to unfamiliar stimuli may be not shyness. Perhaps the infants feeled uncomfortable because of the unfamiliar stimuli. The argument was greatly weakened.

Thirdly, the follow-up study lacks sufficient evidence. The speaker fails to consider that envionment could influence people’s character. The argument ignores to provide any information about these children’s living conditions during thirteen years. So we cannot rule out other possibilities that more than half of these children-now teenagers-would show signs of distress identified themselves as shy. Furthermore, children may be not shy only they identifed themselves as shy. The argument was further weakened.

In sum, the argument is unconvincing as it stands. To bolster it the speaker should provide scientific research and sufficient data to prove that increased levels of melatonin before birth could cause shyness during infancy and this shyness continues into later life.

[ 本帖最后由 zhuzz05 于 2008-2-23 02:55 编辑 ]

beiyouyuUID: 2366430

第二个攻击段的ts是不是应该讲的更清楚一些，所有的错误都可以说成lends no support，个人感觉考官一般会从ts 里看你这段的大致内容，一针见血比较有力。理由讲的不是很清楚，婴儿确实对unfamiliar stimuli感到紧张，Perhaps the infants feeled uncomfortable because of the unfamiliar stimuli 这句话没有很好的反驳原文。

第三段的other possiblities 可以展开一下举些例子

我比较喜欢把例子讲的细致一些，个人观点仅供参考