【☆09GRE作文冲刺组☆】03.07号作业

xiaoyao36UID: 2392780

TOPIC: ARGUMENT162 - A recent study shows that people living on the continent of North America suffer 9 times more chronic fatigue and 31 times more chronic depression than do people living on the continent of Asia. Interestingly, Asians, on average, eat 20 grams of soy per day, whereas North Americans eat virtually none. It turns out that soy contains phytochemicals called isoflavones, which have been found to possess disease-preventing properties. Thus, North Americans should consider eating soy on a regular basis as a way of preventing fatigue and depression.
WORDS: 521
TIME: 00:30:00
DATE: 2009/3/7 16:40:43

In this argument, the author draws his conclusion that North Americans should eat soy regularly in order to prevent fatigue and depression, in that 1) a study shows that North Americans suffer more from chronic fatigue and depression than the Asians, 2) the Asians eat soy regularly while the North Americans do not and 3) one of the constituents of soy is considered to be containing the disease-preventing properties. However, after a careful examination of the inferring procedure, the conclusion is not that convincing.

In the first place, the author fails to provide the details of the study, which is not sufficient to bolster the conclusion. The author has not mentioned about the sample size and whether the respondents are evenly distributed or not. If there are not enough respondents, we cannot rule out that there are some specific statistics which is not representative of the whole group. Further, if the respondents are not evenly distributed, there can be more other factors neglected by the author during the analyses.

Secondly, even if the statistics provided is warranted, the author focuses too much on attributing the lower rate of fatigue and depression to the soy taken regularly by the Asians. The author overlooks other possibilities. For example, it is highly possible that the pressure that the suffered by the North Americans are much greater. Or the Asians are more concerning about exercise which favors health to a great extend. Still, there is the possibility that some other eating habits of Asians causes this difference, rather than only the soy. Without ruling out these possibilities, the author cannot convince me whatsoever.

Furthermore, the property of disease-preventing of isoflavones(I) contained in soy accomplish little towards the prevention of fatigue and depression. Perhaps I is widely known to prevent cancer or some other disease, which has nothing to do with the reduction of fatigue and depression. Without clinical statistics showing that I can be used specifically to prevent fatigue and depression, the assumption is problematic.

Last but not the least, admitted that it is because of the I contained in soy that contribute to the low rate of Asians' fatigue and depression, the author narrowly focuses on the negative way to suggest the North Americans eat soy regularly. Perhaps soy is not abundant in North America, which makes this method difficult to realize. Instead, the author could focus on other ways, such as doing exercise regularly, or talking with friends and family more frequently, which is more practical. Furthermore, it is highly possible that the Africans are even happier than Asians, and then the author may find himself a little narrow focci on concerning only the Asian way of staying in good mood.

In general, the author poses an opinion that the North Americans should eat more soy to prevent fatigue and depression. To strengthen the statement, more investigations and analyses are required. From my point of view, the author should express more concerns on the relationship between the soy and low rate of fatigue and depression in Asians and other better ways to improve the condition, which will make the statement more persuasive and practical.