GRE写作Argument模拟题8:River's Unpopularity

In this argument, the author relies upon a survey and a number of assumptions to argue that future plans to clean up Mason River necessitate that Mason City spend more on its budget for improvements of lands along Mason River. Closer inspection reveals these assumptions to be in error. There is a critical problem with the writer's assumption that the reason Mason City residents seldom use Mason River for recreation, despite the fact that they enjoy water sports, is that Mason River is polluted. Though there have been complaints about the water, there is no evidence to support the assumption that this is the primary reason for the river's unpopularity. One can imagine many other reasons that residents would avoid the river. Perhaps it is perilously fast or too cold, or the residents of Mason City have little time for recreation. At any rate, we cannot assume that pollution is what deters the residents of Mason City from using the river. With that in mind, we cannot assume that the plans to clean up Mason River will significantly increase the river's usage. If, for instance, the river is perilously fast, then cleaning it up will not likely increase the confidence of Mason City residents that they can use the river safely. Thus, if it is illogical to assume that the recreational use of the river will increase as a result of the clean-up plan, we cannot justify improving the publicly owned land along the Mason River. Even if we accept that pollution is the factor that deters Mason City residents from using the river, we cannot conclude that improvements are justified. Perhaps the publicly owned lands already host sufficient facilities for water sport recreation as it is. In that event, improving them would be unnecessary. To make this argument, the writer must demonstrate that the existing facilities are insufficient for the increase in use that could potentially occur, but we have been given no statistics advancing this premise. In total, the argument is weak. To improve it, the author must above all do one thing: demonstrate that pollution is the factor that deters river usage. If he then can show that more people will use the river simply because it is being cleaned up, he must also demonstrate that the current facilities on the river banks are insufficient to accommodate the increased recreational usage. Only then will his argument be persuasive.