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"A recent study of our customers suggests that our company is wasting the money it spends on its patented Endure manufacturing process, which ensures that our socks are strong enough to last for two years. We have always advertised our use of the Endure process, but the new study shows that despite our socks' durability, our average customer actually purchases new Dura-Socks every three months. Furthermore, our customers surveyed in our largest market, northeastern United States cities, say that they most value Dura-Socks' stylish appearance and availability in many colors. These findings suggest that we can increase our profits by discontinuing use of the Endure manufacturing process."
下面这段文字节选自Dura-Sock, Inc.的市场副总监的备忘录。
最近一次对于Dura-Sock使用者的调查表明我们公司用于"Endure"专利生产工艺的钱是浪费的，这种工艺使我们生产的袜子足以使用两年。Dura-Sock一直在做广告宣传它的耐用性，但最新调查显示一般Dura-Sock的消费者每三个月就买一双Dura-Sock袜子，即便它很耐用。另外，在我们最大的市场，美国东北部城市的消费者说，他们最欣赏Dura-Sock时尚的外观和众多颜色的选择。这些事实说明Dura-Sock可以停止用"Endure"生产工艺来盈利。
Write a response in which you examine the stated and/or unstated assumptions of the argument. Be sure to explain how the argument depends on these assumptions and what the implications are for the argument if the assumptions prove unwarranted.
2. The following appeared in a memo from the vice president of marketing at Dura-Sock, Inc.
"A recent study of our customers suggests that our company is wasting the money it spends on its patented Endure manufacturing process, which ensures that our socks are strong enough to last for two years. We have always advertised our use of the Endure process, but the new study shows that despite our socks' durability, our average customer actually purchases new Dura-Socks every three months. Furthermore, our customers surveyed in our largest market, northeastern United States cities, say that they most value Dura-Socks' stylish appearance and availability in many colors. These findings suggest that we can increase our profits by discontinuing use of the Endure manufacturing process."
下面这段文字节选自Dura-Sock, Inc.的市场副总监的备忘录。
最近一次对于Dura-Sock使用者的调查表明我们公司用于"Endure"专利生产工艺的钱是浪费的，这种工艺使我们生产的袜子足以使用两年。Dura-Sock一直在做广告宣传它的耐用性，但最新调查显示一般Dura-Sock的消费者每三个月就买一双Dura-Sock袜子，即便它很耐用。另外，在我们最大的市场，美国东北部城市的消费者说，他们最欣赏Dura-Sock时尚的外观和众多颜色的选择。这些事实说明Dura-Sock可以停止用"Endure"生产工艺来盈利。
Write a response in which you discuss what specific evidence is needed to evaluate the argument and explain how the evidence would weaken or strengthen the argument.
3. The vice president for human resources at Climpson Industries sent the following recommendation to the company's president.
"In an effort to improve our employees' productivity, we should implement electronic monitoring of employees' Internet use from their workstations. Employees who use the Internet inappropriately from their workstations need to be identified and punished if we are to reduce the number of work hours spent on personal or recreational activities, such as shopping or playing games. Installing software on company computers to detect employees' Internet use is the best way to prevent employees from wasting time on the job. It will foster a better work ethic at Climpson and improve our overall profits."
Climpson Industries人力资源部副总监给公司总裁写了如下建议：
为了提高员工的工作效率，我们应该在员工的终端上加装电子监控来监视员工对互联网的使用情况。如果我们要减少用于私人及娱乐时间，比如购物或玩游戏的时间，那么在终端上使用互联网的员工必须要被确认并且受到惩罚。通过在公司电脑上安装检测员工互联网使用情况的软件，我们可以防止员工浪费时间，并培养Climpson更好的职业道德，并提高整体利润。
Write a response in which you discuss what specific evidence is needed to evaluate the argument and explain how the evidence would weaken or strengthen the argument.
4. The following appeared in a memo from the president of Bower Builders, a company that constructs new homes.
"A nationwide survey reveals that the two most-desired home features are a large family room and a large, well-appointed kitchen. A number of homes in our area built by our competitor Domus Construction have such features and have sold much faster and at significantly higher prices than the national average. To boost sales and profits, we should increase the size of the family rooms and kitchens in all the homes we build and should make state-of-the-art kitchens a standard feature. Moreover, our larger family rooms and kitchens can come at the expense of the dining room, since many of our recent buyers say they do not need a separate dining room for family meals."
下面这段文字出自Bower Builders房地产公司总裁的备忘录。
一项全国性调查发现人们最想拥有的两项家庭设施就是一间大起居室和一个设备齐全的大厨房。我们的竞争对手Domus Construction在附近开发的新住宅正因为拥有这些特征，其销售速度和售价显著高于平均水平。为增加销售和利润，我们应该在所有新住宅中增加起居室和厨房的面积，并且把最先进的厨房作为标准配置。 此外，我们可以把建餐厅的钱用来建大起居室和大厨房，因为最近许多买主表示他们不需要独立的餐厅。
Write a response in which you examine the stated and/or unstated assumptions of the argument. Be sure to explain how the argument depends on these assumptions and what the implications are for the argument if the assumptions prove unwarranted.
5. The following appeared in a letter from a firm providing investment advice for a client.
"Most homes in the northeastern United States, where winters are typically cold, have traditionally used oil as their major fuel for heating. Last heating season that region experienced 90 days with below-normal temperatures, and climate forecasters predict that this weather pattern will continue for several more years. Furthermore, many new homes are being built in the region in response to recent population growth. Because of these trends, we predict an increased demand for heating oil and recommend investment in Consolidated Industries, one of whose major business operations is the retail sale of home heating oil."
下面这段文字出自一家投资咨询公司写给客户的一封信。
在冬季普遍甚为寒冷的美国东北部，大多数家庭的传统是用油作为主要燃料来取暖。上个取暖季，有90天的气温低于正常值，而且天气预报说这种天气将会持续好几年。此外，由于近些年来的人口增长，在此地区又新建了很多房子。鉴于这些原因，我们预计取暖用油的需求将会增长，并且建议人们给Consolidated Industries投资，因为它主要经营家庭取暖用油的零售业务。
Write a response in which you examine the stated and/or unstated assumptions of the argument. Be sure to explain how the argument depends on these assumptions and what the implications are for the argument if the assumptions prove unwarranted.