劉文勇GRE寫作Argument題庫 Day 68

Day 68 A recent study reported that pet owners have longer, healthier lives on average than do people who own no pets

A recent study reported that pet owners have longer, healthier lives on average than do people who own no pets. Specifically, dog owners tend to have a lower incidence of heart disease. In light of these findings, Sherwood Hospital should form a partnership with Sherwood Animal Shelter to institute an adopt-a-dog program. The program would encourage dog ownership for patients recovering from heart disease, which should reduce these patients' chance of experiencing continuing heart problems and also reduce their need for ongoing treatment. As a further benefit, the publicity about the program would encourage more people to adopt pets from the shelter. And that will reduce the incidence of heart disease in the general population.

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.

五問：

（1）“A recent study reported that pet owners have longer, healthier lives on average than do people who own no pets. Specifically, dog owners tend to have a lower incidence of heart disease”是事實，“Sherwood Hospital should form a partnership with Sherwood Animal Shelter to institute an adopt-a-dog program”是結(jié)論，值得反駁嗎？

（2）這項研究的樣本具有代表性嗎 ?文中并沒有提供寵物主人的年齡、職業(yè)等信息。另外，養(yǎng)狗的人心臟病發(fā)病率低，一定是由于養(yǎng)狗的原因嗎？是否還有其他因素可以減少心臟病患病的概率？例如：生活習(xí)慣健康（不抽煙、酗酒等）、生活工作壓力小等因素。該研究并沒有排除這樣的可能性。

（3）原文提到的調(diào)查目的是要論證養(yǎng)寵物尤其是養(yǎng)狗的人心臟病發(fā)生率更低，但這是否就意味著養(yǎng)寵物有治療心臟病的作用？以上兩者之間為什么不能簡單地畫上等號？那些愿意養(yǎng)狗的人是否可能原本就是身體較好、能夠照顧小動物同時也不太可能患心臟病的人，所以統(tǒng)計數(shù)據(jù)才呈現(xiàn)這樣的結(jié)果？讓一個已經(jīng)患有心臟病的病人再額外養(yǎng)一只狗是否可能起到相反的作用？

（4）這個項目的推出一定會促使更多的人到 shelter去領(lǐng)養(yǎng)寵物嗎？人們獲取寵物的方式很多，是否可能大家并不愿意通過 shelter，而更愿意通過其他方式獲得寵物？例如：去寵物店購買，或者收養(yǎng)流浪狗。

（5）原文是否對這個項目可能覆蓋的人數(shù)做了估計？我們能否簡單地得出結(jié)論，認(rèn)為 general population將會受到影響？難道所有人都喜歡養(yǎng)寵物或者有經(jīng)濟(jì)能力及時間、精力去養(yǎng)寵物嗎？