17.The following appeared in a letter to the editor of the Walnut Grove town newspaper.
"Walnut Grove's town council has advocated switching from EZ Disposal (which has had the contract for trash collection services in Walnut Grove for the past ten years) to ABC Waste, because EZ recently raised its monthly fee from $2,000 to $2,500 a month, whereas ABC's fee is still $2,000. But the town council is mistaken; we should continue using EZ. EZ collects trash twice a week, while ABC collects only once. Moreover, EZ-which, like ABC, currently has a fleet of 20 trucks-has ordered additional trucks. Finally, EZ provides exceptional service: 80 percent of respondents to last year's town survey agreed that they were 'satisfied' with EZ's performance."
A、ABC每周收集一次垃圾，EZ每周收集两次，这并不表明ABC就要比EZ差。ABC虽然频数小，可是他们收集的效果可能要好，例如收集得更干净，服务态度更好;而EZ虽然每周收集两次，但是他们可能收集地不太干净。另外，一周收集两次是否对于WG镇是需要的，这点作者也没有说清楚。
B、EZ订购了额外的卡车，但作者并没有说明ABC现在的计划，可能ABC也在订购额外的卡车。即使ABC不订购额外的卡车，但是ABC现有的20辆卡车可能比较新，运载能力比EZ的卡车强。
C、怀疑调查样本的基数以及选择的随机性。如果这两个不能够满足的话，该调查就不具有说服力。另外，调查者是否说了真话?如果该调查采用了有利益的方式，则被调查者很可能因为最求利益而说假话。即使该调查具备上面说的条件，具有说服力，该调查也只能反映1年前的情况，并不能够代表现在的情况。
18.The following appeared in an editorial in a Prunty County newspaper.
"In an attempt to improve highway safety, Prunty County recently lowered its speed limit from 55 miles per hour to 45 on all major county roads. But the 55 mph limit should be restored, because this safety effort has failed. Most drivers are exceeding the new speed limit and the accident rate throughout Prunty County has decreased only slightly. If we want to improve the safety of our roads, we should instead undertake the same kind of road improvement project that Butler County completed five years ago: increasing lane widths and resurfacing rough roads. Today, major Butler County roads still have a 55 mph speed limit, yet there were 25 percent fewer reported accidents in Butler County this past year than there were five years ago."
A、首先，大部分驾驶员超速以及事故率下降很小，并不能够表明P郡的这项措施失败了。因为超速可能是由于该限速规则刚刚推出，或者P郡政府对该项新规则宣传力度不够，驾驶员对此并不了解。事故率下降很小，可能是由于P郡正处于多雨雪的季节，道路状况比较差，容易引发交通事故。
B、B郡去年交通事故减少25%，作者并没有给出交通事故的基数。如果该基数很小，那么减少25%并不能够说明B郡的交通变得安全了，例如如果基数只有4，那么减少一起事故就减少了25%。作者没有说明B郡的该项措施是成功的。即使25%说明了B郡的交通确实变得比原来安全了，也未必是由于B郡的道路车道变宽了和路面重铺了。可能是由于B郡去年的气候变化了，例如降水或降雪的天数减少。
C、即使B郡的交通变安全是因为B郡采取的这些措施，P郡效仿后也未必能够起到同样的效果。因为两个郡的交通状况不尽相同。例如P郡的交通路线要比B郡拥有更多的易发生交通事故的危险路段，P郡的气候要比B郡多雨雪等。
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