The Environmental Protection Agency must respond to the hazard to children’s health posed by exposure to asbestos fibers released in the air in school classrooms. Since it is impossible to close school buildings, the best plan would be to initiate programs that mandate the immediate removal of asbestos from all the school buildings that are found to contain asbestos, regardless of whether or not the buildings are in use.

Which of the following, if true, is the strongest reason for the Environmental Protection Agency not to follow the plan outlined above?

(A) The techniques available for removing asbestos often increase the level of airborne asbestos.

(B) Schools are places where asbestos is especially likely to be released into the air by the action of the occupants.

(C) Children exposed to airborne asbestos run a greater risk of developing cancer than do adults exposed to airborne asbestos.

(D) The cost of removing asbestos varies from school to school, depending on accessibility and the quantity of asbestos to be removed.

(E) It is impossible to determine with any degree of certainty if and when construction materials that contain asbestos will break down and release asbestos fibers into the air.

答案：A

Aedes albopictus, a variety of mosquito that has recently established itself in the southeastern United States, is less widespread than the indigenous swamp mosquito. Both the swamp mosquito and A. albopictus can carry viruses that are sometimes fatal to humans, but A. albopictus is a greater danger to public health. Each of the following, if true, provides additional information that strengthens the judgment given about the danger to public health EXCEPT:

(A) Unlike the swamp mosquito, A. albopictus originated in Asia, and larvae of it were not observed in the United States before the mid-1980’s.

(B) Unlike the swamp mosquito, A. albopictus tends to spend most of its adult life near human habitation.

(C) Unlike swamp mosquito larvae, A. albopictus larvae survive in flower pots, tin cans, and many small household objects that hold a little water.

(D) In comparison with the swamp mosquito, A. albopictus hosts a much wider variety of viruses known to cause serious diseases in humans.

(E) A. albopictus seeks out a much wider range of animal hosts than does the swamp mosq-uito, and it is more likely to bite humans.

答案：A

In the country of Laurelia, legal restrictions on the sale of lock-picking equipment were relaxed ten years ago, and since then Laurelia’s burglary rate has risen dramatically. Hence, since legally purchased lock-picking equipment was used in most burglaries, reintroducing strict limits on the sale of this equipment would help to reduce Laurelia’s burglary rate.

Which of the following, if true, gives the strongest support to the argument?

(A) Laurelia’s overall crime rate has risen dramatically over the last ten years.

(B) There is wide popular support in Laurelia for the reintroduction of strict limits on the sale of lock-picking equipment.

(C) The reintroduction of strict limits on the sale of lock-picking equipment in Laurelia would not prevent legitimate use of this equipment by police and other public safety officials.

(D) Most lock-picking equipment used in Laurelia is fragile and usually breaks irreparably within a few years of purchase.

(E) The introduction five years ago of harsher punish-ments for people convicted of burglary had little effect on Laurelia’s burglary rate.

答案：D