刘文勇GRE写作Argument题库 Day 2

Day 2 A recent study of eighteen rhesus monkeysprovides clues as to the effects of birth orderon an individual's levels of stimulation

The following appeared as part of a letter to the editor of a scientific journal.

“A recent study of eighteen rhesus monkeys provides clues as to the effects of birth order on an individual's levels of stimulation. The study showed that in stimulating situations (such as an encounter with an unfamiliar monkey), firstborn infant monkeys produce up to twice as much of the hormone cortisol, which primes the body for increased activity levels, as do their younger siblings. Firstborn humans also produce relatively high levels of cortisol in stimulating situations (such as the return of a parent after an absence). The study also found that during pregnancy, first-time mother monkeys had higher levels of cortisol than did those who had had several offspring.”

Write a response in which you discuss one or more alternative explanations that could rival the proposed explanation and explain how your explanation(s) can plausibly account for the facts presented in the argument.

五问：

（1）“A recent study of eighteen rhesus monkeys provides clues as to the effects of birth order on an individual's levels of stimulation”是结论，其余部分是事实，值得反驳吗？

（2）这是一个典型的例题，请大家趁机回顾一下：一个好的实验，应该交代哪些要素？例如：实验的对象是否具有普遍性；样本的代表性如何（比如，猴子是否能够代表所有的动物）；样本量是否够大（一般来说， 18只猴子这个数目难以称之为足够）等。以上提及的这些要素都是想要加强原文中的论断所必需的内容。

（3）刺激的表现形式有很多种，文中是否涵盖或者定义了所有的方面？难道刺激在任何动物身上都表现为分泌激素吗？更重要的是，在做实验的时候，是否应该将刺激设定为统一的标准和表现形式？

（但大家不必提出新的定义，因为这个题目与个人的背景知识无关。）

（4）请问什么叫作对照组？对照组在实验过程中的作用是什么？原文的论述是否包含了对照组？没有。这样会有什么缺陷？实验结果不够科学合理。（比如，对比不同年龄猴子的不同激素水平，对比刺激前和刺激后的激素水平，能否得出统一的结论？如何证明皮质醇水平的变化只与刺激有关？其他因素如猴子本身激素分泌量是否正常，其他压力等条件变化也会影响皮质醇水平。）

（5）前后两个分论点之间的关系如何？怀孕和刺激性情景可以形成类比吗？文中有证据证明两者有相似之处吗？母猴体内皮质醇水平跟小猴体内皮质醇水平有直接关系吗？