1.(Z)Although the earliest surviving Greek inscriptions written in an alphabet date from the eighth century B.C., a strong case can be made that the Greeks actually adopted alphabetic writing at least two centuries earlier. Significantly, the text of these earliest surviving Greek inscriptions sometimes runs from right to left and sometimes from left to right. Now, the Greeks learned alphabetic writing from the Phoenicians, and in the process they would surely have adopted whatever convention the Phoenicians were then using with respect to the direction of writing. Originally, Phoenician writing ran in either direction, but by the eighth century B.C. it had been consistently written from right to left for about two centuries.
In the argument given, the two portions in boldface play which of the following roles?
A.The first is the position that the argument seeks to establish; the second reports a discovery that has been used to support a position that the argument opposes.
B.The first is the position that the argument seeks to establish; the second presents an assumption on which the argument relies.
C.The first presents evidence that is used in support of the position that the argument seeks to establish; the second presents an assumption on which the argument relies.
D.The first is an objection raised against a position that the argument opposes; the second is the position that the argument seeks to establish.
E.The first is an objection raised against a position that the argument opposes; the second is evidence that has been used to support that position.
2.(Z) Criminologist: Some legislators advocate mandating a sentence of life in prison for anyone who, having twice served sentences for serious crimes, is subsequently convicted of a third serious crime. These legislators argue that such a policy would reduce crime dramatically, since it would take people with a proven tendency to commit crimes off the streets permanently. What this reasoning overlooks, however, is that people old enough to have served two prison sentences for serious crimes rarely commit more than one subsequent crime. Filling our prisons with such individuals would have exactly the opposite of the desired effect, since it would limit our ability to incarcerate younger criminals, who commit a far greater proportion of serious crimes.
In the argument as a whole, the two boldfaced portions play which of the following roles?
A.The first is a conclusion that the argument as a whole seeks to refute; the second is a claim that has been advanced in support of that conclusion.
B.The first is a conclusion that the argument as a whole seeks to refute; the second is the main conclusion of the argument.
C.The first is the main conclusion of the argument; the second is an objection that has been raised against that conclusion.
D.The first is the main conclusion of the argument; the second is a prediction made on the basis of that conclusion.
E.The first is a generalization about the likely effect of a policy under consideration in the argument; the second points out a group of exceptional cases to which that generalization does not apply.
正确答案：B B
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