2. Which of the choices most logically completes the following argument?
NowNews, although still the most popular magazine covering cultural events in Kalopolis, has recently suffered a significant drop in advertising revenue because of falling circulation. Many readers have begun buying a competing magazine that, at 50 cents per copy, costs less than NowNews at $1.50 per copy. In order to boost circulation and thus increase advertising revenue, NowNews's publisher has proposed making it available at no charge. However, this proposal has a serious drawback, since ______.

A、 those Kalopolis residents with the greatest interest in cultural events are regular readers of both magazines.
B、 one reason NowNews's circulation fell was that its competitor's reporting on cultural events was superior.
C、 the newsstands and stores that currently sell NowNews will no longer carry it if it is being given away for free.
D、 at present, 10 percent of the total number of copies of each issue of NowNews are distributed free to students on college campuses in the Kalopolis area.
E、 NowNews's competitor would begin to lose large amounts of money if it were forced to lower its cover price.

【正确答案】 C

【答案解析】 Argument Construction
Situation NowNews is suffering declines in circulation and advertising revenue due to competition from
a lower-priced magazine. The publisher proposes offering NowNews for free to reverse these
declines.
Reasoning What would suggest that the publisher's proposal will fail to increase circulation and advertising revenue?
The proposal's intended effect is simply to increase advertising revenue by increasing circulation.
Any evidence that offering the magazine for free will not result in more copies being circulated
or will not attract advertisers would therefore be evidence of a drawback in the proposal. So a
statement offering such evidence would logically complete the argument.
A The fact that certain highly motivated Kalopolis residents still read NowNews even at a cost of $1.50 per issue leaves open the possibility that providing the magazine free might still boost readership.
B This suggests that improving its cultural reporting might help NowNews increase its circulation, not that the publisher's proposal will fail to do so.
C Correct. If the proposal leads newsstands and stores to stop carrying NowNews, circulation and advertising revenue would probably decline as a result.
D Even if 10 percent of the copies of NowNews are already distributed for free, distributing the remaining 90 percent for free could still increase circulation and advertising revenue as the publisher intends.
E Forcing a competing magazine to lower its cover price and lose lots of money would be an advantage rather than a drawback of the proposal, as far as the publisher of NowNews was concerned.
The correct answer is C.