单选题 33. Editors of major United States newsmagazines have been criticized for reducing the amount of space these magazines devote to international news. According to these editors, however, readers are wholly to blame for the reductions. After all, the editors point out, sales of magazine issues that prominently feature international news stories have declined significantly, and declining sales reflect declining reader interest. Yet even if true, this evidence does not refute the contention that editors are merely passive instruments responding to reader interest. And that is clearly an untenable view, since editors can often intensify reader interest in a news topic by giving it frequent coverage.
In the argument as a whole, the two highlighted portions play which of the following roles? ______

A、 The first is evidence that has been used to support a position that the argument opposes; the second is a point that the argument raises to cast doubt on the reasoning used to support that position.
B、 The first presents a claim, the truth of which is evaluated in the argument; the second is information introduced to cast doubt on that claim.
C、 The first presents a claim, the truth of which is evaluated in the argument; the second provides evidence in support of that claim.
D、 The first cites evidence in support of the main conclusion of the argument; the second states that conclusion.
E、 The first states an assumption that is explicitly made to support the main conclusion of the argument; the second is a position that the argument as a whole opposes.

【正确答案】 A

【答案解析】 A：第一部分是数据，因此只能充当原因去支持结论。该选项中被数据支持的结论是“读者应该为这些版面的减少负全部责任”，而这正是全文所要反对的。第二部分是文章提出的，用来反驳编辑们的观点。
B：第一部分是数据，在GRE考试中默认是客观事实，因此无法进行评价。只有主观推断才能进行评价。
C：分号前面的错误原因同选项B。两个部分是取反的关系，但分号之后说第二部分支持了第一部分，不正确。
D：第一部分支持的是编辑的观点而非文章的观点；第二部分是原因而非结论。
E：第一部分支持的是编辑的观点而非文章的结论；第二部分就是文章支持的内容。