单选题 The cotton farms of Country Q became so productive that the market could not absorb all that they produced. Consequently, cotton prices fell. The government tried to boost cotton prices by offering farmers who took 25 percent of their cotton acreage out of production direct support payments up to a specified maximum per farm.
The government's program, if successful, will not be a net burden on the budget. Which of the following, if true, is the best basis for an explanation of how this could be so?

A、 Depressed cotton prices meant operating losses for cotton farms, and the government lost revenue from taxes on farm profits.
B、 Cotton production in several counties other than Q declined slightly the year that the support-payment program went into effect in Q.
C、 The first year that the support-payment program was in effect, cotton acreage in Q was 5 % below its level in the base year for the program.
D、 The specified maximum per farm meant that for very large cotton farms the support payments were less per acre for those acres that were withdrawn from production than they were for smaller farms.
E、 (E) Farmers who wished to qualify for support payments could not use the cotton acreage that was withdrawn from production to grow any other crop.

【正确答案】 A

【答案解析】[解析] 本题思路也比较简单，不过运用了两个common sense：①供求规律；②Profit=Revenue-Cost，并且由此可知(A)正确。(B)讨论的是Q国以外的一些地区的情况，与段落推理无关；(C)与“价格”无关，说明不了任何问题；(D)是无关比较，且推不出结论；(E)讨论的是农民不能利用退出生产的棉花田种植其他作物，与上面推理没有直接关联。请回忆类似思维。