单选题 31. City Official: At City Hospital, uninsured patients tend to have shorter stays and fewer procedures performed than do insured patients, even though insured patients, on average, have slightly less serious medical problems at the time of admission to the hospital than uninsured patients have. Critics of the hospital have concluded that the uninsured patients are not receiving proper medical care. However, this conclusion is almost certainly false. Careful investigation has recently shown two things: insured patients have much longer stays in the hospital than necessary, and they tend to have more procedures performed than are medically necessary.
In the city official's argument, the two boldface portions play which of the following roles? ______

A、 The first states the conclusion of the city official's argument; the second provides support for that conclusion.
B、 The first is used to support the conclusion of the city official's argument; the second states that conclusion.
C、 The first was used to support the conclusion drawn by hospital critics; the second states the position that the city official's argument opposes.
D、 The first was used to support the conclusion drawn by hospital critics; the second provides support for the conclusion of the city official's argument.
E、 The first states the position that the city official's argument opposes; the second states the conclusion of the city official's argument.

【正确答案】 E

【答案解析】 E：第一部分是医院批评者的结论，而这一结论确实被市政府官员反对。第二部分确实是市政府官员的结论。正确。
A：第一部分是医院批评者的结论，而非市政府官员的结论。第二部分本身是结论。如果说成是支持一个观点，那么第二部分本身就变成了原因。
B：第一部分是结论，如果用来支持结论，那么自己就变成了原因。第二部分确实是市政府官员的结论。
C：分号前错误，原因同选项B。第二部分本身就是市政府官员的结论，而非其所反驳的结论。
D：分号前错误，原因同选项B。第二部分本身是结论，如果用来支持结论，则自己变成了原因。