单选题 Environmental scientist: It is true that over the past ten years, there has been a sixfold increase in government funding for the preservation of wetlands, while the total area of wetlands needing such preservation has increased only twofold (although this area was already large ten years ago). Even when inflation is taken into account, the amount of funding now is at least three times what it was ten years ago. Nevertheless, the current amount of governmental funding for the preservation of wetlands is inadequate and should be augmented.
Which one of the following, if true, most helps to reconcile the environmental scientist's conclusion with the evidence cited above?

A、 The governmental agency responsible for administering wetland-preservation funds has been consistently mismanaged and run inefficiently over the past ten years.
B、 Over the past ten years, the salaries of scientists employed by the government to work on the preservation of wetlands have increased at a rate higher than the inflation rate.
C、 Research over the past ten years has enabled scientists today to identify wetlands in need of preservation well before the areas are at serious risk of destruction.
D、 More people today, scientists and nonscientists alike, are working to preserve all natural resources including wetlands.
E、 (E) Unlike today, funding for the preservation of wetlands was almost nonexistent ten years ago.

【正确答案】 E

【答案解析】[解析] 环境科学家的证据是要保护的土地的面积比10年前增加了两倍，投资实际增加了3倍，他们的结论是目前的投资不够，如果结论成立，那么根据这些证据我们可以推出，10年前对保护土地的投资与现在相比更是远远不够的。5个选项中，只有(E)指出了10年前对保护湿地的投资非常匮乏，因此(E)为正确答案。