Lyme disease is caused by a bacterium transmitted to humans by deer ticks. Generally, deer ticks pick up the bacterium while in the larval stage by feeding on infected white-footed mice. However, certain other species on which the larvae feed do not harbor the bacterium. If the population of these other species were increased, more of the larvae would be feeding on uninfected hosts, so the number of ticks acquiring the bacterium would likely decline.

Which of the following would it be most important to ascertain in evaluating the argument?


Whether populations of the other species on which deer tick larvae feed are found only in areas also inhabited by white-footed mice.

Whether the size of the deer tick population is currently limited by the availability of animals for the tick's larval stage to feed on.

Whether the infected deer tick population could be controlled by increasing the number of animals that prey on white-footed mice.

Whether deer ticks that were not infected as larvae can become infected as adults by feeding on deer on which infected deer ticks have fed.

Whether the other species on which deer tick larvae feed harbor any other bacteria that ticks transmit to humans.

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情景：莱姆病是由于被肩突硬蜱传播给人类的细菌造成的。肩突硬蜱感染这种病的时间是它们还在幼虫时期。很多肩突硬蜱在幼虫时期是吃白足鼠的，而白足鼠带有致病菌。但是，有很多肩突硬蜱的幼虫是吃其它动物的，如果这些其它动物的数量上升，那么含有细菌的肩突硬蜱就会下降。

推理：

前提：有很多肩突硬蜱的幼虫是吃其它动物的，并且其它动物的数量上升
结论：含有细菌的肩突硬蜱会下降

答案预估：

食物多了一种选择不代表会少吃另外一种，可能饭量加大了，都吃了。

选项分析：

A选项：肩突硬蜱的幼虫所吃的其它物种居住的地方是不是仅在白脚老鼠也居住的地方？无论肩突硬蜱的幼虫所食用的物种住在哪里，都和推理文段的结论无关，可以排除。

B选项：Correct. 现在肩突硬蜱的幼虫的数量是否受到食物的限制？如果肩突硬蜱的幼虫现在食物不足的话，那么当食物种类和数量增加的时候，只能活更多的肩突硬蜱，而不会减少吃某种食物的幼虫的数量。

C选项：被感染的肩突硬蜱的幼虫的数量会不会因为捕食白脚老鼠的其他动物的数量上升而减少？即使捕食白老鼠的动物增加，白老鼠数量下降，可能会导致被感染的幼虫数量下降，但不影响原文提供的因果关系。

D选项：成年没有被感染的肩突硬蜱的幼虫会不会因为被同被感染的寄生虫喂食一样的东西而感染？无论成虫是否可能感染病菌，其均不影响感染病菌的幼虫数量的减少而引起的总数量的减少。

E选项：肩突硬蜱的幼虫吃的其它种类食物是否含有可以传播给人类的细菌？ 就算有这样的细菌，其也属于对于前提中的一小部分的质疑，不能评估整个推理。

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