Some airlines allegedly reduce fares on certain routes to a level at which they lose money, in order to drive competitors off those routes. However, this method of eliminating competition cannot be profitable in the long run. Once an airline successfully implements this method, any attempt to recoup the earlier losses by charging high fares on that route for an extended period would only provide competitors with a better opportunity to undercut the airline's fares.
Which of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the argument?
(A) In some countries it is not illegal for a company to drive away competitors by selling a product below cost.
(B) Airline executives generally believe that a company that once underpriced its fares to drive away competitors is very likely to do so again if new competitors emerge.
(C) As part of promotions designed to attract new customers, airlines sometimes reduce their ticket prices to below an economically sustainable level.
(D) On deciding to stop serving particular routes, most airlines shift resources to other routes rather than reduce the size of their operations.
(E) When airlines dramatically reduce their fares on a particular route, the total number of air passengers on that route increases greatly.
b选项说Airline executives generally believe that a company that once underpriced its fares to drive away competitors is very likely to do so again if new competitors emerge.也就是出现新的竞争者时候他们会同样使用价格战来打击新手，而不是光追求弥补以前的损失，这样的话就不会给新的竞争对手留下打击的机会。所以削弱了结论，长期不可能盈利。
d) On deciding to stop serving particular routes, most airlines shift resources to other routes rather than reduce the size of their operations. 是说决定停止一些航线后，大部分航空公司把资源转移到其他航线而不是减少它们运营的规模。这和结论没有必然联系，属于无关选项所以不能削弱。作者: laihuiyuan 时间: 2010-8-8 20:52
题目的结论是:However, this method of eliminating competition cannot be profitable in the long run.(长期不可能盈利)
