42. “Scientists are continually redefining the standards for what is beneficial or harmful to the environment. Since these standards keep shifting, companies should resist changing their products and processes in response to each new recommendation until those recommendations become government regulations.”
Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the opinion stated above. Support your views with reasons and/or examples from your own experience, observations, or reading.
“科学家在不断重新制定对环境什么是有利的，什么是有害的的标准。由于这些标准不停变动，面对新建议，公司应该保持他们的产品和流程不变直到新的建议成为国家标准为止。”
1.         科学家的建议也并不一定都是正确的。很有可能他的结论适用面很窄。或者他所得到的数据有错误等等。
2.         对企业来说频繁的变更产品和生产流程会造成很大的经济损失
3.         诚然等待国家制定标准很可能存在滞后等问题但是比较起来以上的问题还是应该等待国家制定标准。此外一个折中的方案是国家成立专门的机构快速地对新的方案和建议做出评价并迅速制定标准
split the difference lag evaluate 
 
View1: The recommendations given by scientists are usually controversial or have inconsistent perspectives on same questions, thus can not provide clear directions on actions that companies should adopt,
View 2: changing products and processes too often will inevitably¹ increase cost and lower productivity. Therefore do harm to the companies .
View3: while waiting for government regulations may draw back the processes of solving the problems, it is relatively² a better strategy for companies to follow. We can count on the authorities to speed up the process of conversion³ between scientific discoveries and official regulations.
 
The speaker argues that because scientists continually shift viewpoints about how our actions affect the natural environment, companies should not change their products and processes according to scientific recommendations until the government requires them to do so. This argument raises complex issues about the duties of business and about regulatory fairness and effectiveness. Although a wait-and-see (adj. 观望的) policy may help companies avoid costly⁴ and unnecessary changes, three countervailing considerations compel me to disagree overall with the argument.
First, a regulatory system of environmental protection might not operate equitably⁵. At first glance, a wait-and-see response might seem fair in that all companies would be subject to the same standards and same enforcement measures. However, enforcement requires detection, and while some violators may be caught, others might not. Moreover, a broad regulatory system imposes general standards that may not apply equitably to every company. Suppose, for example, that pollution from a company in a valley does more damage to the environment than similar pollution from a company on the coast. It would seem unfair to require the coastal⁶ company to invest as heavily in abatement⁷ or, in the extreme (adv. 非常, 极端), to shut down the operation if the company cannot afford abatement measures.
Secondly⁸, the argument assumes that the government regulations will properly reflect scientific recommendations. However, this claim is somewhat dubious⁹. Companies with the most money and political influence, not the scientists, might in some cases dictate¹⁰ regulatory standards. In other words, legislators may be more influenced by political expediency¹¹ and campaign pork (pork: government money, jobs, or favors used by politicians as patronage) than by societal concerns.
Thirdly, waiting until government regulations are in place can have disastrous¹² effects on the environment. A great deal of environmental damage can occur before regulations are implemented¹³. This problem is compounded whenever government reaction to scientific evidence is slow. Moreover, the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency 美国环保署) might be overburdened with its detection and enforcement duties, thereby¹⁴ allowing continued environmental damage by companies who have not yet been caught or who appeal penalties.
In conclusion, despite uncertainty¹⁵ within the scientific community about what environmental standards are best, companies should not wait for government regulation before reacting to warnings about environmental problems. The speaker’s recommended approach would in many cases operate inequitably among companies: moreover, it ignores the political-corruption factor as well as the potential environmental damage resulting from bureaucratic¹⁶ delay.

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