If a company is already effectively on a
par with its competitors because it provides service that
avoids a damaging reputation and keeps customers from
(10) leaving at an unacceptable rate, then investment in higher
service levels may be wasted, since service is a deciding factor for customers only in extreme situations.
这段话的意思应该是：
如一家公司的服务已经有效避免了损坏口碑及抑制了不可接受的顾客的流失率；那么在服务领域的更高层次的投资可能是浪费的。。。。since。。。
so，why 227题的答案是A？
偶觉得应该是B啊，
怎么没人顶啊，自己up！
thanks a lot!u can answer me anytime when free; I have so much work to do in gmat,so I think I should not focus only one question;
anyway,I look forward to ur sooner reply for this question is so confused and strange,and hope u can get high score in test!
Q: The passage suggests which of the following about service provided by the regional bank prior to its investment in enhancing that service?
A: If a company is already ... because it provides service that avoids a damaging reputation and keeps customers from leaving at an unacceptable rate
It is asking you what happened before the improper investment to the bank. The sentence above is a hint to answer the question---It already avoid the unacceptable rate before the investment happened.
If a company is already effectively on a par with its competitors because it provides service that avoids a damaging reputation and keeps customers from leaving at an unacceptable rate, then investment in higher service levels may be wasted, since service is a deciding factor for customers only in extreme situation.
你说的没错，但是文中then后面的句子呢？我的理解整句意思是：如一家公司的服务已经有效避免了损坏口碑及抑制了不可接受的顾客的流失率；那么在服务领域的更高层次的投资可能是浪费的。。。。since。。。；
而题目问的是prior to；即有效投资之前的service的情况，那么应该是retain unacceptable rate，这样的情况下，sevice inverstment才可以enhancing service啊，正好相反呀！
文章第二段正是根据这种情况，举了bank这个例说明，由于对前述原因的忽略，所以造成了service投资的失败；我的理解是这样的，所以对227一直觉得不对；可能是总体上把握不对吧，另外请问下面这句的含义是什么？The bank managers did not recognizethe level of customer inertia in the consumer banking
industry that arises from the inconvenience of switching banks.
谢谢！
我还是例行先把OG的解释分析一下，供参考：
227.
1、 This question asks you to draw a conclusion about the service provided by the regional bank discussed in lines 13-24, prior to this bank’s investments in service.
这里是告诉我们要对第二段中地区银行的服务案例做一些判断，一开始定位是在整个的第二段。而有趣的是，这题是问此银行在对此服务进行投资之前的情况。这个需要重视的时间限定立刻把我们的定位转移了。
注意，醋醋妹妹提醒大家，增加了时间限定后，此服务已非彼服务了，this service is already proper service。
其实，这道题提醒我们，要注意一种可能会带来严重错误的阅读方法，即在阅读时对第二段内容进行大胆取舍，略读内容。在这种方法下，遇到此题时，我们可能就会担心自己是不是在略读时将需要注意的信息疏忽了，试图再研究二段。那样，我们执迷于二段内容，结果是悲惨的：浪费了大量时间，破坏了做题的步调，半懵半懂地选出不确定答案。所以所谓略读法决不是放之四海而皆准的方法，即便是XDF也没有这样教过我们，XDF的老师说，重要的唯一的例子不能略读。我赞同此点，虽然我个人对略读法给很多人带来的误导深恶痛绝。
2、 The best answer is A.
这句没什么，除了best/correct是否有区别尚需进一步确认。
3、 The words “This truth” in line 13 refer to the information presented in the previous sentence (lines 7-12).
这句强调我们重视“This”这个词，很重要。我们一定要知道它究竟指什么。结果，这句指出，就是指第一段最后一句话，这也很重要。因为往往在下二段开头的“This ”确实就是指上一段的最后一句话里面的内容。我们发现，“This”这个词把在前后两段落中的两句话紧密联系起来了，定位下一段就成了定位下一段后再增加上一段的最后一句了。唉，厉害啊。
4、 By putting together the information in this sentence and the information in the first sentence of the following paragraph, one can infer that even before this regional bank had instituted its service improvements, it was “already effectively on a par wit his competitors because it provided service that avoided a damaging reputation and kept customers from leaving at an unacceptable rate,”(lines 8-10)
把两句联立可知，第二段所述的银行情况完全可以第一段最后一句来表达。将it …kept customers from leaving at an unacceptable rate改写，就是答案It enabled the bank to retain customers at an acceptable rate的意思了。这里，ETS在解释中很友好的把原文中的时态也变成过去时态了。唉，难得。
5、 Choice B can be eliminated because there is no indication in the passage that the bank’s competitive position was threatened by its service.
文中无。没有就是没有。你怎么找也找不到。
6、 On the contrary, the passage suggests that the bank’s service was equal to that of its competitors.
不仅找不到，而且与文中所表达内容on a par with相反。看来无和反两种错误类型还是有点内在联系，啊？是吧。
7、 Choice C can be eliminated because there is no suggestion in the passage that the bank’s reputation had been damaged in the past by its service; indeed, the passage suggests that the bank had avoided a damaging reputation (lines 7-9)
与B一样，无且反。
8、 Choice D and E are incorrect in that they contradict the passage’s implication that the bank was “on a par with its competitors” (liens 7-8) by suggesting that the bank’s service was either superior to (choice D) or inferior to (choice E) that of its competitors.
反。另外注意一下，It needed to be improved to attain parity with是表示inferior to的意思。
上述分析中的第四句应可以解释楼主的一些疑问了。
而题目问的是prior to；即有效投资之前的service的情况，那么应该是retain unacceptable rate，这样的情况下，sevice inverstment才可以enhancing service啊，正好相反呀！
这里，kept customers from “leaving at an unacceptable rate”是指：银行不让客户“以不可接受的速度离开”。 以at引导的状语从句是修饰leaving这个动作分词的，而楼主似乎将此状语从句理解为修饰kept的。深入来分析，at与keep和leave的亲疏关系应该根据惯用法和句子中的意思来确定，这是语法的范畴了，可能楼主一时疏忽了。不过如果是经常出现此类疏忽，建议看看杨鹏难句阅读，强化一下对复杂句意的把握。
另外请问下面这句的含义是什么？The bank managers did not recognizethe level of customer inertia in the consumer banking industry that arises from the inconvenience of switching banks.
这句意思是：银行经理没有认识到，在此行业中，客户因为觉得转换银行麻烦而存在不乐意转换银行的惰性。这很好理解，谁没事总把自己的户头在不同银行间换来换去，多麻烦呀。所以，即便地方银行提供了改进的服务，客户们还是懒得接受他们的服务。
把原文列出如下，供XDJM参考：
The fact that superior service can generate a competitive advantage for a company does not mean that every attempt at improving service will create such an advantage. Investments in service, like those in production and distribution, (5) must be balanced against other types of investments on the basis of direct, tangible benefits such as cost reduction and increased revenues. If a company is already effectively on a par with its competitors because it provides service that avoids a damaging reputation and keeps customers from (10) leaving at an unacceptable rate, then investment in higher service levels may be wasted, since service is a deciding factor for customers only in extreme situations.
This truth was not apparent to managers of one regional bank, which failed to improve its competitive position (15) despite its investment in reducing the time a customer had to wait for a teller. The bank managers did not recognize the level of customer inertia in the consumer banking industry that arises from the inconvenience of switching banks. Nor did they analyze their service improvement to (20) determine whether it would attract new customers by producing a new standard of service that would excite customers or by proving difficult for competitors to copy. The only merit of the improvement was that it could easily be described to customers.
227. The passage suggests which of the following about service provided by the regional bank prior to its investment in enhancing that service?
(A) It enabled the bank to retain customers at an acceptable rate
(B) It threatened to weaken the bank’s competitive position with respect to other regional banks
(C) It had already been improved after having caused damage to the bank’s reputation in the past.
(D) It was slightly superior to that of the bank’s regional competitors.
(E) It needed to be improved to attain parity with the service provided by competing banks.
you say: 题目问的是prior to；即有效投资之前的service的情况.
It's wrong. You reverse the meaning, because this service is already proper service.
Q: The passage suggests which of the following about service provided by the regional bank prior to its investment in enhancing that service?
that service: is a proper service
enhancing that service: is an improper service
感谢两位斑竹的辛勤解答；是偶对题目的理解有问题，把它理解为有效投资之前了；所以越看越糊涂~~唉！
谢谢wangyu大哥和醋醋妹妹！！
非常感谢！
解释一下this truth was not apparent to managers of one regional bank, 我人为上面的TRUTH 不适合MANAGER. 这个事实对于一家储备银行的经理们不是显而易见的。
the truth 指上文的If a company is already effectively on apar with its competitors because it provides service thatavoids a damaging reputation and keeps customers from(10) leaving at an unacceptable rate, then investment in higherservice levels may be wasted, since service is a deciding factor for customers only in extreme situations.
经理们没有注意到这个真理，导致了投资服务的浪费。
8楼 说 ： “you say: 题目问的是prior to；即有效投资之前的service的情况.
It's wrong. You reverse the meaning, because this service is already proper service”
我 怎 么 看 都 觉 得 prior to后 的 服 务 指 的 是 改 变 前 的 。
8楼 好 像 不 是 这 个 意 思 啊 。
回楼上：
The passage suggests which of the following about service provided by the regional bank prior to its investment in enhancing that service?
题目问：文章暗示什么？ 关于这家地区银行在投资服务之前提供的服务。that指代表示这两个服务是一个，即前文已经描述为具有竞争力的服务。
If a company is already effectively on a
par with its competitors because it provides service that
avoids a damaging reputation and keeps customers from
(10) leaving at an unacceptable rate, then investment in higher
service levels may be wasted, since service is a deciding factor for customers
从而通过上下文（Nor did they analyze their service improvement to (20) determine whether it would attract new customers by producing a new standard of service that would excite customers or by proving difficult for competitors to copy. The only merit of the improvement was that it could easily be described to customers.）可知its investment in enhancing that service中的投资是没有太大功效，即浪费的。
不知道这么解释mm明白了吗?
虽然做对了，但是看完讨论，反而迷糊了
我觉得题目是问以前的措施是什么样的。从第一段可以看出，以前的措施是可以保持住客户的，所以A是对的。B错在，虽然新措施没有起到好效果，但文中没有说影响竞争中的position啊。
晕
这个事实对于一家储备银械木?砻遣皇窍远?准?摹?lt;/P>
the truth 指上文的If a company is already effectively on apar with its competitors because it provides service thatavoids a damaging reputation and keeps customers from(10) leaving at an unacceptable rate, then investment in higherservice levels may be wasted, since service is a deciding factor for customers only in extreme situations.
经理们没有注意到这个真理，导致了投资服务的浪费。
我就是被这句话给弄得一团糟！
The truth is not apparent to managers 为什么不能看作 这个事实对经理来说并不显然，即这个事实不适用于经理这个例子？
但事实恰恰相反：经理的例子正是说明了这个事实。
完全被它弄死了，结果狂错！伤心、痛苦、绝望！
我和楼上一样
把文章看好几遍,我的体会
This truth(其实就是说除了在极端的状况中的服务,其他是浪费的) was not apparent to managers of one regional
bank,(而下面的例子是说,不是状况的问题,是服务本身就不好,所以服务无用的)
另外，我认为.第一段最后一句~其实是一个中间结论,而第2段是对这个中间结论做解释(对还是错,有什么不完善),
所以第2段的例子在总体上，呼应全文的总结论，同时也是对一段最后一句的解释
真坏啊，绕来绕去的，我第一遍看的时候晕晕呼呼，真不知道这个例子在支持什么呀．．不过读过后，明确了，ETS不会白举例子的，举的例子一定是为总的结论服务的，但是它又不直接去支持，中间还拐个弯什么，贼呀！
请指正.
看完讨论和文章以后一个感慨－P2开头的This用得真好－_－|||
这篇我完全被绕晕了，我发现我短文章很差劲，要错2/3。郁闷，对一些句子理解一是有问题，二是不仔细。
我覺得 This truth 應該是指""If a company is already effectively on a par with its competitors because it provides service that avoids a damaging reputation and keeps customers from leaving at an unacceptable rate，then investment in higher service levels may be wasted, since(since後面可以不用管)..""一整句吧, 而這個狀況不適用regional banks managers, 因為他們根本沒有想辦法improve higher services
我错了很多次这题后的小结是:
关键在于段1的最后一句"If a company is already effectively on a par with its competitors because it provides service that avoids a damaging reputation and keeps customers from leaving at an unacceptable rate，then investment in higher service levels may be wasted"中的UNACCEPTABLE RATE.原文说:若超过这个点,再投入服务就是浪费.而例子中的银行没有达到这个点(即,只是ACCEPTABLE),则它们还没有its investment in enhancing that service.
请大家指教.
我错了很多次这题后的小结是:
关键在于段1的最后一句"If a company is already effectively on a par with its competitors because it provides service that avoids a damaging reputation and keeps customers from leaving at an unacceptable rate，then investment in higher service levels may be wasted"中的UNACCEPTABLE RATE.原文说:若超过这个点,再投入服务就是浪费.而例子中的银行没有达到这个点(即,只是ACCEPTABLE),则它们还没有its investment in enhancing that service.
请大家指教.
我这样理解：
keep from...unacceptable rate...双重否定：防止客户流失率处于不可接受状态，也就是说他们的客户流失率可以接受；这样的服务已经很好了，不需要在服务上继续投资。所以在这样情况下，希望提高服务质量的投资便是一种浪费。。。
我感觉这个文章（尤其是短文章）还是总体上来把握比较好，太扣字眼儿，反而会更错。
大家的意思我明白了，但是我选的D。因为注意到这样一句话：which failed to improve its competitive position...说明在这之前，该银行是有优势的。所以选了D。而OG中的解释说和其他银行是平等的，因为有par这个词，但是我还是不信服。
肯请大家帮忙！！
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