[求助]OG--19--117

zhoushao

Passage 19

Seeking a competitive advantage, some professional

service firms(for example, firms providing advertising,

accounting, or health care services) have considered

offering unconditional guarantees of satisfaction. Such

(5) guarantees specify what clients can expect and what the

firm will do if it fails to fulfill these expectations.

Particularly with first-time clients, an unconditional

guarantee can be an effective marketing tool if the

client is very cautious, the firm’s fees are high, the

(10) negative consequences of bad service are grave, or

business is difficult to obtain through referrals and

word-of-mouth.

However, an unconditional guarantee can sometimes

hinder marketing efforts. With its implication that fail-

(15) ure is possible, the guarantee may, paradoxically, cause

clients to doubt the service firm’s ability to deliver the

promised level of service. It may conflict with a firm’s

desire to appear sophisticated, or may even suggest that

a firm is begging for business. In legal and health care

(20) services, it may mislead clients by suggesting that law-

suits or medical procedures will have guaranteed out-

comes. Indeed, professional service firms with outstandin

reputations and performance to match have little to gain

from offering unconditional guarantees. And any firm

(25) that implements an unconditional guarantee without

undertaking a commensurate commitment to quality of

service is merely employing a potentially costly

marketing gimmick

117. Which of the following hypothetical situations best

exemplifies the potential problem noted in the second

sentence of the second paragraph (lines 14-17)?

(A) A physician’s unconditional guarantee of

satisfaction encourages patients to sue for

malpractice if they are unhappy with the treatment

they receive.

(B) A lawyer’s unconditional guarantee of satisfaction

makes clients suspect that the lawyer needs to find

new clients quickly to increase the firm’s income.

(C) A business consultant’s unconditional guarantee of

satisfaction is undermined when the consultant fails

to provide all of the services that are promised.

(D) An architect’s unconditional guarantee of

satisfaction makes clients wonder how often the

architect’s buildings fail to please clients.

(E) An accountant’s unconditional guarantee of

satisfaction leads clients to believe that tax returns

prepared by the accountant are certain to be

accurate.

·       The best answer is D. Lines 14-17 state that an unconditional guarantee “may, paradoxically, cause clients to doubt the service firm’s ability to deliver the promised level of service.” In D, an architect’s unconditional guarantee leads prospective clients to wonder whether previous clients have been satisfied with that architect’s work, a situation that exemplifies the paradox described in the passage.

·       Choice A describes a problem that would occur after a service has been rendered. Similarly, in C, a guaranteed service has actually been judged unsatisfactory.

·       Choice B exemplifies the situation described in lines 18-19 of passage: guarantees may suggest that a firm is “begging for business.”

·       Choice E is incorrect because it presents a situation that is the reverse of the potential problem mentioned in the passage.

已经想和很长时间，可是还是想不通这到题式怎样类比的

L14-17和D项他们分别是怎样的一个情形呢？

ring_cheng

“may, paradoxically, cause clients to doubt the service firm’s ability to deliver the promised level of service.”

我想原文是想表达：某些公司想用无条件质量保证来吸引顾客，但通常顾客会这么想：噢，这个公司肯定没办法保障服务质量，所以才会提供无条件质保。

就好像我们现在一些小商家，由于产品不合格，所以就想打着“三年包退包换”的口号吸引顾客一样，是产品不合格的一种托辞。这种做法自然让人心生怀疑。

(D) An architect’s unconditional guarantee of

satisfaction makes clients wonder how often the

architect’s buildings fail to please clients.就是顾客担心这种无条件质保无法带来令人满意的结果。

zhoushao

以下是引用ringcheng在2005-5-25 14:18:00的发言：

“may, paradoxically, cause clients to doubt the service firm’s ability to deliver the promised level of service.”

我想原文是想表达：某些公司想用无条件质量保证来吸引顾客，但通常顾客会这么想：噢，这个公司肯定没办法保障服务质量，所以才会提供无条件质保。

就好像我们现在一些小商家，由于产品不合格，所以就想打着“三年包退包换”的口号吸引顾客一样，是产品不合格的一种托辞。这种做法自然让人心生怀疑。

(D) An architect’s unconditional guarantee of

satisfaction makes clients wonder how often the

architect’s buildings fail to please clients.就是顾客担心这种无条件质保无法带来令人满意的结果。

谢谢ringcheng，真好！

我想了好长时间，你这么一说我就明白啦