OG48-19(business)

[agk99]

Passage 19(企業類文章)
Seeking a competitive advantage, some professional service firms (for example, firms providing advertising, accounting, or health care services) have considered offering unconditional guarantees(無條件滿意保證) of satisfaction. Such 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 negative consequences of bad service are grave(如何以中文思考?), or business is difficult to obtain through referrals (介紹) and word-of-mouth(言詞)(注意取非題).
第一段提出誰適合提供unconditional guarantees, 這種模式的好處，還引述四種狀況最適合端出無條件保證服務
However, an unconditional guarantee can sometimes hinder marketing efforts.(講出一個反效果，毫無疑問，第二段重要性更勝第一段) With its implication that failure 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 services, it may mislead clients by suggesting that lawsuits or medical procedures will have guaranteed outcomes(三種反效果). Indeed, professional service firms with outstanding reputations and performance to match have little to gain from offering unconditional guarantees. And any firm that implements an unconditional guarantee without undertaking a commensurate (稱比例的) commitment to quality of service is merely employing a potentially costly marketing gimmick (花招).
第二段，反過來講提供滿意保證的缺點

113. The primary function of the passage as a whole is to
(A) account for the popularity of a practice
(B) evaluate the utility of a practice
(C) demonstrate how to institute a practice
(D) weigh the ethics of using a strategy
(E) explain the reasons for pursuing a strategy

114. All of the following are mentioned in the passage as circumstances in which professional service firms can benefit from offering an unconditional guarantee EXCEPT:
(A) The firm is having difficulty retaining its clients of long standing.
(B) The firm is having difficulty getting business through client recommendations.
(C) The firm charges substantial fees for its services.
(D) The adverse effects of poor performance by the firm are significant for the client.
(E) The client is reluctant to incur risk.

115. Which of the following is cited in the passage as a goal of some professional service firms in offering unconditional guarantees of satisfaction?
(A) A limit on the firm’s liability
(B) Successful competition against other firms
(C) Ability to justify fee increases
(D) Attainment of an outstanding reputation in a field
(E) Improvement in the quality of the firm’s service

116. The passage’s description of the issue raised by unconditional guarantees for health care or legal services most clearly implies that which of the following is true?
(A) The legal and medical professions have standards of practice that would be violated by attempts to fulfill such unconditional guarantees.
(B) The result of a lawsuit of medical procedure cannot necessarily be determined in advance by the professionals handling a client’s case.
(C) The dignity of the legal and medical professions is undermined by any attempts at marketing of professional services, including unconditional guarantees.
(D) Clients whose lawsuits or medical procedures have unsatisfactory outcomes cannot be adequately compensated by financial settlements alone.
(E) Predicting the monetary cost of legal or health care services is more difficult than predicting the monetary cost of other types of professional services.

117. Which of the following hypothetical situations best exemplifies the potential problem noted in the second sentence of the second paragraph (lines 14-17)?(應用題)
(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.
這一題考得非常細節，但只要掌握好cause clients to doubt the service firm’s ability to deliver the promised level of service, 就應該不會選錯，我是BD選一個，但B是講爭取業務，D是講服務是否讓客戶滿意，符合原文中的service delivering...

118. The passage most clearly implies which of the following about the professional service firms mentioned in line 22?
(A) They are unlikely to have offered unconditional guarantees of satisfaction in the past.
(B) They are usually profitable enough to be able to compensate clients according to the terms of an unconditional guarantee.
(C) They usually practice in fields in which the outcomes are predictable.
(D) Their fees are usually more affordable than those charged by other professional service firms.
(E) Their clients are usually already satisfied with the quality of service that is delivered.

[agnes]

the negative consequences of bad service are grave
不好服務的負面結果是嚴重的

這樣翻ok嗎?

我剛剛才了解它 if 後面接的都是negative的原因...
是說這些情況下 an unconditional guarantee can be an effective tool...
im so stupid! :~

[marchmarch]

117. Which of the following hypothetical situations best exemplifies the potential problem noted in the second sentence of the second paragraph (lines 14-17)?(應用題)
(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.
這一題考得非常細節，但只要掌握好cause clients to doubt the service firm’s ability to deliver the promised level of service, 就應該不會選錯，我是BD選一個，但B是講爭取業務，D是講服務是否讓客戶滿意，符合原文中的service delivering...



為什麼不能選c? :( 如何解這題呢？

[micht]

117 重點是

Line 17
the guarantee may, paradoxically, cause clients to doubt the service firm’s ability to deliver the promised level of service

unconditional guarantee 會使客戶對他們的ability to deliver the promised level of service 被質疑能力

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. [質疑lawyer需要更多的客戶<--沒有質疑他們的ability]

(C) A business consultant’s unconditional guarantee of satisfaction is undermined when the consultant fails to provide all of the services that are promised. 〔質疑consultant沒有說到做到<--也沒有質疑他們的ability]

(D) An architect’s unconditional guarantee of satisfaction makes clients wonder how often the architect’s buildings fail to please clients.
[質疑architect設計的building倒塌的可能性有多少? 則質疑architect的專業能力]

[agk99]

再讀一篇第19篇閱讀，覺得結構嚴謹，文章用詞精準
現在才懂為什麼有人建議我把這篇背下來
And any firm that implements an unconditional guarantee without undertaking a commensurate commitment to quality of service is merely employing a potentially costly marketing gimmick.
謝的句子真好

[marchmarch]

謝謝micht，我有點懂了。
因為整篇都在說服務業，當初作這題時，看到an architect就直接刪答案了，後來看到答案，竟也選不出來，還好有micht。 (Y)

117 重點是

Line 17
the guarantee may, paradoxically, cause clients to doubt the service firm’s ability to deliver the promised level of service

unconditional guarantee 會使客戶對他們的ability to deliver the promised level of service 被質疑能力

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. [質疑lawyer需要更多的客戶<--沒有質疑他們的ability]

(C) A business consultant’s unconditional guarantee of satisfaction is undermined when the consultant fails to provide all of the services that are promised. 〔質疑consultant沒有說到做到<--也沒有質疑他們的ability]

(D) An architect’s unconditional guarantee of satisfaction makes clients wonder how often the architect’s buildings fail to please clients.
[質疑architect設計的building倒塌的可能性有多少? 則質疑architect的專業能力]

[davidlee0222]

Seeking a competitive advantage(分辭開頭的dangling脫節句型,主辭在鬥號後-簡潔句法), some professional service firms(抓到主辭-後面括號不用看或掃過就好) (for example, firms providing advertising, accounting, or health care services直接跳過一行) have considered(抓到主要動辭-完成式表一直以來) offering(提供) unconditional guarantees(無條件滿意保證-全文主旨) of satisfaction. Such guarantees(講主旨細節-看清楚文章要幹麻) specify(詳指) what clients can expect and what the firm will do if it fails to fulfill these expectations(抓到主要意義-期望要做的事的保證). Particularly with first-time clients(尤其是新客戶-可考infer:舊客戶少用), an unconditional guarantee can be an effective marketing tool(是個有效的行銷工具-為何呢?) if the client is very cautious(開始數樹-要take note-1), the firm’s fees are high(-2), the negative consequences of bad service are grave(糟糕服務結果悽慘-3), or business is difficult to obtain through referrals (介紹) and word-of-mouth(口碑-4)(出現4個以上必考EXCEPT).

歐買嘎?一段就十幾行~沒關係,主旨就一句話:介紹何為服務保證及四種狀況需要
看完心理要有段落功能- 解釋一服務及其發生狀況,並未舉例
因為第一段沒舉例,而文章好巷只有兩段,可預測第二段必有舉例

However(居然以轉折開頭-猜可能是舉反例), an unconditional guarantee can sometimes hinder(用語氣猜此字應該是削弱) marketing efforts. With its(代名詞代無條件保證) implication(後面that先跳過,抓到全句在回頭看是啥應用) that failure is possible, the guarantee may(後面有2個鬥號可跳過), paradoxically(太仁慈了-居然告訴你”矛盾”,不過沒用-前面已經知道削弱了), cause clients to doubt the service firm’s ability(使客戶懷疑服務公司的能力-句子主架構到此已結束,後面僅是補述) to deliver the promised level of service(全句是”無條件保證”的應用會反而使客戶懷疑公司提供”所答應的服務水準”的能力). It(同代名詞帶同一名詞”無條件保證”) may conflict with(與xx衝突) a firm’s desire(與公司的渴望衝突) to appear(看起來) sophisticated(專業,精明幹練), or may even suggest(不是建議,是暗示) that a firm is begging for business(暗示公司沒生意在哀嚎). In legal and health care services(舉例開始-快速掃過就好), it may mislead clients by(用xx方法誤導客戶) suggesting that lawsuits or medical procedures will have guaranteed outcomes. Indeed(太神奇了?天外飛來一筆不知是誰說的-就是作者意見,可考作者態度-作者同意無條件保證會誤導客戶), professional service firms with outstanding reputations and performance(後面兩字是修飾前面過人的名譽及服務表現) to match (真正動辭在後面的have)have little(這裡是a few-幾乎沒有的意思) to gain from offering unconditional guarantees(霧殺殺-專業的知名公司用這種無條件保證幾乎無利可圖). And any firm(抓到主辭:任一家公司-後只是補述-直接去找主要動辭在哪看董句型) that implements an unconditional guarantee without undertaking a commensurate commitment to quality of service (從主辭直接跳過2行到這裡-主要動辭是is)is merely employing a potentially costly marketing gimmick (花招).(任一家這種公司只是施行了很貴的噱頭罷了-是哪種公司呢?抓到句型結構後再回去看補述-任一家”實施無條件保證但沒有同等的致力於服務品質”的公司)-全句是”任一家實施無條件保證但沒有同等的致力於服務品質的公司也只是施行了很貴的噱頭罷了”

哇~第二段又十幾行…主旨也是只有一句話: 無條件保證可能招致反效果
段落功能是: 舉反例反駁第一段所提出的概念(且作者同意)

大衛快樂閱讀

[魚]

大衛快樂閱讀

so lovely

[davidlee0222]

113. The primary function(文章功能-後面不用浪費時間看) of the passage as a whole is to
(A) account for(=exlain) the popularity(並非解釋一措施的”普及”-刪) of a practice
(B) evaluate the utility of a practice(是有衡量一措施的可行性,保留)
(C) demonstrate(舉例示範) how to institute a practice(未舉例示範如何實施一措施-而是舉例不可行的反效果-刪)
(D) weigh the ethics(並未衡量道德-刪) of using a strategy
(E) explain the reasons for pursuing(應該是not pursuing-刪) a strategy
答案B

114. All of the following are mentioned in the passage as circumstances in which professional service firms can benefit from offering an unconditional guarantee EXCEPT: (果然如讀文時預測相同-數樹四以上必考EXCEPT-直接看note,沒有的就是答案)
(A) The firm is having difficulty retaining its clients of long standing(沒有-指講新客戶-用力給它選下去).
(B) The firm is having difficulty getting business through client recommendations(有,就是word-of-mouth口碑).
(C) The firm charges substantial fees for its services. (有)
(D) The adverse effects of poor performance by the firm are significant for the client. (有,服務下場悽慘)
(E) The client is reluctant to incur risk. (有,不願冒險)
答案A

115. Which of the following is cited in the passage as a goal(問目標) of some professional service firms in offering unconditional guarantees of satisfaction?(就是題目第一行-為提升競爭力-直接叫答案來找你)
(A) A limit on the firm’s liability (公司可靠度的極限?未提)
(B) Successful competition against other firms (找到了-直接選下去)
(C) Ability to justify fee increases (調價能力?未提)
(D) Attainment of an outstanding reputation in a field (達到過人名譽-未提)
(E) Improvement in the quality of the firm’s service (提高服務品質-未提)
答案B

116. The passage’s description of the issue(後面分詞片語補述) raised by unconditional guarantees for health care or legal services most clearly implies(醫療跟法律服務的議題之”暗示”) that which of the following is true? 第二段中間,醫療跟法律跟客戶保證服務品質反而會讓人感覺不專業
(A) The legal and medical professions have standards(有啥標準?未提-刪) of practice that would be violated by attempts to fulfill such unconditional guarantees.
(B) The result of a lawsuit of medical procedure cannot necessarily(不必然) be determined in advance by the professionals handling a client’s case. (結果不一定能預測-對)
(C) The dignity of the legal and medical professions is undermined(尊嚴被破壞) by any attempts(被任何行銷企圖破壞-太扯嚕) at marketing of professional services, including unconditional guarantees.
(D) Clients(主詞,後面補述先跳過-先抓動詞根據型結構再回頭) whose lawsuits or medical procedures have unsatisfactory outcomes cannot be(直接跳到這找到主要動詞be) adequately compensated(主要句型結束-後為補述) by financial settlements alone. (客戶無法被適當賠償,蛇麼客戶?-法律或醫療結果不滿意的客戶;無法如何賠償?-無法被錢賠償)-未提,刪
(E) Predicting the monetary(=money) cost of legal or health care services(前面整串分詞視為一個主詞-xxx的預期) is(主要動詞is) more difficult than(比xxx的預期來的困難) predicting the monetary cost of other types of professional services. (“醫療與法務”的費用預期比”其他專業服務”的費用預期來的難)-無關費用,刪
答案B

117. Which of the following hypothetical situations(下列何假設情況) best exemplifies(最能舉證) the potential problem noted in the second sentence of the second paragraph (lines 14-17)?(例證提)找到14-17行,心中要有概念-用無條件保證會使客戶懷疑到底他有沒有服務能力
(A) A physician’s unconditional guarantee of satisfaction encourages(鼓勵?全文未提-刪) patients to sue for malpractice if they are unhappy with the treatment they receive.無條件保證鼓勵不滿意客戶告死他們…
(B) A lawyer’s unconditional guarantee of satisfaction makes clients suspect(懷疑-有可能對) that the lawyer needs to find new clients quickly to increase the firm’s income. (敘述對,但不是題目問的那一句話-懷疑到底有沒有能力提供服務,陷阱-刪)
(C) A business consultant’s unconditional guarantee of satisfaction is undermined(何時被破壞) when the consultant fails to provide all of the services that are promised.(未提供全部答應的服務-錯,題目要問有沒有提供能力,服務不全不算是沒能力,是懶-重要用法:fail to是”沒有去做”,不是沒能力)
(D) An architect’s unconditional guarantee of satisfaction makes clients wonder(疑惑) how often the architect’s buildings fail to please clients. (有多常無法取悅客戶-令客戶失望,疑惑到底有沒有能力提供拍胸埔保證的服務-對)
(E) An accountant’s unconditional guarantee of satisfaction leads clients to believe that tax returns prepared by the accountant are certain to be accurate.(使客戶相信會計師所算出的會扣稅正確無誤-並不是正確率,而是拍胸埔保證的服務能力)
答案D

[agk99]

大衛真是讚，我看到不少我沒注意到的地方