| 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？ | 
