GMAT Reading Comprehension
TIPS :
Remember that comprehension—not speed—is the critical success factor when it comes to reading comprehension questions.
You will have 75 minutes to complete the Verbal section
GMAT阅读文章分类（相关细节）
1、按题材分3类：社会科学类，自然科学类，经济管理类(The passages
discuss topics from the social sciences, humanities, the physical or biological sciences, and such business-related fields as marketing, economics, and human resource management.)
2、按写作手法分2类：presentation, argumentation
重点是presentation，即论述一个理论的文章
【例1】presentation的结构
①Recently, the extinction of the dinosaur has been a mysterious
phenomenon that puzzles scientists.
②Rosen’s three major findings have contributed much to the progress of
explaining the dinosaur’s extinction.
③Therefore………
【例2】argumentation 的结构
①Traditionally, most scientists believed that the extinction of the dinosaur
was caused by the impact on Earth of massive meteorites.
②However, no sign of the impact, such as a huge pit, has been discovered.
On the other hand, Smith found two things that had been overlooked by his predecessors.
③Thus……
3. 文章文字数量分为长短文章：
长文章分四种：新老观点对比型、现象解释型、问题解决型、结论解释型。（多段论）
短文章：可套用长文套路、无罗嗦语言。特点：混。（一段论，两段论）
两段论分2类：
其一、第一段介绍话题，第二段直接反驳
（verbal question 18-23 meteorite ALH84001）etc.
其二、第一段介绍话题，第二段继续解释（举例说明）
（verbal question12-17 epidemics）etc.
两段论文章需要留意的地方：
四句话（必读）段落首尾句x 2 （不包括问句和直接引语）
“双信号”原则
关于“一段论”（态度性用词）
关于“多段论”（看不懂观点看例子，看不懂例子看观点，要是都看不懂、、、、、）
关于看懂文章：
必须引起高度重视的强调性语言!!!!
1、强转折
两个“虽然”：(al)though, while
三个“但是”：but，yet，however
五对同义词：（in fact, actually）(nevertheless, nonetheless) (despite, in spite of ) (rather, instead)（virtually, practically）注意：极端转折，多重转折
2、强因果
两个“家族”：conclude, conclusion, conclusive; consequent (ly), consequence
三个“所以”：thus, hence, therefore
四个“短语”：result in, result from, lead to, lie in
五个“因为”：because (of ), since, for, due to , 冒号
3、标点符号：引号，括号(新名词解释一定要看)
4、重要语言
最高级：请注意顺序最高级（first），频率最高级（always，never），程
度最高级（foremost，uttermost）
唯一性：only，sole（ly），unique（ly），exclusive（ly），alone
比较句：注意more/less…….than的另一种特殊意义，注意相等比较as….as, the same as, similar to
5、专有名词：人名，物种，化学物质（首字母提炼法）
Vivinana Zelizer---VZ Adenosine----ad
Phosphodiesterase----ph Washington Clinton---
6、判断句
系动词：be，remain
情态动词：can，cannot，may，might
自由褒贬词：adj.，adv
强对比和重要的强转折
强对比有两类：unlike, in contrast to, on the other hand, on the
contrary;
时间状语（until recently, prior to 1970’s, now,…..）
GMAT阅读题型分类（官方）
Main idea (主旨题)
Each passage is a unified whole—that is, the individual sentences and paragraphs support and develop one main idea or central point. Sometimes you will be told the central point in the passage itself, and sometimes it will be necessary for you to determine the central point from the overall organization or development of the passage. You may be asked in this kind of question to ?recognize a correct restatement, or paraphrasing, of the main idea of a
passage
?identify the author's primary purpose or objective in writing the passage assign a title that summarizes, briefly and pointedly, the main idea
developed in the passage
典型问法：
The primary purpose of the passage is to propose
The primary purpose of the passage is to
In the passage, the author is primarily concerned with doing which of the following? 做法：
段落首尾句相加（多段论：首段首尾句与尾端首尾句相加，或每段首句相加）（两段论：两段首尾句相加）（一段论：首尾句相加并注意作者态度性用词和转折）注意：首尾句不包括问句和直接引语。例：
Coral reef are one of the most fragile ,biologically complex ,and…..
This symbiotic process allows organisms in the reef community to use …. Unfortunately for coral reefs, however, a variety of human activities are causing worldwide degradation of shallow …..
Declines in reef communities are consistent with observations that…..
The passage is primarily concerned with
(a)describing the effect of human activities on algae in coral reef
(b)explaining how human activities are posing a threat to coral reef
communities
(c)discussing the process by which coral reef deteriorate in nutrient-poor
water
(d)explaining how coral reefs produce food for themselves
(e)describing the abundance of algae and filter-feeding animals in coral
reef areas
Current feminist theory, in validating women's own stories of their experience, has encouraged scholars of women's history to view the use of women's oral……
Unlike most standard histories, represent experience from the perspective of women, affirm the importance of women's contributions…..
Scholars of women's history should, however, be as cautious about accepting oral narratives at face value as they already are about written memories…..
Thus a woman who views the Second World War as pivotal in increasing the social acceptance of women's paid work outside the home may reach that conclusion partly and unwittingly……
The passage is primarily concerned with
(A)contrasting the benefits of one methodology with the benefits of
another
(B)describing the historical origins and inherent drawbacks of a
particular methodology
(C)discussing the appeal of a particular methodology and some
concerns about its use
(D)showing that some historians' adoption of a particular
methodology has led to criticism of recent historical scholarship
(E)analyzing the influence of current feminist views on women's
interpretations of their experience
Supporting ideas (客观题)
These questions measure your ability to comprehend the supporting ideas in a passage and differentiate them from the main idea. The questions also measure your ability to differentiate ideas that are explicitly stated 'in a passage from
ideas that are implied by the author but that are not explicitly stated. You may be asked about
?facts cited in a passage
?the specific content of arguments presented by the author in support of
his or her views
?descriptive details used to support or elaborate on the main idea
直接客观细节题
典型问法：
According to the passage(author)….
The author states that…….
The author mentions which of the following as..
做法：
仔细阅读题干，看到典型问法后确定是细节题后开始定位，一般这种题型不会出错，关键在于如何行之有效的定位（一般选择定位词的顺序是名词、形容词、副词、数词等）同义变换（找原文···········的语言重现）的两种情况：变换同义词，变换句型
The historians have broadened the conventional view of nineteenth-century
feminism.
换为：The historians have expanded the traditional view of nineteen-century feminism.
The minority groups lack access to the sizable orders that are generated by large companies.
换为：The minority groups do not have sufficient opportunity to secure business created by large corporations.
It categorizes workers based on their company's final product rather than on
the actual work the employees perform. Thus, the many service workers
employed by manufacturers—bookkeepers or janitors, for example—would fall under the industrial rather than the services category.
The passage suggests which of the following about service workers in the United States?
(A)The number of service workers may be underestimated by the
definition of services used by the government.
(B)There were fewer service workers than agricultural workers
before 1988.
(C)The number of service workers was almost equal to the number of
workers employed in manufacturing until 1988.
(D)Most service workers are employed in service occupations rather
than in service industries.
(E)Most service workers are employed in occupations where they
provide services that do not fall under the classical definition of services.
Similarly, an outbreak of dengue hemorrhagic fever became an epidemic in Asia in the 1950’s because of ecological changes that caused Aedes aegypti, the mosquito that transmits the dengue virus, to proliferate. The stage is now set in the United States, for a dengue epidemic because of the inadvertent introduction and wide dissemination of another mosquito, Aedes albopictus .
According to the passage, the outbreak of dengue hemorrhagic fever in the 1950’s occurred for which of the following reasons?
(A) The mosquito Aedes aegypti was newly introduced into Asia.
(B) The mosquito Aedes aegypti became more numerous.
(C) The mosquito Aedes albopictus became infected with the dengue
virus.
(D) Individuals who would normally acquire immunity to the dengue
virus as infants were not infected until later in life.
(E) Modern people began to visit and inhabit areas in which
mosquitoes live and breed.
间接客观细节题
典型问法：
According to the passage(author)….（按照原文缺乏条件或有更多条件）The author states that…….
The author mentions which of the following as..
做法：
和直接客观细节题一样但要注意条件的限定（通过定位词定位，同时要注意除了定位词所在的那句话的前后两句话的功效）
Poliomyelitis, for example, emerged as an epidemic in the united states in the twentieth century; by then, modern sanitation was able to delay exposure to Polio until adolescence or adulthood, at which time polio infection produced paralysis. Previously, infection had occurred during infancy, ,when it typically provided lifelong immunity without paralysis. Thus, the hygiene that helped prevent typhoid epidemics indirectly fostered a paralytic polio epidemic.
The passage suggests that a lack of modern sanitation would make which of the following most likely to occur?
(A) An outbreak of Lyme disease.
(B) An outbreak of dengue hemorrhagic fever
(C) An epidemic of typhoid
(D) An epidemic of paralytic polio among infants
(E) An epidemic of paralytic polio among adolescence and
adults
Unlike the large businesses, they often need to make substantial investments in new plants, staff, equipment, and the like in order to perform work subcontracted to them. If, thereafter, their subcontracts are for some reason reduced, such firms can face potentially crippling fixed expenses.
The passage suggests that the failure of a large business to have its bids for subcontracts result quickly in orders might cause it to
(A)experience frustration but not serious financial harm
(B)face potentially crippling fixed expenses
(C)have to record its efforts on forms filed with the government
(D)increase its spending with minority subcontractors
(E)r evise its procedure for making bids for federal contracts and
subcontracts
排查题（主要观察例子，和排比，比较好定位)
做法：定位于文中的大（小）列举以及排比句。
The majority of successful senior managers do not closely follow the classical rational model of first clarifying goals, assessing the problems, formulating options, likelihoods of success, making a decision, and only then taking action to implement the decision.
According to the passage, the classical models of decision analysis includes all of the following EXCEPT
(A)evaluation of a problem
(B)creation of possible solutions to a problem
(C)establishment of clear goals to be reached by the decision
(D)action undertaken in order to discover more information about a
problem
(E)c omparison of the probable effects of different solutions to a problem
Inferences（推理题）
These questions ask about ideas that are not explicitly stated in a passage but are implied by the author. Unlike questions about supporting details, which ask about information that is directly stated in a passage, inference questions ask about ideas or meanings that must be inferred from information that is directly stated. Authors can make their points in indirect ways, suggesting ideas without actually stating them. Inference questions measure your ability to understand author's intended meaning in parts of a passage where the meaning is only suggested. These questions do no task about meanings or implications that are remote from the passage; rather, they ask about meanings that are developed indirectly or implications that are specifically suggested by the author.
To answer these questions, you may have to
?logically take statements made by the author one step beyond their literal
meanings
?recognize an alternative interpretation of a statement made by the author
?identify the intended meaning of a word used figuratively in a passage
典型问法：
The author implies that one way……
It can be inferred from the passage that
The passage suggests that
Infer imply conclude suggest…….
做法：
大部分的推理题型很好识别，当识别完毕后按照官方要求做一步推理或者同意转换即可。（关于“推理题”的细节化做法）
推理题（同转类）
Another example is Lyme disease, which is caused by bacteria that are transmitted by deer ticks. It occurred only sporadically during the late nineteenth century but has recently become prevalent in parts of the United States, largely due to an increase in the deer population that occurred simultaneously
with the growth of the suburbs and increased outdoor recreational activities in the deer’s habitat.
It can be inferred from the passage that Lyme disease has become prevalent in parts of the United States because of which of the following?
(A) The inadvertent introduction of Lyme disease bacteria to the United States.
(B) The inability of modern sanitation methods to eradicate Lyme disease bacteria.
(C) A genetic mutation in Lyme disease bacteria that makes them more virulent.
(D) The spread of Lyme disease bacteria from infected human to non infected humans.
(E) An increase in the number of humans who encounter deer ticks
Yet McKay’s team notes that the particular combination of PHAs in ALH84001 is more similar to the combinations produced by decaying organisms than to those originating from nonbiological processes.
The passage suggests that McKay’s team would agree with which of
the following regarding the PAHs produced by nonorganic processes?
(a)These PAHs are not likely to be found in any meteorite that has
been on earth for 13,000years or more.
(b)These PAHs are not likely to be found in any meteorite that
originated from Mars.
(c)These PAHs are not likely to be produced by star formation
(d)These PAHs are not likely to be found in combinations that
distinguish them from the PAHs produced by oganic processes. (e)These PAHs are not likely to be found in fewer meteorites than
the PAHs produced by organic processes
推理题（一步推理）
Perhaps the fact that many of these first studies considered only algae of a size that could be collected in a net (net phytoplankton), a practice that overlooked the smaller phytoplankton (nannoplankton) that we now know grazers are most likely to feed on, led to a de-emphasis of the role of grazers in subsequent research.
It can be inferred from the passage that one way in which many of
the early researchers on grazer control could have improved their data would have been to
(A)Emphasize the effects of temperature, rather than of light, on
phytoplankton
(B)Disregard nannoplankton in their analysis of phytoplankton
numbers
(C)Collect phytoplankton of all sizes before analyzing the extent
of phytoplankton concentration
(D)Recognize that phytoplankton other than net phytoplankton
could be collected in a net
(E)Understand the crucial significance of net phytoplankton in the diet of zooplankton
As an indicator of shifts in the Earth’s climate, the isotope record has two advantages. First…. Second, it is a more continuous record than that taken from rocks on land.
It can be inferred from the passage that the isotope record taken from ocean sediments would be less useful to researchers if which of the following were true?
（A）It indicated that lighter isotopes of oxygen predominated at certain times.
(B) It had far more gaps in its sequence than the record taken from rocks on land.
(C) It indicated that climate shifts did not occur every 100,000 years
(D) It indicated that the ratios of oxygen 16 and oxygen 18 in ocean water were not consistent with those found in fresh water.
(E)I t stretched back fro only a million years
Applying information to a context outside the passage itself
These questions measure your ability to discern the relationships between situations or ideas presented by the author and other situations or ideas that might parallel those in the passage. In this kind of question, you may be asked to
?identify a hypothetical situation that is comparable to a situation presented in the passage
?select an example that is similar to an example provided in the passage
?apply ideas given in the passage to a situation not mentioned by the author ?recognize ideas that the author would probably agree or disagree with on the
basis of statements made in the passage
Unlike inference questions, application questions use ideas or situations not taken from the passage. Ideas and situations given in a question are like those given in the passage, and they parallel ideas and situations in the passage; therefore, to answer the question, you must do more than recall what
you read. You must recognize the essential attributes of ideas and situations presented in the passage when they appear in different words and in an entirely new context.
典型问法：
Which of the following is most similar to the situation in…?
similar to, analogous to , parallel, consistent with
The alignment of producers of VHS format VCRs with producers of
prerecorded videotapes is most similar to which of the following?
做法：抓住本质特征
Although recent years have seen substantial reductions in noxious pollutants from individual motor vehicles, the number of such vehicles has been steadily increasing. Consequently, more than 100 cities in the United States still have levels of carbon monoxide, particulate matter, and ozone that
exceed legally established limits.
Which of the following most parallels the situation described above?
(A) Although a town reduces its public services in order to avoid a tax
increase, the town’s tax rate exceeds that of other towns in the surrounding area.
(B) Although a state passes strict laws to limit the type of toxic material
that can be disposed of in public landfills, illegal dumping continues to increase.
(C) Although a town’s citizens reduce their individual use of water, the
town’s water supplies continue to dwindle because of a steady increase in the total population of the town.
(D)Although a country attempts to increase the sale of domestic goods by
adding a tax to the price of imported goods, the sale of imported goods within the country continues to increase.
(E) Although a country reduces the speed limit on its national highway,
the number of fatalities caused by automobile accidents continues to increase.
Wages in the South, however, were low and Black workers were
aware, ………urban Black workers faced competition from the continuing influx of both Black and White rural workers, who were driven to undercut the wages formerly paid for industrial jobs.
which of the following is true of wages in southern cities in 1910?
（A）They were being pushed lower as a result of increased competition.
(B) They had begun to rise so that southern industry could attract rural workers.
(C)They had increased for skilled workers but decreased for unskilled workers.
(D) They had increased in large southern cities but decreased in small southern cities.
(E) They had increased in newly developed industries but decreased in the older trades.
Logical structure
These questions require you to analyze and evaluate the organization and logic of a passage. They may ask you
?how a passage is constructed—for instance, does it define, compare or
contrast, present a new idea, or refute an idea?
?how the author persuades readers to accept his or her assertions
?the reason behind the author's use of any particular supporting detail
?to identify assumptions that the author is making
?to assess the strengths and weaknesses of the authors arguments
?to recognize appropriate counterarguments
These questions measure your ability not only to comprehend a passage but also to evaluate it critically. However, it is important for you to realize that logical structure questions do not rely on any kind of formal logic, nor do they require you to be familiar with specific terms of logic or argumentation. You can answer these questions using only the information in the passage and careful reasoning. 典型问法：
in order to 或to
The author refers to "service workers employed by manufacturers" (line 23) primarily in order to point out
The "dilemma" mentioned in line 3 can best be characterized as being caused by thenecessity to make a choice when faced with a
做法：
a）先结论后举例：for example，for instance，such as，like
b）先举例后结论：强因果关系词
c）无任何语言现象：以第一种情况“先结论后举例”居多Typical symptoms of reef decline are destabilized herbivore populations and an increasing abundance of algae and filter-feeding animals.
The author refer to ''filter-feeding animals'' (lines23-24)in order to
(a)provide an example of a characteristic sign of reef deterioration
(b)explain how reef communities acquire sustenance for survival
(c)identify a factor that helps herbivore populations thrive
(d)indicate a cause of decreasing nutrient input in waters that reefs
inhabit
(e)identify member of coral reef communities that rely on coral reefs for
nutrient
One argument against my contention asserts that, by nature, textbooks are culturally biased and that I am simply underestimating children’s ability to see through these biases. Some researchers even claim that by the time students are in high school, they cannot take textbooks literally. Yet substantial evidence exists to the contrary. Two researchers, for example, have conducted studies that...
The author mentions two researchers’ studies most likely in order to (A) suggest that children’s political attitudes are formed primarily through textbooks
(B) counter the claim that children are able to see through stereotypes in textbooks