由于中国GMAT考生的逻辑和数学能力，包括句子改错能力都是相对较强的，真正影响考生整体实力的恰恰是GMAT考试的阅读部分。本人在新东方实际教学的几年间，深入研究了GMAT考试的要点与特征，尤其是阅读部分的规律性，并在教学与实际考试中进行检验，取得了极为明显的效果。在此，本人愿意与读者共同分享，共同进步。本文拟从“GMAT阅读的规律性”、和“GMAT阅读中五大套路分析”两个方面论述GMAT阅读中考生需要把握的要点。

· GMAT阅读的规律性

概括地说，GMAT阅读的规律性可以用以下20个字来表现：文章改写，题材广泛，套路统一，题型固定，解题有章。以下分述之：

1. 文章改写

GMAT中阅读文章都不是照搬照抄原有的学术论文，而是ETS先搜集大量文章，然后在尽量保证原文信息不丢失的前提下根据GMAC的考试要求进行相应改写，。他们的改写过程一般都是这样的：

1). 搜集文章。ETS从自然科学、社会科学刊物以及各类书籍中搜集各种题材的文章。
2). 改写。 审查文章后, ETS通过大量使用分词及从句将有些句子处理得更紧凑、严密，结果是虽然使得改写后的文章行文变得错综复杂，但ETS会尽量保证改写后的文章体现一定的层次和鲜明的态度。如:开始是个老观点,后有新观点反对它，对于这个新观点，文章作者或完全同意、或部分保留、或是表现出有正有负的混合评价。
3). 出题。先出关于主题、套路、态度、结构以及文章的主题叙述对象(FOCUS)的有关问题；再针对文中比较明显的具体内容出题，在出题方式上力求多做变换，这就是将原文中的词汇或句子换成另一种说法表现出来。最后找出一些谁也注意不到的细节,作为提高难度、拉开档次的题目刁难考生。

2. 题材广泛

GMAT阅读文章所涉及的题材十分广泛，一般来说，GMAT阅读文章分为以下三类：

a) 科技类文章（Science Passages）  例如DNA、基因、厄尔尼诺、温室效应、大气污染、开采能源等。以下就是几篇各领域的GMAT科技类文章： “Caffeine, the stimulant in coffee, has been called "the most widely used psychoactive substance on Earth ……. For many years, caffeine's effects have been attributed to its inhibition of the production of phosphodiesterase” 以及“Nearly a century ago, biologists found that if they separated an invertebrate animal embryo into two parts at an early stage of its life…….”还有“ Protein synthesis begins when the gene encoding a protein is activated……..” 此类文章不但内容极其枯燥无味而且通篇“游荡”着几个超长的自然科学类的英文单词，这些词足以摧跨中国的GMAT考生本来已经很脆弱的神经了。不过大家不用担心，由于此类文章难度较大，所以题目一般比较简单，基本都是“直接事实题”（将在以后的“GMAT阅读题型分析”中讲到），极少出现“信息题”或其它高难题型。所以，考生们在遇到这种文章时大可不必慌张，无需对文章细读，只需把握通篇文章之结构即可。因为你要知道其实ETS的出题人也看不懂，也根本不想看懂那些深奥的学术内容是什么意思。这当然来源于美国特殊的放任教育的机制，结果一般青年包括ETS的出题人对DNA、基因、厄尔尼诺、温室效应、大气污染、开采能源这些每个中国文科考生都能挂在嘴边的热点问题知之甚少。它所明白的无非是：诸如有一个自然现象，有一派试图解释它，提出了一个观点，后来被一新生力量通过两个试验否定了，实验中都用到了A动物、B仪器、C原理、D规则；文章本来的作者最后又评论了一下，态度是基本赞成新生力量，但也有点儿保留……他所能向我们发问的也就是这些。所以对于那些专有名词，包括动物、仪器、原理、规则等统统首字母提炼（initial）即可，即将它们视为不带有任何含义的代号。    

b) 社会科学类文章（Social science passages） 此类文章可能涉及历史，政治或宏观经济等社会科学领域的话题。具体地说包括美国历史、弱势群体（少数民族、黑人、女性）以及法律（法律史）等等。 “Recent years have brought minority-owned businesses in the United States unprecedented opportunities……….”“In the two decades between 1910 and 1930, over ten percent to the Black population of the United States left the South……”“Historians of women's labor in the United States at first largely disregarded the story of female service workers-women earning wages in occupations…..”

c) 商业类 （Business passages） 此类的GMAT 文章数量众多，而且涉及范围也十分广泛。比如市场营销，存货处理，以及日常管理等等。 “Excess inventory, a massive problem for many businesses, has several causes, some of which are unavoidable…..” “Traditionally, the first firm to commercialize a new technology has benefited from the unique opportunity to shape product definitions, forcing followers to adapt to a standard or invest in an unproven alternative….”此类文章由于行文较简单，所以题目一般会比较难，会有高难的“信息题”出现，所以要求你在你对原文理解的基础上听出“弦外之音”或看出“话里话”。建议在处理这类文章的时候适当放慢速度，较为仔细地阅读。

3. 套路统一

虽然GMAT文章的题材广泛，学术高深，但是它有很强的模式：典型的论证文章。这里要强调一点：文章的主题与结构本身的重要性远甚于文章内容的重要性。这就是我们在GMAT阅读备考中的“套路远远高于题材”之说。具体地说，在GMAT阅读中，不管文章如何千奇百怪，都可归纳成四种演进方式：

a. 旧观点--> 新观点；
“It was once believed that the brain was independent of metabolic processes occurring elsewhere in the body”--> “In recent studies, however, we have discovered that the production and release in brain neurons of the neuro- transmitter serotonin neurotransmitters are compounds that neurons use to transmit signals to other cells) depend directly on the food that the body processes.”

b. 现象-->解释 （有时惟一，有时不惟一）
“Historians of women's labor in the United States at first largely disregarded the story of female service workers” --> “To explain this unfinished revolution in the status of women, historians have recently begun to emphasize the way a prevailing definition of femininity…….”；

c. 问题-->解决
“Archaeology as a profession faces two major problems” --> “I would like to make an outrageous suggestion that would at one stroke provide funds…..”

d. 结论--> 解释。
“Two modes of argumentation have been used on behalf of women's emancipation in Western societies. Arguments in what could be called the "relational" feminist tradition………..”

在这个基础上，每篇拥有特定套路的文章中基本都能找出一个总结全文的主题句（topics Sentence）。例如对于新旧观点对立型的文章，新观点即为主题句，而问题解决或现象解释文章的主题句就是作者给予正评价的解决方案或解释。把握套路之后就可以把握好每篇文章的结构以及每篇文章的核心，于是也把握住了ETS 希望我们把握的最重要的东西。

4. 题型固定

GMAT阅读部分多年以来形成了几种固定的题型、问法，对这些内容反复识别并加以练习，就会有不小的收获。GMAT阅读中的题型总体上可分为客观题和主观题，而客观题包括直接事实题、取非题、举例作用题、逻辑题、排除题、信息题和类比题；主观题包括主题题和态度题。这些题型不但从GMAT诞生的第一天就存在并延续至今，而且这些题型的问法和解题方法也似乎被“固化”下来，表现出极强的规律性。由于题型部分将在今后作专门讲解，所以此处不再赘述。
   
5. 解题有章

正如刚才所讲，GMAT阅读题的问法固定，而固定的提问方式也导致了固定的解体方式，即某种题型----> 某种解题方法。考生对这种对应一定要通过反复的练习来将其掌握。在我实际教学活动中，我发现很多的GMAT考生在处理GMAT阅读题的时候是没有什么章法而言的，多数人还是凭借在其它的考试中培养和积累的阅读思维和习惯做题，导致做题的质量不高，所以考生对此种关联的熟悉程度往往决定了考生做题的速度和质量，因为GMAT阅读题的解决是有章法的。
略举一例，对于出现频率最高的主题题来说，解题章法明显：
同义变换
文章套路 ---->  文章主题句 ----> 主题题正确答案，而在实际的阅读过程中，很多考生从来不去确定文章的套路，自然也就无法知道文章的主题句在哪里，那么主题题自然就很难顺利做出，有的即便得出，也耗时太多。当然，这部分也将在今后作专门讲解。

综上所述，GMAT阅读的规律性主要体现为20个字：文章改写，题材广泛，套路统一，题型固定，解题有章。我认为这基本已经涵盖了GMAT阅读的两个部分即阅读文章和解题的规律，以下将分 “

正如前文中讲的那样，GMAT阅读的套路性极强，概括地说，GMAT阅读的套路大致分为以下五种： 新老观点对比型、结论解释型、现象解释型、结论解释型和特别套路：

1. 新老观点对比型

· 判断标志：此类文章一般会在第一段提出一个“老观点” 。此处的“老观点”是指过去的、传统、大家一致公认的观点。而且通常GMAT提出老观点的时候会给予一些语言的提示，例如：it was traditionally assumed…it was once / usually believed… Many ××believed that…Many ××have argued… It was frequently assumed that…the common belief     It was universally accepted that…

· 接下去文章一般会提出新观点，通常会在第一段中部或第二段开头，而且也会有一些语言提示：例如， But， Yet，However 或用时间状语表示强对比（例如 in the 1960‘s 和Recently）

范文节选：
    It has been frequently assumed, but not proved, that the majority of the migrants in what has come to be called the Great Migration came from rural areas and were motivated by two concurrent factors: ……..
    But the question of who actually left the South has never been rigorously investigated. ……..

范文节选：
    Federal efforts to aid minority businesses began in the 1960's when the Small Business Administration (SBA) ……..
    Recently federal policymakers have adopted an approach intended to accelerate development of the (15) minority business sector by moving away from directly.. ……..

·新观点特征：对同一主体给出不同的解释。

范文节选：
    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. 。。。。an unconditional guarantee can be an effective marketing tool if the   ……..
   However, an unconditional guarantee can sometimes hinder marketing efforts. With its implication that fail……..

范文点评： 
第一段说“无条件质量保证很有效” 而第二段首句说“无条件质量保证有时会阻碍营销活动”针对同一个“无条件质量保证”给出了截然相反的两个观点。

·行文套路：老观点--新观点---继续论述新观点
·阅读重点： 新观点

2、结论解释型

· 判断标志：开头是主题句（经常表现为判断句），后面“展开具体内容”。

范文节选：
Recent years have brought minority-owned 
businesses in the United States unprecedented 
opportunities-as well as new and significant risks.
Civil rights activists have long argued that one of 
(5)  the principal reasons why Blacks, Hispanics, and 
other minority groups have difficulty establishing
themselves in business is that they lack access to 
the sizable orders and subcontracts that are gener-
ated by large companies. Now Congress, in appar-
(10) ent agreement, has required by law that businesses 
awarded federal contracts of more than $500,000 
do their best to find minority subcontractors and 
record their efforts to do so on forms filed with the 
government. Indeed, some federal and local agen-
(15) cies have gone so far as to set specific percentage 
goals for apportioning parts of public works con-
tracts to minority enterprises.
       Corporate response appears to have been sub-
stantial. According to figures collected in 1977, 
(20) the total of corporate contracts with minority busi-
nesses rose from $77 million in 1972 to $1. lbillion
in 1977. The projected total of corporate contracts 
with minority businesses for the early 1980's is 
estimated to be over 53 billion per year with no 
(25) letup anticipated in the next decade.
  Promising as it is for minority businesses, this
increased patronage poses dangers for them, too.
First, minority firms risk expanding too fast and 
overextending themselves financially, since most
(30) are small concerns and, unlike 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, there-
after, their subcontracts are for some reason 
(35) reduced, such firms can face potentially crippling
fixed expenses. The world of corporate purchasing 
can be frustrating for small entrepreneurs who get 
requests for elaborate formal estimates and bids. 
Both consume valuable time and resources, and a 
(40)  small company's efforts must soon result in 
orders, or both the morale and the financial health 
of the business will suffer.
   A second risk is that White-owned companies
may seek to cash in on the increasing apportion-
(45)  ments through formation of joint ventures with 
minority-owned concerns. Of course, in many 
instances there are legitimate reasons for joint 
ventures; clearly, White and minority enterprises 
can team up to acquire business that neither could 
(50) acquire alone. But civil rights groups and minority 
business owners have complained to Congress about 
minorities being set up as "fronts" with White back-
ing, rather than being accepted as full partners in 
legitimate joint ventures.
(55)  Third, a minority enterprise that secures the 
business of one large corporate customer often run
the danger of becoming--and remaining—dependent.
Even in the best of circumstances, fierce compe-
tition from larger, more established companies
(60)  makes it difficult for small concerns to broaden 
their customer bases: when such firms have nearly
guaranteed orders from a single corporate bene-
factor, they may truly have to struggle against
complacency arising from their current success.

范文点评：
文章开头说“近年来， 少数民族企业迎来了前所未有的发展机会，但同时也面临着风险”然后第二段说“企业对少数民族企业的反应很积极”；第三段说“尽管前景很光明，但是少数民族企业也面临着风险”并说了第一个风险；第四段和第五段分别说了第二和第三个风险。所以很明显首段首句是全文的主题句。

· 主题句通常为首句；
· 行文套路：总分结构

3、现象解释型

· 判断标志：
a. 首段给出一个自然的或社会的现象，往往很古怪，下文对其做出解释。
b. 文章前半部出现phenomenon，文章中部出现to explain ,interpret文章后半部评论出现explanation interpretation
范文节选：
    Historians of women's labor in the United States at first 
  largely disregarded the story of female service workers
  -women earning wages in occupations such as salesclerk.
  domestic servant, and office secretary. These historians
 (5) focused instead on factory work, primarily because it
   seemed so different from traditional, unpaid "women's
   work" in the home, and because the underlying economic 
   forces of industrialism were presumed to be gender-blind
   and hence emancipatory in effect. Unfortunately, emanci-
 (10) pation has been less profound than expected, for not even
   industrial wage labor has escaped continued sex segre-
   gation in the workplace.
 To explain this unfinished revolution in the status of
   women, historians have recently begun to emphasize the
( 15) way a prevailing definition of femininity often etermines
   the kinds of work allocated to women, even when such ……

范文点评：
文章开始说出了一个现象：“工厂里的女工也没有逃脱性别隔离”，第二段试图解释这一现象。

· 主题句一般是作者给予正评价的解释。
· 行文套路：phenomenon---explanation---author’s attitude
· 阅读重点： 作者的态度评价