GRE考试是一个学术向的应试考试,所选题材大都有迹可循。比如女性题材,历史之谜,黑人题材,科技现象,原理。对于阅读文章我推荐GRE北美题和国内题。这些题目一共196篇,我推荐所有题目做两遍。
技巧一:读句子之间的逻辑关系
GRE的一个段落其实就是一道逻辑单题无限扩充出来的段落,你需要知道里面那些是Premise, 那些是counter-example/statement, 那些是conclusion
一个最简单的例子, GRE Section 2
At the same time that Gilpin’s interest in landscape work distinguished her from most other women photographers, her approach to landscape photography set her apart from men photographers who, like Gilpin, documented the western United States. Western American landscape photography GREw out of a male tradition, pioneered by photographers attached to government and commercial survey teams that went west in the 1860’s and 1870’s. These explorer- photographers documented the West that their employers wanted to see: an exotic and majestic land shaped by awesome natural forces, unpopulated and ready for American settlement. The next generation of male photographers, represented by Ansel Adams and Eliot Porter, often worked with conservationist groups rather than government agencies or commercial companies, but they nonetheless preserved the “heroic” style and maintained the role of respectful outsider peering in with reverence at a fragile natural world.
我估计第一句话就可以考到很多
At the same time that Gilpin’s interest in landscape work distinguished her from most other women photographers, her approach to landscape photography set her apart from men photographers who, like Gilpin, documented the western United States.
这句话第一个逗号直接将两个部分分隔,分别讲述了G与女摄影师和男摄影师的区别。下一句紧接男性作家的一些特点,并在文中出现了几个名字,Ansel, Eliot, 这段于是可以出很多infer题, G和大多数女摄影师的区别是什么? G和男摄影师的区别是什么?
Eg:
Some scientists say that global warming will occur because people are releasing large amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere by burning trees and fossil fuels. We can see, though, that the predicted warming is occurring already. In the middle of last winter, we had a month of springlike weather in our area, and this fall, because of unusually mild temperatures, the leaves on our town's trees were three weeks late in turning color.
这是最典型的GRE阅读写作手法, Some people claim/assert/argue/suggest….. 你知道下一句话一定是转折,这个some people在这里就是充当counter-statement
技巧二:Justify every words in answer choices
这也是一个需要注意的技巧。一个具有迷惑性的错误选项都是经过加工改造的,你需要对答案里出现的每一个单词都能在原文里找到依据并且做到100%确定为什么这个答案是错误的。
做完这一步另一个重要的步骤,深入研究为什么这个选项是错的(也就是为什么这是一个GREat wrong answer)分析之后你会发现出题人的一些伎俩,避开这些陷进,你就会顺利跨入高分行列
技巧三:排除法做题
在《爱一个美女好难》里面作者强调一个1600分的选手永远选正确答案,很不幸的是这个方法几乎已经无效了。随着GRE阅读出题陷阱越来越多,很难保证你看到的“正确答案”就是正确的。很有可能B跟E比,E更正确,但是你连看都没看E。针对错误类型主要有几大类
①Out of Scope, 这个在多选题里非常常见
Eg:
Galileo stuck lenses onto either of an organ pipe; today’s research telescopes, while considerably more elaborate, still perform the same fundamental task of collecting and focusing light. It’s all astronomers have to go on: electromagnetic radiation from distant objects, whether it arrives in the form of X rays or visible light or radio waves. Scientists rely, for instance, on spectroscopy, the process of separating light emitted by an object in space into its opponent wavelengths, as a prism does, then analyzing those components. And they invent new tools to analyze the light. To probe deeper and deeper into space, scientist must design better and better detectors, sensitive to the faintest of emissions.
It can be inferred from the passage that spectroscopy
A.Insufficient to describe the contours of objects in space.
B.interprets information from distance objects
C.does rely on light emissions as well as other components.
A就是一个out of scope选项。 Insufficient? Contour of objects? 文章中只出现了light. 排除掉
答案 BC
②One word wrong
③Contradiction
④True but irrelevant
⑤Too extreme
关于选项错误类型可以参照Manhattan GRE RC那本书
技巧四:善于总结错题
总结错题我的建议依然是Blind Review
Blind Review的意思是
1, 100%确定为什么你选择了某个答案(原因)
确定你为什么选择某一个选项,原文Line多少可以找到Back Up
2, 100%确定为什么你排除了某个答案(错误类型)
确定你为什么排除掉其他的选项,也就是那五个错误选项。 Dig into wrong answers
3, 当你的答案是错的时候,不要标出正确答案,重做一遍并计时这一遍做的时候问自己两个问题
- What about the right answer made me think it was wrong?
- What about the wrong answer made me think it was right?
拿个记事本(电脑上word也可以)写下来自己当时选择这个选项的原因,在排除掉一个选项后第二遍看看你能不能做对。而这次选择新的选项的原因是什么?在原文找到依据. 对于填空便是便是找到依据,确定句子转折递进关系。阅读便是定位改写和全文理解。
4, 对于不能100%确定地题目,不能100%确定排出的选项,标记,重做直到明白为止
5, 把错误原因写出来,为什么当时选了这个选项,原因是什么?回去做题时候标出原文行数,指出这里那里理解错了。
技巧五:Look for certainty
时刻关注一些修饰程度的词: some, most, all, never, and always等等,这些题都是infer题的来源,大都数错误选项也都集中在这些词里
技巧六:终极技巧--Pre-phrase
这应该是GRE阅读的最终极技巧了,在画完Passage Map后做题时候不看选项,直接自己在脑子里想出自己的理解
Eg:GRE国内题 Section 4
Allen and Wolkowitz's research challenges the common claim that homework-waged labor performed at home for a company is primarily a response to women workers' needs and preferences. By focusing on a limited geographical area in order to gather in-depth information, the authors have avoided the methodological pitfalls that have plagued earlier research on homework. Their findings disprove accepted notions about homeworkers: that they are unqualified for other jobs and that they use homework as a short-term strategy for dealing with child care.
The authors conclude that the persistence of homework cannot be explained by appeal to such notions, for, in fact, homeworkers do not differ sharply from other employed women. Most homeworkers would prefer to work outside the home but are constrained from doing so by lack of employers' desires to minimize fixed costs: homeworkers receive no benefits and are paid less than regular employees.
1. According to the passage, which of the following has been generally believed about homework?
(A) the benefits of homework accrue primarily to employers rather than to homeworkers.
(B) Homework is prevalent predominantly in rural areas.
(C) Homework is primarily a response to the preferences of women workers.
(D) Few homeworkers rely on homework for the majority of their family income.
(E) Most homework is seasonal and part-time rather than full-time and year-round.
这道题读完就应该知道答案在第一句话,也就是A&;W challenge a conventional belief, 而这个belief就是 primarily a response to women workers' needs and preferences 于是带着这个pre-phrase去看答案,ABDE立刻排除掉,只有C正确
2. The passage suggests which of the following about previous research on homework?
(A) It was conducted primarily with women who did not have extensive household responsibilities or care for small children at home.
(B) It was conducted with homeworkers and companies over a large geographical area.
(C) It indicated that women homeworkers had numerous opportunities to work outside the home.
(D) It indicated that homeworkers usually work for companies that are close to their homes.
(E) It indicated that homework was financially advantageous to large companies.
这道题读完题应该知道这是第二句话,也就是A&;W avoid a pitfall,A&;W的方法是on a limited geographical area in order to gather in-depth information
那么以前的研究应该是与A&;W方法对立,或者对on a limited geographical area in order to gather in-depth information这句话取反。能选的只有B
技巧七:对于读不懂的文章读两遍
很多人会说,这样不是浪费时间吗,Well maybe, it depends.如果你读不懂做题也就徒劳,不如用原文定位的时间再去读一遍。在练习阶段如果遇到读不懂的你不妨去试试。随着你的阅读量上去,你会发现你对文章的把握会越来越精准,以后一遍就能读懂。
技巧八:通过不断地练习使你能够对晦涩的GRE文章和无聊的话题提起兴趣;通过积累材料不断阅读对于你的不熟悉领域你可以不畏惧;通过长难句你可以把那些复杂的句子用自己的话讲出来。
这也是练习GRE阅读最最重要的几个技能。对于GRE阅读的最高境界我认为是你读完一篇文章做完题后应该能够熟悉到可以给别人讲这篇文章内容并且分析。
技巧九:练习自己的节奏
GRE阅读做到最后就是关于疲劳度,耐性和节奏的问题,你在练习的这段时间要随时记录这些考场上会影响你的因素
技巧十:速度是在正确率和熟悉程度提升以后自然而然提升的
有很多版友一味的追求速度,这是非常致命的错误。在GRE阅读里面跳读略读等于自杀。所谓的速度是你在正确率稳定以后,随着阅读技巧和对错误选项的理解的加深而提升的。因此我的建议是先关注正确率,然后慢慢开始计时。Blind Review阶段也计时,从而最终达到长文章 6分钟做完题,短文章4分钟。这样你最终考试阶段会有足够多的时间可以检查并且推敲一些拿不准的选项。