雖然每年的考題不同，但是縱使千變?nèi)f變，題型歸納起來(lái)就是那么幾種常見(jiàn)的類(lèi)型：
從宏觀上把握文章，抓住文章的“主體結(jié)構(gòu)”是關(guān)鍵。 GRE閱讀文章的常見(jiàn)“主體結(jié)構(gòu)”有三種：
1. 結(jié)論-解釋型(也叫論點(diǎn)-解釋型)
首先是“結(jié)論-解釋型”文章。這類(lèi)文章在開(kāi)始有一個(gè)判斷句，一般是文章的結(jié)論，也是文章的主題。這個(gè)判斷句的謂語(yǔ)部分通常包含系動(dòng)詞(is, remain, prove, turn out, appear等)或情態(tài)動(dòng)詞(can, may, should, must等)，而且含有表示態(tài)度的詞匯(如形容詞等)。例如，
Because of its accuracy in outlining the Earth's subsurface, the seismic-reflection method remains the most important tool in the search for petroleum reserves. In field practice, a subsurface is mapped by arranging a series of wave-train sources, such as small dynamite explosions, in a grid pattern…
文章首句指出：“由于‘地震反射法’(sr)在勾劃地球的地下層面這方面的準(zhǔn)確性，該方法一直是探尋石油儲(chǔ)備的最重要的工具?！边@是一個(gè)判斷句，為結(jié)論。其中remains為系動(dòng)詞，而most important為態(tài)度詞，表示作者對(duì)“地震反射法”持非常正面的評(píng)價(jià)。后文應(yīng)解釋“地震反射法”的具體過(guò)程。 第二句話對(duì)解釋進(jìn)行總的說(shuō)明：“在實(shí)地作業(yè)中，通過(guò)將一系列波列源，諸如小規(guī)模炸藥爆炸，排列成一個(gè)網(wǎng)格模式，從而將地下層面標(biāo)繪出來(lái)?！苯酉聛?lái)是“地震反射法”的詳細(xì)過(guò)程。
2. 新老觀點(diǎn)對(duì)比型
GRE閱讀文章的第二種常見(jiàn)結(jié)構(gòu)是“新老觀點(diǎn)對(duì)比型”。 這類(lèi)文章在開(kāi)始提出老觀點(diǎn)，然后提出新觀點(diǎn)并進(jìn)行論述。通常新觀點(diǎn)是文章的主題。老觀點(diǎn)出現(xiàn)的標(biāo)志詞有：
1. 傳統(tǒng)觀點(diǎn)： has been, traditionally, until recently等
2. 大眾觀點(diǎn)：frequently, widely, many等
新觀點(diǎn)出現(xiàn)的標(biāo)志詞有：however, recently, now等。
例如，
Traditionally, pollination by wind has been viewed as a reproductive process marked by random events in which the vagaries of the wind are compensated for by the generation of vast quantities of pollen, so that the ultimate production of new seeds is assured at the expense of producing much more pollen than is actually used.
However, a number of features that are characteristic of wind-pollinated plants reduce pollen waste…