【前言】在GRE的筆試部分，閱讀是最難提高的。一方面它需要考生有扎實的單詞、語法、句法的基礎(chǔ)，另一方面需要快速的邏輯思維和概括推理能力。關(guān)于GRE閱讀的理論涉及得比較繁雜，本文重點對其考點做一下簡要的解析。
GRE閱讀的考點主要涉及三個方面：
一、文章的類型：（立論或駁論）考查文章主旨、結(jié)構(gòu)或態(tài)度；
二、論述的過程：考查作者如何展開論述、事物特征及相互關(guān)系等細節(jié)；
三、推理的結(jié)論：考查已解決的問題甚至待解決的問題、未來的論述方向等。
下面，我將結(jié)合閱讀文章實例對以上問題進行一一講解。
首先，一篇GRE文章，無論長閱讀還是短閱讀，文章的主旨和結(jié)構(gòu)幾乎是必考的題目，也是相對來說比較簡單的題目。
解決這類問題的關(guān)鍵就是找出文章的Topic Sentence和Structural Elements。第一遍讀文章的時候要對這兩者高度敏感，以便回頭定位找出文章內(nèi)容大意，布局謀篇方式，段落間的聯(lián)系等。
例如：
Traditionally, the study of history has had fixed boundaries and focal points—periods, countries, dramatic events, and great leaders. It also has had clear and firm notions of scholarly procedure: how one inquires into a historical problem, how one presents and documents one’s findings, what constitutes admissible and adequate proof.
Anyone who has followed recent historical literature can testify to the revolution that is taking place in historical studies. The currently fashionable subjects come directly from the sociology catalog: childhood, work, leisure. The new subjects are accompanied by new methods. Where history once was primarily narrative, it is now entirely analytic. The old questions “What happened?” and “How did it happen?” have given way to the question “Why did it happen?” Prominent among the methods used to answer the question “Why” is psychoanalysis, and its use has given rise to psychohistory.
Psychohistory does not merely use psychological explanations in historical contexts. Historians have always used such explanations when they were appropriate and when there was sufficient evidence for them. But this pragmatic use of psychology is not what psychohistorians intend. They are committed, not just to psychology in general, but to Freudian psychoanalysis. This commitment precludes a commitment to history as historians have always understood it. Psychohistory derives its “facts” not from history, the detailed records of events and their consequences, but from psychoanalysis of the individuals who made history, and deduces its theories not from this or that instance in their lives, but from a view of human nature that transcends history. It denies the basic criterion of historical evidence: that evidence be publicly accessible to, and therefore assessable by, all historians. And it violates the basic tenet of historical method: that historians be alert to the negative instances that would refute their theses. Psychohistorians, convinced of the absolute rightness of their own theories, are also convinced that theirs is the “deepest” explanation of any event, that other explanations fall short of the truth.
Psychohistory is not content to violate the discipline of history (in the sense of the proper mode of studying and writing about the past); it also violates the past itself. It denies to the past an integrity and will of its own, in which people acted out of a variety of motives and in which events had a multiplicity of causes and effects. It imposes upon the past the same determinism that it imposes upon the present, thus robbing people and events of their individuality and of their complexity. Instead of respecting the particularity of the past, it assimilates all events, past and present, into a single deterministic schema that is presumed to be true at all times and in all circumstances.
第一題即是主旨題：
1. Which of the following best states the main point of the passage?
(A) The approach of psychohistorians to historical study is currently in vogue even though it lacks the rigor and verifiability of traditional historical method.
(B) Traditional historians can benefit from studying the techniques and findings of psychohistorians.
(C) Areas of sociological study such as childhood and work are of little interest to traditional historians.
(D) The psychological assessment of an individual’s behavior and attitudes is more informative than the details of his or her daily life.
(E) History is composed of unique and nonrepeating events that must be individually analyzed on the basis of publicly verifiable evidence.
解析：開篇第一句以traditionally為特征詞（SE），講述了一個對于study of history的舊觀點。第二段一開始以recent為特征詞（SE）提出新觀點，段末提出TS：Prominent among the methods used to answer the question “Why” is psychoanalysis, and its use has given rise to psychohistory.很明顯這篇文章是駁論的立場。所以主旨題正確答案的句子應該重點體現(xiàn)新觀點的特征，且是TS的改寫，所以A為正確答案。
其次，作者論述過程中涉及事物與事物間的關(guān)系的內(nèi)容常常是必考內(nèi)容，這些關(guān)系包括相同、相似、相異、遞進、轉(zhuǎn)折、因果、相對性，比較級，強對比等等。上面例文的第二題和第五題即是考查此點的題目：
2. It can be inferred from the passage that one way in which traditional history can be distinguished from psychohistory is that traditional history usually
(A) views past events as complex and having their own individuality
(B) relies on a single interpretation of human behavior to explain historical events
(C) interprets historical events in such a way that their specific nature is transcended
(D) turns to psychological explanations in historical contexts to account for events
(E) relies strictly on data that are concrete and quantifiable
解析：從題目可知，“distinguished from”考查的是“強對比”，文章的三段主要說新觀點（psychohistory）的特征，第四段進一步論述其特點“it also violates the past itself.”其實”past itself”指的就是traditional history，那么只要對于其中論述psychohistory的特征（It imposes upon the past the same determinism that it imposes upon the present, thus robbing people and events of their individuality and of their complexity.）取反即可，所以A是正確答案。
另外，論證過程的涉及事物本身特征的細節(jié)也常是考查的內(nèi)容。比如，上面例文的第五題就是考察事物特點的題目：
5. The author mentions which of the following as a characteristic of the practice of psychohistorians?
(A) The lives of historical figures are presented in episodic rather than narrative form.
(B) Archives used by psychohistorians to gather material are not accessible to other scholars.
(C) Past and current events are all placed within the same deterministic schema.
(D) Events in the adult life of a historical figure are seen to be more consequential than are those in the childhood of the figure.
(E) Analysis is focused on group behavior rather than on particular events in an individual’s life.
解析：對于這樣的題目，解題關(guān)鍵是準確的定位到原文，這也取決于第一次讀全文捕捉到的重點是不是到位。這道題原文的定位就是有級特征處（all）的“… it assimilates all events, past and present, into a single deterministic schema that is presumed to be true at all times and in all circumstances.”對其進行改寫，即得到正確答案C
最后，考查文章推論結(jié)論的題目幾乎必考，比如上面例文的第六題：
6. The author of the passage suggests that psychohistorians view history primarily as
(A) a report of events, causes, and effects that is generally accepted by historians but which is, for the most part, unverifiable
(B) an episodic account that lacks cohesion because records of the role of childhood, work, and leisure in the lives of historical figures are rare
(C) an uncharted sea of seemingly unexplainable events that have meaning only when examined as discrete units
(D) a record of the way in which a closed set of immutable psychological laws seems to have shaped events
(E) a proof of the existence of intricate causal interrelationships between past and present events
解析：文章開篇提出舊觀點，第二段提出新觀點，第三段對新觀點展開重點論述，最后一段進一步論述提出與傳統(tǒng)歷史觀的區(qū)別。該題目應該定位于原文的第三段末尾，”Psychohistory derives its “facts” not from history, the detailed records of events and their consequences, but from psychoanalysis of the individuals who made history, and deduces its theories not from this or that instance in their lives, but from a view of human nature that transcends history.”一個關(guān)鍵的提示詞“deduce”得出心理歷史學的結(jié)論性描述。正確答案即是以上文字的改寫，D為正確答案。
【綜上所述】GRE閱讀的考點主要集中于文章的邏輯結(jié)構(gòu)，論證過程的細節(jié)和推導得到的結(jié)論。考生只要在第一遍詳略得當讀原文的過程中對以上重點進行標記，就能在做題目的時候快速定位原文，綜合思考得出答案。
GRE閱讀的考點主要涉及三個方面：
一、文章的類型：（立論或駁論）考查文章主旨、結(jié)構(gòu)或態(tài)度；
二、論述的過程：考查作者如何展開論述、事物特征及相互關(guān)系等細節(jié)；
三、推理的結(jié)論：考查已解決的問題甚至待解決的問題、未來的論述方向等。
下面，我將結(jié)合閱讀文章實例對以上問題進行一一講解。
首先，一篇GRE文章，無論長閱讀還是短閱讀，文章的主旨和結(jié)構(gòu)幾乎是必考的題目，也是相對來說比較簡單的題目。
解決這類問題的關(guān)鍵就是找出文章的Topic Sentence和Structural Elements。第一遍讀文章的時候要對這兩者高度敏感，以便回頭定位找出文章內(nèi)容大意，布局謀篇方式，段落間的聯(lián)系等。
例如：
Traditionally, the study of history has had fixed boundaries and focal points—periods, countries, dramatic events, and great leaders. It also has had clear and firm notions of scholarly procedure: how one inquires into a historical problem, how one presents and documents one’s findings, what constitutes admissible and adequate proof.
Anyone who has followed recent historical literature can testify to the revolution that is taking place in historical studies. The currently fashionable subjects come directly from the sociology catalog: childhood, work, leisure. The new subjects are accompanied by new methods. Where history once was primarily narrative, it is now entirely analytic. The old questions “What happened?” and “How did it happen?” have given way to the question “Why did it happen?” Prominent among the methods used to answer the question “Why” is psychoanalysis, and its use has given rise to psychohistory.
Psychohistory does not merely use psychological explanations in historical contexts. Historians have always used such explanations when they were appropriate and when there was sufficient evidence for them. But this pragmatic use of psychology is not what psychohistorians intend. They are committed, not just to psychology in general, but to Freudian psychoanalysis. This commitment precludes a commitment to history as historians have always understood it. Psychohistory derives its “facts” not from history, the detailed records of events and their consequences, but from psychoanalysis of the individuals who made history, and deduces its theories not from this or that instance in their lives, but from a view of human nature that transcends history. It denies the basic criterion of historical evidence: that evidence be publicly accessible to, and therefore assessable by, all historians. And it violates the basic tenet of historical method: that historians be alert to the negative instances that would refute their theses. Psychohistorians, convinced of the absolute rightness of their own theories, are also convinced that theirs is the “deepest” explanation of any event, that other explanations fall short of the truth.
Psychohistory is not content to violate the discipline of history (in the sense of the proper mode of studying and writing about the past); it also violates the past itself. It denies to the past an integrity and will of its own, in which people acted out of a variety of motives and in which events had a multiplicity of causes and effects. It imposes upon the past the same determinism that it imposes upon the present, thus robbing people and events of their individuality and of their complexity. Instead of respecting the particularity of the past, it assimilates all events, past and present, into a single deterministic schema that is presumed to be true at all times and in all circumstances.
第一題即是主旨題：
1. Which of the following best states the main point of the passage?
(A) The approach of psychohistorians to historical study is currently in vogue even though it lacks the rigor and verifiability of traditional historical method.
(B) Traditional historians can benefit from studying the techniques and findings of psychohistorians.
(C) Areas of sociological study such as childhood and work are of little interest to traditional historians.
(D) The psychological assessment of an individual’s behavior and attitudes is more informative than the details of his or her daily life.
(E) History is composed of unique and nonrepeating events that must be individually analyzed on the basis of publicly verifiable evidence.
解析：開篇第一句以traditionally為特征詞（SE），講述了一個對于study of history的舊觀點。第二段一開始以recent為特征詞（SE）提出新觀點，段末提出TS：Prominent among the methods used to answer the question “Why” is psychoanalysis, and its use has given rise to psychohistory.很明顯這篇文章是駁論的立場。所以主旨題正確答案的句子應該重點體現(xiàn)新觀點的特征，且是TS的改寫，所以A為正確答案。
其次，作者論述過程中涉及事物與事物間的關(guān)系的內(nèi)容常常是必考內(nèi)容，這些關(guān)系包括相同、相似、相異、遞進、轉(zhuǎn)折、因果、相對性，比較級，強對比等等。上面例文的第二題和第五題即是考查此點的題目：
2. It can be inferred from the passage that one way in which traditional history can be distinguished from psychohistory is that traditional history usually
(A) views past events as complex and having their own individuality
(B) relies on a single interpretation of human behavior to explain historical events
(C) interprets historical events in such a way that their specific nature is transcended
(D) turns to psychological explanations in historical contexts to account for events
(E) relies strictly on data that are concrete and quantifiable
解析：從題目可知，“distinguished from”考查的是“強對比”，文章的三段主要說新觀點（psychohistory）的特征，第四段進一步論述其特點“it also violates the past itself.”其實”past itself”指的就是traditional history，那么只要對于其中論述psychohistory的特征（It imposes upon the past the same determinism that it imposes upon the present, thus robbing people and events of their individuality and of their complexity.）取反即可，所以A是正確答案。
另外，論證過程的涉及事物本身特征的細節(jié)也常是考查的內(nèi)容。比如，上面例文的第五題就是考察事物特點的題目：
5. The author mentions which of the following as a characteristic of the practice of psychohistorians?
(A) The lives of historical figures are presented in episodic rather than narrative form.
(B) Archives used by psychohistorians to gather material are not accessible to other scholars.
(C) Past and current events are all placed within the same deterministic schema.
(D) Events in the adult life of a historical figure are seen to be more consequential than are those in the childhood of the figure.
(E) Analysis is focused on group behavior rather than on particular events in an individual’s life.
解析：對于這樣的題目，解題關(guān)鍵是準確的定位到原文，這也取決于第一次讀全文捕捉到的重點是不是到位。這道題原文的定位就是有級特征處（all）的“… it assimilates all events, past and present, into a single deterministic schema that is presumed to be true at all times and in all circumstances.”對其進行改寫，即得到正確答案C
最后，考查文章推論結(jié)論的題目幾乎必考，比如上面例文的第六題：
6. The author of the passage suggests that psychohistorians view history primarily as
(A) a report of events, causes, and effects that is generally accepted by historians but which is, for the most part, unverifiable
(B) an episodic account that lacks cohesion because records of the role of childhood, work, and leisure in the lives of historical figures are rare
(C) an uncharted sea of seemingly unexplainable events that have meaning only when examined as discrete units
(D) a record of the way in which a closed set of immutable psychological laws seems to have shaped events
(E) a proof of the existence of intricate causal interrelationships between past and present events
解析：文章開篇提出舊觀點，第二段提出新觀點，第三段對新觀點展開重點論述，最后一段進一步論述提出與傳統(tǒng)歷史觀的區(qū)別。該題目應該定位于原文的第三段末尾，”Psychohistory derives its “facts” not from history, the detailed records of events and their consequences, but from psychoanalysis of the individuals who made history, and deduces its theories not from this or that instance in their lives, but from a view of human nature that transcends history.”一個關(guān)鍵的提示詞“deduce”得出心理歷史學的結(jié)論性描述。正確答案即是以上文字的改寫，D為正確答案。
【綜上所述】GRE閱讀的考點主要集中于文章的邏輯結(jié)構(gòu)，論證過程的細節(jié)和推導得到的結(jié)論。考生只要在第一遍詳略得當讀原文的過程中對以上重點進行標記，就能在做題目的時候快速定位原文，綜合思考得出答案。