新GRE揭秘：老GRE阅读加GMAT逻辑来解题

今年八月，新GRE粉墨登场，**考生翘*以待。改革后的GRE到底新在何处，尤其是阅读部分，到底有怎样的新手段，估计很多学生心中都有些忐忑。看完本文后，我相信很多人都会大为宽心，新GRE阅读其实没有变出什么新花样，只不过大量模仿了GMAT逻辑题的出题方式罢了。一言以蔽之：新GRE阅读=老GRE阅读+GMAT逻辑。

大家都知道，老GRE阅读从篇幅上分有长文章和短文章;而在新GRE阅读中不但保留原来的长文和短文，还增加了只有一到四句话的超短文章，我将其称之为微文。微文不但微小，还有微妙之感。试看下例(新GRE官方指南P71)：

IntheUnITedState**etween1850and1880,thenumberoffarmerscontinuedtoincrease,butataratelowerthanthatofthegeneralpopulation

Whichofthefollowingstatementsdirectlycontradictstheinformationpresentedabove?

Thenumberoffarmersinthegeneralpopulationincreasedslightlyinthe30year**etween1850and1880.

TherateofgrowthoftheUnitedStateslaborforceandtherateofgrowthofthegeneralpopulationrosesimultaneouslyinthe30year**etween1850and1880.

TheproportionoffarmersintheUnitedStateslaborforceremainedconstantinthe30year**etween1850and1880.

TheproportionoffarmersintheUnitedStateslaborforcedecreasedfrom64percentin1850to49percentin1880.

Theproportionoffarmersinthegeneralpopulationincreasedfrom68percentin1850to72percentin1880.

仔细考量这道微文题，明显感到这不是传统的阅读理解，而是对思维的考察，这就是微文题目的特点。ETS正是要通过微文题来实现其改革的两大目标：强调复杂推理能力和强调量化推理能力。过去的GRE因为在这两方面的欠缺，导致了大多商学院只认可GMAT对能力的测试。而如今，GRE为了与GMAT竞争，故而自我完善，弥补欠缺。而且ETS还选择了一条*取巧的道路——模仿GMAT的逻辑题。

比如说(新GRE官方指南P313)：

Inthepasttenyears,therehavebeenseveralimprovementsinmountain-climbingequipment.Theseimprovementshavemadethesportbothsaferandmoreenjoyableforexperiencedclimbers.Despitetheseimprovements,however,therateofmountain-climbinginjurieshasdoubledinpasttenyears.

Whichofthefollowing,iftrue,bestreconcilestheapparentdiscrepancypresentedinthepassage?

Manyclimbers,lulledintoafalsesenseofsecurity,usethenewequipmenttoattemptclimbingfeatsofwhichtheyarenotcapable.

Somemountain-climbinginjuriesarecausedbyunforeseeableweatherconditions.

Mountainclimbing,althoughadangeroussport,doesnotnormallyresultininjurytotheexperiencedclimber.

Inthepasttenyearstherehavebeenimprovementsinmountain-climbingtechniquesaswellasinmountain-climbingequipment.

Althoughtherateofmountain-climbinginjurieshasincreased,therateofmountain-climbingdeathshasnotchanged.

即文中出现了一个奇怪或矛盾的现象，题目要求给予解释或调和。这在GMAT逻辑中是司空见惯的解释题。

又比如(新GRE官方指南P310)：

AtacertainperiodinEarth’shistory,itsatmospherecontainedalmostnooxygen,althoughplantswereproducingvastquantitiesofoxygen.Asawayofreconcilingthesetwofacts,scientistshavehypothesizedthatnearlyalloftheoxygenbeingproducedwastakenupbyirononEarth’ssurface.Clearly,however,thisexplanationisinadequate.NewstudiesshowthattheamountofirononEarth’ssurfacewasnotsufficienttoab***banywhereneara**uchoxygenaswa**eingproduced.Therefore,somethinginadditiontotheirononEarth’ssurfacemusthaveab***bedmuchoftheoxygenproducedbyplantlife.

Intheargumentgiven,thetwoportionsinboldfaceplaywhichofthefollowingroles?<