GMAT阅读出题题材广泛。文章所涉及的题材十分广泛,一般来说,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。以下就是几篇典型的GMAT科技类文章的片断: “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”, “Nearly a century ago, biologists found that if they separated an invertebrate animal embryo into two parts at an early stage of its life…….”, “ Protein synthesis begins when the gene encoding a protein is activated…………” 此类文章内容枯燥无味,加上通篇“游荡”着的几个超长的自然科学类的英文单词,往往令中国学生十分头疼。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”(这将在以后的“GMAT阅读题型分析”中讲到),极少出现“信息题”或其它高难题型。
b) 社会科学类文章(Social science passages)此类文章可能涉及历史http://www.canadaonline.cn,政治或宏观经济等社会科学领域的话题,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,在GMAT考试中所占比例较大。如:“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………”。相对于上述自然科学类文章,这类文章对中国学生的理解能力并未造成太大挑战,但其阅读题目的难度却不容小觑。
c)商业类 (Business passages) 此类的GMAT 文章数量众多,而且涉及范围http://www.canadaonline.cn也十分广泛,比如市场营销,存货处理,以及日常管理等等。例如:“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….”由于此类文章行文较简单,所以题目一般会比较难,会有高难的“信息题”出现,考生在对原文进行一般理解的基础上,应尽力 “听”出其“弦外之音”。