GMAT备考日记－AT

AnnTeng

Sep/07/2013

The Gross Domestic Product, which measures the dollar value of finished goods and services produced by an economy during a given period, serves as the chief indicator of the economic well-being of the United States. (Begin the argument by broadly defining GDP) The GDP assumes that the economic significance of goods and services lies solely in their price, and that these goods and services add to the national well-being, not because of any intrinsic value they may possess, but simply because they were produced and bought. (How GDP is used as an indicator and pointing out the shortcomings of GDP as an indicator) Additionally, only those goods and services involved in monetary transactions are included in the GDP. Thus, the GDP ignores the economic utility of such things as a clean environment and cohesive families and communities. ( Describe in more details what is and is not taken into account by the GDP)It is therefore not merely coincidental, since national policies in capitalist and noncapitalist countries alike are dependent on indicators such as the GDP, that both the environment and the social structure have been eroded in recent decades. Not only does the GDP mask this erosion, it can actually portray it as an economic gain: an oil spill off a coastal region “adds” to the GDP because it generates commercial activity. In short, the nation’s central measure of economic well-being works like a calculating machine that adds but cannot subtract. (Draws a causal connection between the limitations of what the GDP measures and disturbing trends within the US in recent decades)

1. The Primary purpose of the passage:
To Examine crucial shortcomings of the GDP as an indicator of the economic well-being of the United States

2. Which of the following best describes the function of the second sentence of the passage in the context of the passage as a whole?

It identifies a major flaw in the GDP. (Correct)

It describes an assumption about the GDP that is defended in the course of the passage.
It contributes to a discussion of the origins of the GDP
It clarifies a common misconception about the use of the GDP
It suggests a revision to the method of calculating the GDP.

3. It can be inferred that the author of the passage would agree with which of the following about the “economic significance” of those goods and services that are included in the GDP?

It is not accurately captured by the price of those goods and services. (correct)

It is a comprehensive indicator of a nation’s economic well-being.

4. The comparison of the GDP to a calculating machine serves to do which of the following?
Illustrate the point that the GDP has no way of measuring the destructive impact of such things as oil spills on the nation’s economic well-being.

5. The passage implies that national policies that rely heavily on economic indicators such as the GDP tend to

Disregard the economic importance of environmental and social factors that do not involve monetary transactions.

6. It can be inferred that the author of the passage would agree with which of the following assessments of the GDP as an indicator of the economic well-being of the United States?

It is based on inaccurate estimations of the prices of many goods and services.

It masks social and environmental erosion more fully than the chief economic indicators of other nations. (the passage did not mention other nations, this can be eliminated quickly )

It overestimates the amount of commercial activity that is generated in the United States
It is conducive to error because it conflates distinct types of economic activity.

It does not take into account the economic utility of certain environmental and social conditions. (Author has a negative opinion on using GDP as an indicator) ---Correct

AnnTeng

Sep/08/2013

Although genetic mutations in bacteria and viruses can lead to epidemics, some epidemics are caused by bacteria and viruses that have undergone no significant genetic change. (Begin by explaining that some epidemics are not caused by genetic mutations in bacteria and viruses) In analyzing the latter, scientists have discovered the importance of social and ecological factors to epidemics.  (but rather by social and ecological changes in an environment )Poliomyelitis, for example, emerged as an epidemic in the United States in the Twentieth century: by then, modern sanitation was able to delay exposure to polio until adolescence or adulthood, at which time polio infection produced paralysis. Previously, infection had occurred during infancy, when it typically provided lifelong immunity without paralysis. Thus, the hygiene that helped prevent typhoid epidemics indirectly fostered a paralytic polio epidemic. Another example is Lyme disease, which is caused by bacteria that are transmitted by deer ticks. It occurred only sporadically during the late nineteenth century but has recently become prevalent in parts of the United States, largely due to an increase in the deer population that occurred simultaneously with the growth of the suburbs and increased outdoor recreational activities in the deer’s habitat. Similarly, an outbreak of dengue hemorrhagic fever became an epidemic in Asia in the 1950s because of ecological changes that caused Aedes aegypi, the mosquito that transmits the dengue virus, to proliferate. The stage is now set in the United States for a dengue epidemic because of the inadvertent introduction and wide dissemination of another mosquito, Aedes albopictus. (Three specific examples---polio, Lyme disease, and dengue hemorrhagic fever)

12. The passage suggests that a lack of modern sanitation would make which of the following most likely to occur?
An epidemic of typhoid.

13. According to the passage, the outbreak of dengue hemorrhagic fever in the 1950s occurred for which of the following reasons?

The mosquitos Aedes aegypti became more numerous.

14. It can be inferred from the passage that Lyme disease has become prevalent in parts of the United States because of which of the following?

An increase in the number of humans who encounter deer ticks.

15. Which of the following can most reasonably be concluded about the mosquito Aedes albopictus on the basis of information given in the passage?

It transmits the dengue virus.

16. Which of the following best describes the organization of the passage?
A generalization is stated and it then followed by three instances that support the generalization.

17. Which of the following, if true, would most strengthen the author’s assertion about the cause of the Lyme disease outbreak in the United States?

Interest in outdoor recreation began to grow in the late nineteenth century.---Incorrect, because An interest in outdoor recreation, such as an interest in hiking, may be an appreciation for that activity without being an engagement in that activity; even if interest here did mean engagement, an increased interest in outdoor recreation does not entail that people engaged in outdoor activities in the deer’s habitat; the assertion is not strengthened.

The deer population was smaller in the late nineteenth century than in the mid twentieth century.---Correct

AnnTeng

At the end of the nineteenth century, a rising interest in Native American customs and an increasing desire to understand Native American culture prompted ethnologists to begin recording the life stories of Native Americans. Ethnologists had a distinct reason for wanting to hear the stories: they were after the linguistic or anthropological data that would supplement their own field observations, and they believed that the personal stories, even of a single individual, could increase their understanding of the cultures that they had been observing from without. In addition many ethnologists at the turn of the century believed that Native American manners and customs were rapidly disappearing, and that it was important to preserve for posterity as much information as could be adequately recorded before the cultures disappeared forever. (Introduce a research method, recording life stories)

There were, however, arguments against this method as a way of acquiring accurate and complete information. Franz Boas, for example, described autobiographies as being “of limited value, and useful chiefly for the study of the perversion of truth by memory”, while Paul Radin contended that investigators rarely spent enough time with the tribes they were observing, and inevitably derived results too tinged by the investigator’s own emotional tone to be reliable.

Even more importantly, as these life stories moved from the traditional oral mode to recorded written form, much was inevitably lost. Editors often decided what elements were significant to the field research on a given tribe. Native Americans recognized that the essence of their lives could not be communicated in English and that events that they thought significant were often deemed unimportant by their interviewers. Indeed, the very act of telling their stories could force Native American narrators to distort their cultures, as taboos had to be broken to speak the names of dead relatives crucial to their family stories. ( discuss the problem of this method)

Despite all of this, autobiography remains a useful tool for ethnological research: such personal reminiscences and impressions, incomplete as they may be, are likely to throw more light on the working of the mind and emotions than any amount of speculation from an ethnologist or ethnological theorist from another culture. (Despite the limitation of the method, it still remains useful)

33. Which of the following best describes the organization of the passage?

The method of recording life stories is described, its limitations acknowledged, and its usefulness recognized.

34. Which of the following is most similar to the actions of nineteenth-century ethnologists in their editing of the life stories of Native Americans?

A sports announcer describes the action in a team sport with which he is unfamiliar

35. According to the passage, collecting life stories can be a useful methodology because
Life stories provide deeper insights into a culture than the hypothesizing of academics who are not members of that culture.

36. Information in the passage suggests that which of the following may be possible way to eliminate bias in the editing of life stories?

Reporting all of the information that the informant provides regardless of the investigator’s personal opinion about its intrinsic value.

37. The primary purpose of the passage as a whole is to

Critique a methodology. The passage is about a methodology; both its weaknesses and strengths are examined.

38. It can be inferred from the passage that a characteristics of the ethnological research on Native Americans conducted during the nineteenth century was the use of which of the following

A language other than the informant’s for recording life stories.

AnnTeng

In a 1918 editorial, W. E.B Du Bois advised African American to stop agitating for equality and to proclaim their solidarity with White Americans for the duration of the First World War. The editorial surprised many African Americans who viewed Du Bois as an uncompromising African American leader and a chief opponent of the accommodationist tactics urged by Booker T Washington.  (Indicating that many African Americans were surprised by a political position taken by BD )In fact, however, Du Bois often shifted positions along the continuum between Washington and confrontationists such as William Trotter. In 1895, when Washington called on African Americans to concentrate on improving their communities instead of opposing discrimination and agitating for political rights, Du Bois praised Washington’s speech. In 1903,however, Du Bois aligned himself with Trotter, Washington’s militant opponent, less for ideological reasons than because Trotter had described to him Washington’s efforts to silence those in the African American press who opposed Washington’s positions. (Demonstrate that Du Bois often shifted positions)

Du Bois’ s wartime position thus reflected not a change in his long-term goals but rather a pragmatic response in the face of social pressures: government officials had threatened African American journalists with censorship if they continued to voice grievances. Furthermore, Du Bois believed that African American’s contributions to past war efforts had brought them some legal and political advances. Du Bois’s accommodationism did not last, however. Upon learning of systematic discrimination experienced by African Americans in the military, he called them to “return fighting” from the war. (Du Bois’s accommodationis stance did not last, and he returned to a more confrontationist stance upon learning of the treatment of African Americans in the military)
45. The passage is primarily concerned with
Accounting for a particular position adopted by Du Bois during the First World War

46. The passage indicates which of the following about Du Bois’s attitude toward Washington?
It underwent a shift in 1903 for reasons other than Du Bois’s disagreement with Washington’s accommodationist view.

47. The passage suggests which of the following about the contributions of African Americans to the United Stated war effort during the First World War?
The contributions did not end discrimination against African Americans in the military.

48. The author of the passage refers to Washington’s call to African Americans in 1895 primarily in order to  (this question requires understanding how a part of the passage functions within the passage as a whole.)
Support an assertion about Du Bois’s tendency to shift his political positions (The passage used Du Bois’s praise for Washington’s 1895 speech and subsequent support of Trotter to illustrate Du Bois’s tendency of shift positions)

49. According to the passage, which of the following is true of the strategy that Du Bois’s 1918 editorial urged African Americans to adopt during the First World War?

It was advocated by Du Bois in part because of his historical knowledge of gains African Americans had made during past wars.

AnnTeng

Sep/11/2013

Neotropical coastal mangrove forests are usually “zonal”, with certain mangrove species found predominantly in the seaward portion of the habitat and other mangrove species on the more landward portions of the coast. The earliest research on mangrove forests produced descriptions of species distribution from shore to land, without exploring the causes of the distributions. （Discuss zonation and species distribution in mangrove forests.）

The idea that zonation is caused by plant succession was first expressed by J. H. Davis in a study of Florida mangrove forests. According to Davis’ scheme, the shoreline is being extended in a seaward direction because of the “land-building” role of mangroves, which, by trapping sediments over time, extend the shore. As a habitat gradually becomes more inland as the shore extends, the “land-building” species are replaced. This continuous process of accretion and succession would be interrupted only by hurricanes or storm flushings. (Presents Davis’ theory that zonation is caused by plant succession)
Recently the universal application of Davis’ succession paradigm has been challenged. It appears that in areas where weak currents and weak tidal energy allow the accumulation of sediments, mangroves will follow land formation and accelerate the rate of soil accretion; succession will proceed according to Davis’ scheme. But on stable coastlines, the distribution of mangrove species results in other patterns of zonation; “land-building” does not occur. (Discuss a challenge to D’s theory)
To find a principle that explains the various distribution patterns, several researchers have looked to salinity and its effects on mangroves. While mangroves can develop on fresh water, they can also thrive in salinities as high as 2.5 times that of seawater. However, those mangrove species found in freshwater habitats do well only in the absence of competition, thus suggesting that salinity tolerance is a critical factor in competitive success among mangroves species. Research suggests that mangroves will normally dominate highly saline regions, although not because they require salt. Rather, they are metabolically efficient (and hence grow well) in portions of an environment whose high salinity excludes plants adapted to lower salinities. Tides create different degrees of salinity along a coastline. The characteristic mangrove species of each zone should exhibit a higher metabolic efficiency at that salinity than will any potential invader, including other species of mangrove. (Presents research on salinity tolerance and zonation in mangrove forests)

AnnTeng

小安阅读法： http://forum.chasedream.com/thread-55954-1-2.html

阅读陷入困境，尝试寻找出路

AnnTeng

“越做越发现读的是结构和脉络，而不是文章。关于细节题，比较容易通过回读定位或者是关键词排除法做对。我觉得所谓的猜测出题点是做多了之后的形成的自然而然的感觉，而不是在做题中刻意而为之的。
”

AnnTeng

做题方法:
1. 对于 CR 题目,原题中一定具有前提和结论。且结论一定只有一个。第一步,先找到结 论。可以定义除掉结论以外的句子都是前提。
判断原则:看句子的意思,如果这个句子是被其他句子所支持的,该句就是结论句。(有 些提示词可以帮助判断,比如 Therefore,Thus 等等)
2. 看完原文判断前提与结论之后,不直接看选项。因为 Critical Reasoning, critical 的是 Argument,而不是选项。如果看了选项,就一定会 critical 选项。
3. 根据前提和结论之间的关系,判断原文推理模式,找符合 CQ 方向的选项。(一般只会剩 下一个。)包括黑体字题,做题方式没有变化。 判断技巧:用排除法,先根据抽象型式判断类比,统计枚举和方案。如果不是,看前提 和结论发生的逻辑时间。前提先发生为因果,前提后发生为果因。
4. 假如一道题目你一定只能做 2min,那么你的时间分配应该是用 1min20s 对付原文,用剩 下的时间来找答案选项。
5. 只要判断对了推理模式,答案绝对不会错。

AnnTeng

看到一个人给另一个人的建议，记下来：


语法：og（至少过10遍）＋曼哈顿（曼哈顿中文最新笔记我有发过帖，精华的）
逻辑：og 足以＋你自己整理的那个笔记
阅读：og+gwd阅读部分
数学：og（太简单了）＋每个月的jj

单词：把og语法＋阅读里面的v.+adj.+adv.背下来即可
练习：每半个月做一套gwd完整版

AnnTeng

转：八．逻辑题总步骤：

1.      找结论。每道题一定有且只有一个。
意思判断：这个句子被其他句子所支持
形式判断：therefore，thus后面跟的都是结论句
2.      根据原文前提和结论之间的关系，判断原文的推理模式
判断技巧：抽象形式判断，类比，统计枚举，和方案。如果不是，看前提和结论发生的逻辑时间。一定有结论，有前提，把结论和前提，和因果匹配。前提à结论= 因果；结论à前提=果因。根据前提和结论发生的时间顺序。
3.      找到符合CQ方向的选项
根据每种推理模式的 CQ来判断。